Quality Management Champion

There is a need for one or more people to champion the cause of quality management. Ideally a champion will emerge during the planning for quality management implementation. This is the person who accepts personal responsibility for the success of quality management without being assigned the responsibility. The champion will be emotionally committed to quality management and will see it as a cause.
The champion should be respected in the organization, have high quality standards and believe that the organization needs to improve. This “can do” attitude may be the most important consideration. A management champion may assume the day-to-day management responsibility for successfully implementing quality management.

Champions happen naturally; they are not appointed. The enthusiasm and energy of champions are important factors in the success of an organization. Ideally the initial champion would be the top executive, but several managers may assume this role at different times. The need for a champion lasts a minimum of two to three years.

Implementing quality management requires a culture change. Learning new types of behavior leads to that change. Following are some new behavior modes:
Most managers practice traditional management. They have been taught to control their organization and employees, using an “I’ll tell you what to do, and you’ll do it” mentality. Many mangers look at the short-term because their commitment to the organization is short range.