And the Clouds aren't heard by the Mice (But this mouse still squeaks)

I've talked about the mice (workers) inability to be heard by management (the ones in the clouds) in order to make needed changes they perceive.  But the problem goes both ways (but not the fault of the mice). Sometimes those in the clouds and atop ivory pillars cannot hear the mice down below. Remembering that the mice (workers) see the problems and have solutions, why don't the cloud people hear the mice? Its not that the mice have quit squeaking (although often they have given up and accept the status quo) the problem often is that those in the middle don't permit them to be heard.

How often have you said something to a supervisor with a idea to make a difference and it goes up in smoke? All too often you say. No surprise. If store level management and all those between the bottom (mice) and the top (clouds) allowed those ideas to go to the top they might have to give credit to those below them, thereby weakening their hold on power.

Is it no wonder that people give up trying and have no sense of ownership for the care and future of the company they work for and is it no wonder that the top management has no respect for those at the bottom who "don't understand"? The mice understand all too well, they just can't be heard.

The answer is found in the Leadership / Management Principles of William Demming. Demming was part of the group that went to Japan at the end of WWII to help reconstruct Japan's economy. After dinner he taught the Japanese how to build a quality product using the statistical quality control methods he learned at the phone company he had worked at.

Never heard of William Demming? No surprise, although the Demming award is one of the most revered awards for industry in the world, only one American company has ever won the award - Ford Motor Company for the design of the original Taurus, a best seller for years.

What does Demming have to do with the mice and the cloud people? Part of his teaching was to have companies WORK TOGETHER to achieve better products. If a company A ships cans to company B for B to put their products in and 10% of the containers are damaged, who pays? Not company A! They have built the cost of that 10% into their charge to company B which in turn is passed along to the consumers (you and me).
   Demming proposed that the tow companies work together to investigate and eliminate to or significantly reduce the 10% damage rate. Maybe B has bas requirement specs. Maybe A has problems the workers see but the management at the top don't have a clue about.

Does this really happen today? YOU BET! I opened a container of 6 products at the store where I work. All six products were unusable. Two were broken apart at a corner (maybe shipping) but the other four had the SAME CORNER glued together in a poorly joined seam. I mentioned to a supervisor that we ought to pass the word back up the chain to let them know there was a quality control issue. It comment died in moments. Nothing was done and today that assembly line for that particular product is happily churring out products that may or may not be unusable.

Why are other countries knocking our socks off literally as they produce quality products better than us?

Squeak Squeak, Squeak.