“DO what you say and say what you do” is usually the advice given by quality consultants to companies wishing to obtain the ISO certification.
The advice immediately reminded the writer of Verse 2 of Surah Saff in the Holy Quran that states to the effect that: “O ye who believe! Why say ye that ye do not?”
As clearly indicated by this verse, Islam enjoins its followers to carry out what has been said. In other words, all words must be translated into actions.
In the writer’s mind, this is the must fundamental principle in ensuring quality in our work. In terms of definition, quality can be considered as “the degree of goodness or worth.”Standards, like the ISO family, are benchmarks to ensure that products manufactured or services provided, meet the minimum requirement of quality as required by the industry, customers or government.
Therefore, a standard does not guarantee that the product or service is of the best quality. Going back to the issue of translating words or promises into actions, we see that these days many companies, institutions and organisations would promise the best services or products to their customers and clients.
These promises usually come in the form of advertisements that we see very regularly in he many forms of media that are available in this day and age.
Most companies, institutions and organisations these days are aware that in an era where competition is stiff, the only way to be ahead of the competition is by providing the best product or service.
Customers’ satisfaction is the main priority. A product or service is considered to be of quality when customers or clients are satisfied. As long as there are complaints, there is still room for improvement in terms of quality. Feedback from customers and clients is essential in ensuring the quality of services and products.
This form of quality improvement is pro-active in nature where customers’ complaints are addressed and measures taken to ensure that such complaints do not recur. This aspect of quality management is addressed by the ISO family of standards.
Another way to improve quality is through continual self-assessment. Services rendered or products made are continuously monitored and assessed. When and where there is room for improvement, the quality is improved upon. This method allows for innovation and progress in companies, institutions and organisations.
Employees can be developed to be innovative and creative, which in the long run will benefit employers. In reality, the ISO family of standards run very much in tandem with Islamic teachings. Quality, productivity, transparency, efficiency and many other values that are within the ISO requirements are also requirements for Muslims. Muslims are encouraged to be the best as attested in verses 4-6 in Surah al-Tin which mean: “We have created man in the best of moulds. Then do We abase him (to be) the lowest of the low, except such as believe and do righteous deeds, for they shall have a reward unfailing.”
To be the best here is all-encompassing, that is to be the best in every sense of the word. If a person is a teacher or a researcher or an engineer, then it is his or her obligation to perform these tasks to the best of his capability and capacity. Only then would quality be manifested in his work.
When it comes to ensuring quality, many companies, institutions and organisations use the top-down approach where the management would decide policies, rules and regulations pertaining to quality.
Once this set of policies, rules and regulations are adopted, employees are required to adhere to them. Likewise, when it comes to implementing the ISO family of standards in companies, institutions and organisations, it is a top-down decision. The management would decide on the appropriateness of implementing ISO standards.
From there onwards if ISO was to be implemented, the employees would follow suit. The objective is to ensure that all services and products, that have to go through many different levels of processes and procedures, are of the minimum quality as specified by the standard.
Quality however is a value that is intrinsic in nature. The best approach to ensuring quality, in the writer’s opinion, is from the inside out. In other words, an individual should realise the need, importance and necessity of being the best worker to produce the best products or provide the best service in the best interest of his or her company, institution or organisation.
That is why Muslims are encouraged to perform self-assessment or muhasabah on a regular basis–which when one thinks about it is in line with ISO. One should assess and identify his or her own weaknesses and strengths in order to improve one’s self. Weaknesses should be improved upon while strengths should be capitalised on.
Only then would an individual be a better worker, gradually but continuously improving in terms of quality. The difficult task is actually to ensure that workers improve themselves from the inside out. Rules and regulations work from the outside in. Rules and regulations are enforced on the workers.
No doubt, we need rules and regulations, but if these can be coupled with self-realisation on the importance of quality on the part of the workers, the end result can be even better. One of the key aspects in ISO is the audit on the processes and procedures. However, intrinsic values are a lot more difficult to audit. How would one be able to assess and audit something that is intangible?
This is an interesting question that is often asked. The ISO family of standards are there to drive home the point that quality is essential. The effect can be seen in the products or services of companies, institutions
and organisations.
However, what effect it has on workers is difficult to determine. This brings us back to to the advice given by Ikim’s ISO consultant: “Do what you say and say what you do.”
The practice in an organisation, for instance, is basically the things you do. The rules and regulations are the things you say.
If you do what you say and say what you do, and are able to prove it with proper documentation, then the workers in the organisation are basically following the rules and regulations as required.
In reality, quality requires workers to go beyond the stated rules and regulations. This is in actual fact the real challenge for all of us. We are sometimes content to being ordinary. For Muslims who have the correct understanding of the concept of quality, they would endeavour to go beyond the set of minimum standards. To be the best requires us to go further than just doing what we say and saying what we do. To say something is easy but to carry it out is not. We often find people who can talk and preach, but are unable to do what they say.
Perhaps, as far as quality is concerned, it is best to not just “talk the talk” but also ‘work the talk.”