Implementation of Quality Culture in Schools

IMPLEMENTATION OF QUALITY CULTURE IN SCHOOLS Background The successful implementation of Total Quality Management is highly dependent on changes in organizational culture. The essence of TQM is a change in quality culture (culture change) to meet customer expectations. A number of experts argue that the failure of quality improvement programs in an organization because it is not accompanied by changes in the quality culture of the institution. Although quality culture change requires a short time, it must gradually begin by creating an atmosphere and system that leads to the creation of conditions capable of producing workers with a culture of quality. Leaders in this regard must see and empower employees on the human side, because this is the key to creating a cultured organization. As said by Morgan (1997) 'Culture is not something that is imposed on a social setting; rather, it develops during the course of social interaction; In organizations there are often many different and competing value systems that create a mosaic of organizational realities rather than a uniform corporate culture'. Definition of Quality Culture According to Malinowski (1983) culture is equipment, customs of social groups, the fruit of human thought and belief or in other words a way of life where humans are in a better state to overcome the real and certain problems they face while adapting to the environment to meet their needs. According to Kunda (1992), Van Maanen and Kunda (1989), culture is a social mechanism that guides or can be used as a basis for moving its members to understand, think and feel on the right and right path. So culture is a pattern and social mechanism run by an organization to take care of its members and can be used as a firm basis for moving its members in carrying out their work properly (Rita, 2003). Based on the above definition, an understanding can be drawn that culture is a set of knowledge, beliefs, art, morals, laws, customs, behaviors, thoughts, and capabilities and habits (customs) shared by members of a group or organization that shape the worldview and the way group members think and behave towards others and are used to adapt to the environment to meet their needs. If associated with quality, the quality culture is as stated by Goetsch and Davis, (1994: 122) is an organizational value system that produces an environment conducive to the formation and continuous improvement of quality. Quality culture consists of philosophies, beliefs, attitudes, norms, values, traditions, procedures, and expectations to improve quality. Ambro (2004) sees quality culture as a corporate culture in the organization that focuses on work supervisors, motivation to form a positive selfimpression and efforts to meet the basic needs of workers in relationships with others. According to Sinclair and Collins (1994), quality culture is a form of cultural management that advocates quality change through increased worker commitment and cooperation within the organization. Aspects of organizational theory that involve changes in values and Organizational norms are very much a matter of transformation towards creating a culture. Aspects that influence this cultural change are motivation, rewards, policies and values, the workplace and organizational structure (Dean and Evans (1994). Drummond (1992) argues that quality culture is a learningoriented management approach and every worker has the opportunity to increase knowledge and skills to ensure organizational progress. Concept of Organizational Culture The subsequent development of the concept of culture was continued by many organizational experts. So the word culture eventually became closely associated with various aspects of organizational development. Nowadays, the term organizational culture is known. Organizational culture is the day-to-day manifestation of the values and traditions that underlie the organization. It is seen in how employees behave, employee expectations of the organization and vice versa, and what is considered normal in terms of how employees carry out work. Brown (1988) concluded that organizational culture refers to the formulation of beliefs, values, and ways of learning from experiences that are built throughout the history of the organization and manifested in every material and behavioral arrangement of each member of the organization. Meanwhile, The Jakarta Consulting Group defines organizational culture as "the values that guide human resources in carrying out their obligations and also their behavior in the organization". These values will provide answers whether an action is right or wrong and whether a behavior is recommended or not. These values serve as the foundation for behavior (Susanto, 2008). Kotter and Heskett (1998) also describe three concepts of organizational culture, namely: 1. Strong culture Organizations that have a strong culture are characterized by the tendency of almost all managers to share a set of values and methods of conducting organizational business. New employees adopt these values very quickly. A new executive may be corrected by his subordinates, as well as by his boss, if he violates organizational norms. The styles and values of a culture tend not to change much and the roots of it are is deep, even if there is a change of manager. In organizations with a strong culture, employees tend to march to the same drummer. Shared values and behaviors make people feel comfortable at work, and a sense of commitment and loyalty makes people try harder. A strong culture provides the structure and control needed, without having to rely on a suffocating formal bureaucracy that can suppress motivation and innovation. 2. Cultures that are strategically suited It explicitly states that cultural direction must align and motivate members, if it is to improve organizational performance. The key concept used here is "fit". So, a culture is considered good if it fits the context. The context could be the objective conditions of the organization or its business strategy. 3. Adaptive culture Starting from the logic that only a culture that can help the organization anticipate and adapt to environmental changes, will be associated with superior performance over time. This adaptive culture is a culture with a risk-taking, trusting, and proactive approach to individual lives. Members actively support each other's efforts to identify all problems and implement solutions that work. There is a sense of confidence that is shared. Members believe, without hesitation, that they can effectively manage the new problems and opportunities they will encounter. There is widespread enthusiasm, a passion to do whatever it takes to achieve organizational success. These members are receptive to change and innovation. This type of culture values and encourages entrepreneurship, which can help an organization adapt to a changing environment, by enabling it to identify and exploit new opportunities. An example of a company that developed this adaptive culture is Digital Equipment Corporation with a culture that promotes innovation, risktaking, honest discussion, entrepreneurship, and leadership at many levels in the hierarchy. Elements, Characteristics and Functions of Quality Culture 1. Quality Culture Elements Sashkin and Kiser (in Hardjosoedarmo, 2001) suggest eight ways (they call them elements) to foster an organization's quality culture. They are as follows: a. Quality information should be used for improvement, Not to judge or control employees. In institutions where the quality culture is already established, the leader gets information or data about the quality of the product/service is really examined, analyzed so that the root of the problem is found and then the improvement program is formulated in accordance with the Deming PDCA cycle. If the quality information/data has not been or is not good as expected then the leader should not scold/judge and blame the staff/employees. In institutions where the culture of quality has not yet grown, if information from staff and employee reports is not good, they are scolded, the information is used as a basis for leaders to judge subordinates. This situation encourages all employees to make good reports in order to please the leader / happy father (ABS) and avoid anger. The point is that the leadership does not get the real information and of course this will make the wrong analysis and will result in the preparation of programs that do not solve problems. b. Authority must be balanced with responsibility. If the culture of quality has grown, then the authority will be balanced with responsibility so that staff / employees can perform tasks that are their responsibility optimally. Otherwise, program achievement will not be maximum and external and internal customer satisfaction will not be met. This authorization system must also be seen as an empowerment effort. c. Awards for quality improvement results There should be awards for quality improvement results. Every success in an institution that has developed a culture of quality needs to be rewarded. Awards do not have to be in the form of money, a pat on the shoulder, announcement of his/her name at ceremonies/meetings, published in bulletins, and the like are also forms of awards. Rewards are sought The rewards given to teams or groups are in line with the principle that work is done in teams or groups. A balanced system of rewards to the team and the whole organization as well as to individual employees should be sought. Shaskin and Kiser (1994) even suggest Gainsharing, which is the sharing of profits with employees who find ways to save production costs. Profitsharing is also suggested, where employees at all levels receive a share of the company's profits and is usually given at the end of the year. d. Cooperative as a basis for working together Cooperation, not competition, should be the basis for cooperation. In line with the principle of individual and group empowerment in a culture of quality, mentoring, couching is always sought in work. For this reason, in carrying out activities, we always prioritize cooperation, mutual support (support) for each other, not competition with each other. Each individual employee acts as part of a team member for the good and success of the whole institution. One of the efforts in accordance with this cultural element is to design work so that employees work in groups that are contained in several teams. In this culture of quality, the institution always seeks empowerment of employees followed by a climate to increase self-control and self-managing teams. One important message that is discouraged in this culture of quality is that managers measure the performance of staff and employees with matrix measures, e. Employees must have security and continuity of work Employees feel safe at work, protected from work accidents. including not being fired by the employer. Managers do not easily dismiss employees on the grounds that the employee is no longer useful to the company or because the company is under threat of loss. Japanese companies generally embrace the notion of life-long employment. Conventional management where a culture of quality is not fostered, managers tend to implement a hire and fire strategy. Companies will hire people when they need to increase productivity and lay off employees when they experience losses, such companies are known as hire and fire companies. Employees are treated like machines that can simply be replaced with a new one. newer machines. Employees are not empowered, for example with training or mentoring, so that self-development or professional development is the business of each employee. This kind of corporate culture certainly makes employees insecure and threatens the continuity of their status as employees. f. There must be a climate of justice Every employee in the company/agency receives fair treatment shown by the behavior and actions taken by managers at all levels. Shaskin and Kiser's (1994: 104) fairness climate indicators include: 1) Build trust, for example by sharing useful, valuable information and mutual commitments. 2) Managers consistently make decisions according to mutually agreed organizational values, not surprised by deviant manager decisions. 3) There is no policy manipulation (white lies) and covering it up as if the policy is fair. g. Compensation should be balanced among all levels of employees. h. Employee Ownership Thus, the eight main elements according to Shaskin and Kiser are indicators of the growth of a culture of quality. In its implementation in the field of education, of course, it still needs to be transformed into a context that is in accordance with the characteristics of education, especially in school settings. Operationally, Shaskin and Kiser assert that culture is a cumulative perception of how the institution treats its employees and how one employee treats another. It is all based on the consistent and persistent actions of managers as seen by employees, vendors and customers. Building a quality culture is not easy, the biggest challenge is the long-term persistence in implementing the values of quality management. The characteristics of the quality culture should be known by all members of the organization through socialization in various ways including being exposed in strategic places. The characteristics of the culture according to Goetsch and Davis (1994, p. 126) is as follows. 1) Management philosophy widely socialized 2) Emphasizing the importance of human resources to the organization 3) Celebration of important organizational events 4) Recognition and rewards to successful employees 5) Effective internal information network to communicate quality culture 6) Rules/procedures for the relationship between employees and leaders as well as each other informally. 7) Strong organizational value system 8) High performance standards 9) Definite/steady character of the organization. 2. Functions of Organizational Culture Culture in organizations has a number of functions (Susanto, 2008), namely; a. Organization binder. Organizational culture serves as a follower of all components of the organization, especially when the organization faces shocks. b. Integrator. Organizational culture is a tool to unite the diverse traits and characters as well as religious talents and abilities that exist in the organization. c. Organizational identity. Organizational culture is one of the organization's identities. For example, the logo of an organization symbolizes the identity of the organization. d. Energy to achieve high performance. Organizational culture serves as an injection of energy to achieve high performance. e. Sign quality. Organizational culture is a representation of the sign of quality that prevails in the organization. f. Motivator. A strong culture will be a strong motivator for the members of the organization. g. Leadership style guidelines. A deeply rooted organizational culture can guide the leadership style that is appropriate for the conditions of the organization in question. h. Value enhance. A strong organizational culture that permeates the minds of every member of the organization will be one of the factors that can increase value for members, customers, suppliers, and other parties related to the organization. 3. Characteristics of Culture in Organizations The Jakarta Consulting Group (Susanto, 2008) uses 12 (twelve) characteristics of organizational culture, namely; a. Leadership Leadership plays an important role in organizational culture, especially in organizations with weak organizational culture. In a weak corporate culture leadership will play a dominant role. For example, authoritarian leadership will produce a culture that is very different from democratic leadership. b. Innovation Whether the tasks are more oriented towards the 'use existing traditions' approach and use proven methods, or give freedom to apply new methods through experimentation. c. Individual initiative Individual initiative includes the degree of responsibility, freedom, and independence of each member of the organization. That is, how much a person is authorized to carry out his duties, how heavy the responsibility that must be carried in accordance with the authority, and how broad the freedom in making decisions. d. Risk tolerance Discusses the extent to which human resources are encouraged to be more aggressive, innovative, and risk-taking at work. e. Briefing Organizational clarity in determining objectives and expectations of human resources regarding the results of work performed. Expectations can be expressed in terms of quantity, quality, and completion time. f. Integration Integration is how units within the organization are encouraged to carry out activities in good coordination, namely how far linkages and cooperation are emphasized in carrying out tasks. And how deep the interdependence between human resources is instilled. g. Management support Talks about how well managers provide clear communication, help, and support to subordinates in carrying out tasks. h. Surveillance Supervision includes rules and direct supervision used by the organization's management to look at the overall behavior of the organization's members. i. Identity Identity is the understanding of organizational members who fully support the organization. The extent to which members of the organization are partial to the organization itself. j. Reward system Reward systems talk about the allocation of 'rewards' (salaries and promotions) based on the criteria of the work of organizational members. In organizations with a clear reward system, everything is standardized based on predetermined criteria. k. Tolerance to conflict Tolerance of conflict means encouraging organizational members to be critical of conflicts that occur. In organizational cultures with high conflict tolerance, debates in meetings are normal. Conversely, in organizations with low levels of conflict tolerance, organizational members will avoid debates, but grumble in the background. l. Communication pattern Communication patterns talk about organizational communication that is limited to the formal hierarchy of any organization. Furthermore, Juran in Goetsch and Davis (2000) presents the characteristics of organizations that have a strong quality culture, namely; • The philosophy of management is broadly outlined. • Emphasizes the organization's human resources • Organize ceremonies to celebrate important organizational moments. • Recognition and rewards for successful workers. • Have an effective internal communication network to communicate culture. • Have informal rules of behavior. • Have a strong value system. • Have a high standard of work. • Organizational culture is clearly defined. Characteristics of Organizations that Implement a Culture of Quality Quality culture in an organization has universal characteristics regardless of the product/service it produces, Here are 10 characteristics of quality culture in organizations in the book Integrated Quality Management (MMT) including: 1) Behavior matches the slogan This means that in institutions where the quality culture has grown well, the behavior of the leadership and all staff and employees is in accordance with the motto, slogan, and motto formulated and displayed or available at the institution. This means that the slogans, mottos, and mottos have been internalized, become a guide, guide, and guide in every behavior of the leaders and citizens of the institution. Some institutions have mottos: We do Now not Tomorrow; "Leading in Character University"; Ready to go to World Class University. To find out whether the culture of quality has grown in the institution, a survey can be conducted with internal and external respondents of the institution whether the motto has been reflected in their daily lives. 2) There is always a survey of customer desires and is used for quality improvement This means that the institution realizes its commitment to focus on customers. For this reason, the institution always has regular surveys conducted to obtain input from customers. The survey results are analyzed and used as a basis in the formulation of product/service quality improvement programs that can meet and even exceed customer/client expectations. 3) Staff are engaged and empowered This means that staff and employees are invited and determine policies and are facilitated to increase their capabilities to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of production or services produced which meet or exceed customer expectations. 4) Work is done in teams This means that all programs are attempted to be carried out by a team. Broadly speaking, there are two types of teams in quality management, namely teams whose members are cross-skilled for short-term purposes and are often called project control groups (quality control project-QCP). The work period of this team is completed when the project target has been achieved. The second team is a team whose members consist of those in the same profession for the improvement of their profession. The working period of this team continues forever according to the existence of their profession. This team is often called the quality control circle (QCC). 5) Top leaders are required to be committed and directly involved (not delegating). In a quality culture that has grown, top leaders are directly involved with staff and employees (of course with a certain portion). Unlike conventional agencies, in general, top leaders delegate or deputize their staff so that leaders cannot appreciate group dynamics. Leaders also have a commitment to making policies and programs that are in accordance with MMT values, including the necessary funding. 6) Sufficient resources are always available where and when needed As in most organizations, organizations in the field of education physical development dominates the budget allocation so that human resource development often does not get an adequate portion. The quality of human resources plays a vital role in the quality management system. Procurement of physical facilities needs to be accompanied by an increase in the quality of human resources. It is necessary to prioritize the paradigm of improving the quality of new human resources accompanied by adequate physical facilities. 7) Training is available for all levels of workers Further to point 6 above, the role of human resources in quality improvement is vital, not only for staff and managers (education office, supervisors) but also for frontline workers (teachers and school staff). The type of training provided should include staff professional development materials and materials on MMT/TQM. 8) Reward and promotion system based on contribution to quality improvement. Awards are given to teams because the work is always done by the team and these awards must be fair according to the principle of equality. 9) Peers are treated as internal customers In line with the contemporary view of suppliers and customers described in Chapter IV, customers include not only external customers but also internal customers, namely peers in the organization. This is necessary according to the MMT philosophy that every individual in the organization must satisfy all customers, so if peers are customers they must also be satisfied. In the context of a school, the main external customers are the students, but teachers must treat the teaching staff and fellow teachers as well as the principal as their internal customers/clients. 10) Suppliers are treated as partners In institutions where the quality culture has not yet grown, suppliers are not treated as partners. Suppliers are not considered to affect the quality of the products/services produced. In the context of total management, suppliers must be considered as partners because they will contribute to the quality of the products/services produced. Suppliers in the context of schools can include, among others, lower-level schools for the supply of students and educational institutions for the supply of teachers and principals. The characteristics of organizations that have a strong quality culture according to Juran (1985) in Mulyadi (2010: 119-120) are as follows: 1) The philosophy of management is broadly outlined. 2) Emphasize the importance of organizational human resources. 3) Organizing ceremonies for important organizational moments. 4) Providing recognition and rewards for successful workers. 5) Have an effective internal communication network to communicate the culture. 6) Has informal rules of behavior. Has a strong value system.