"Take me out to the ball game, take me out with the crowd. Buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks, I don't care if I never get back. Let me root, root, root for the home team, if they don't win it's a shame. For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out, at the old ball game." *

It’s Spring time and that means the start of the baseball season. I’m a Blue Jays fan and at this time of year I always hope that they will put a team together like the ones they did back in 1992-1993 for the back-to-back World Series championships. What was so special about 1992 and 1993 for the Blue Jays? For that matter what is so special about any successful baseball team? Let’s explore some conditions that are required for a “Quality” baseball team and see how those conditions are also required for a world class organization.

A slight re-write on the baseball song could be:
"Listen well to your customers, understand all their needs. Fix all your products and services, good processes will ensure they all come back. Let me root, root, root for employees, if they don't win it's a shame. It's PEP® 1, 2, 3, and PEP® 4, at the old Qual* game."
*quality, NQI PEP®

Leadership - The Team Manager
A good baseball team needs good management. Outfielder and World Series hero Joe Carter credits manager Cito Gaston for the Blue Jays championships: “Cito knows how to work with each individual, treating everyone like a human being. He knows exactly what to say, when to say it, what to do and how to go about doing it. When you have a manager like that, it makes you want to play for the guy. We'd go to war for him. What Cito has done for the Blue Jays can't be taken lightly.” (Ref.1)

In the Qual(ity) game a great organization needs to focus on Leadership. Leadership is one of the six Drivers in the Canadian Framework for Excellence. World-class leadership teams need to:

• know the rules of quality
• share the vision
• lead by example
• ensure ongoing commitment
• be strong and involved

The good news for Blue Jay fans is that Cito Gaston is back in the Team Manager seat for 2010. Although he can’t do it on his own, I know that he and his management team have been working on the game plan to get back to a World Series this year.

Planning – The Game Plan
A great baseball team needs a great game plan. For 2010 the Jays have made some changes in coaching and trades for players that will maximize the talent. For example in December, all-star pitcher Roy Halladay was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for three great players. Hopefully these planning moves will make the team stronger this year.

In the Qual game a great organization needs to focus on Planning. Planning is one of the six Drivers in the Canadian Framework for Excellence. World-class organizations need to:

• Plan communication
• Plan strategic linkage of improvement
• Link goals and objectives
• Involve as many people as possible in improvement
• Limit rollout – to ensure accomplishments

A good game plan is important and it helps us see the best people we need on our team.

People Focus – The Players
Players like Joe Carter, Dave Winfield, and Roberto Alomar and many more were key members of the team back in the winning seasons. How good were they? Think back to 1993 when John Olerud, Paul Molitor and Roberto Alomar, finished 1-2-3 for the American League batting crown. You’re going to score a lot of points when three of your players are hitting that well.

In the Qual game a great organization needs to focus on People. People Focus is one of the six Drivers in the Canadian Framework for Excellence. Getting the right people on your team and making them the best they can be is what great organizations do. World-class organizations need to:

• Have everyone on board and knowledgeable
• Understand the Canadian NQI NQI PEP® Healthy Workplace® Criteria
• Create a culture of continuous improvement
• Train often - Train everybody (explore NQI Certified Excellence Professional designation)
• Create feedback channels for employees

The people who work in our organizations make amazing plays every day.

Process Management – The Plays
Pitches, singles, doubles, triples, home runs, and heroic catches at the wall are all important plays in the game of baseball. The single most memorable home run in Blue Jays history would be Joe Carter’s 1993 World Series winning hit. Here is the call: "A swing, and a belt! Left field! Way back! Blue Jays win it! The Blue Jays are World Series champions as Joe Carter hits a three-run home run in the ninth inning and the Blue Jays have repeated as World Series Champions! Touch 'em all, Joe, you'll never hit a bigger home run in your life!" (Ref.2)

In the Qual game a great organization needs to focus on Process Management. Process Management is one of the six Drivers in the Canadian Framework for Excellence. All the work you do (your plays) can be defined as processes. Continuous process improvement is the cornerstone of great performance. World-class organizations need to:

• Write processes down and share them
• Train people on Process Improvement
• Assign Process Owners
• Learn about Process Mapping

It’s hard to make amazing plays without the right equipment.

Supplier Focus – The Equipment
When it comes to gloves, baseballs, bats, and hats most teams in baseball have a level playing field. Stadiums on the other hand do give certain teams an advantage when they play at home. In 1989, the Blue Jays retractable roofed home, Sky Dome (Rogers Centre), opened and marked the beginning of an extremely successful five-year period for the team. More recently the New York Yankee Stadium opened with a cost of US$1.5 billion, making it the second most expensive stadium in the world. The new Yankees clubhouse features a weight room, training room, video room, and lounge area, indoor batting cages, hydrotherapy pool with an underwater treadmill etc. (Ref.3)

In the Qual game a great organization needs to focus on Suppliers and Partners. Supplier/Partner focus is one of the six Drivers in the Canadian Framework for Excellence. World-class organizations need to:

• See suppliers/partners as an extension of the organization
• Include suppliers/partners in self-assessment
• Include suppliers/partners in process improvement

It doesn’t matter how good your equipment is if we don’t have any fans in the stands.

Customer Focus – The Fans
Fans are really important to a successful baseball team. In 1993, the Blue Jays surpassed the 4-million mark in home attendance for the second straight season and set a new Major League attendance record with 4,028,318 fans. This number has only been beaten once since. (Ref.4) The fans bring interest and they bring revenue. Without loyal fans it’s really hard to field a good team.

In the Qual game a great organization needs to focus on Customers/Clients/Citizens. Customer/Client/Citizen focus is one of the six Drivers in the Canadian Framework for Excellence. Meeting or exceeding customers agreed requirements, first time every time, at the lowest cost is the definition of quality. Satisfying customers is therefore the primary focus of any quality effort. World-class organizations need to:

• Listen to the voice of the customer
• Meet or exceed the customer’s requirements
• Focus on increasing customer satisfaction
• Focus on continuous improvement

None of these elements or drivers exist in isolation. You can’t have satisfied customers and happy employees without good processes for example. The subject of quality needs sequential steps (bases) to put things in the right order.

NQI PEP® - The Bases
To score points in baseball you must touch all the bases. Even when you hit a home run you still have to run around all the bases. In the Qual game it’s not as obvious what first base looks like compared to second base, third base, or home plate. So to make it more obvious for customers the Progressive Excellence Program (NQI PEP®) was created. NQI PEP® is a four-level progressive implementation path to excellence with linkage to the prestigious Canada Awards for Excellence program.

NQI PEP® puts your thinking in the right order. It chunks a very complex subject into do-able pieces. Using Customer Focus as an example at NQI PEP® Level 1 the focus is on customer identification, at NQI PEP® Level 2 the focus is on understanding requirements, at NQI PEP® Level 3 the focus is on improvement and satisfaction, at NQI PEP® Level 4 the focus is on levels and trends of customer satisfaction over a minimum of 3 years.

Depending on the level of achievement at the end of Levels 3 and 4 you are eligible for a Bronze, Silver, or Gold, Canada Awards for Excellence.

Who knows if the Jays will win this year? Can’t be any worse than the Toronto Maple Leafs!! I do know that organizations who pay attention to the Canadian Framework for Excellence through the lens of NQI PEP® will be more focused on Leadership, Planning, Customers, Employees, Suppliers, and Processes. If you look at Canada Awards for Excellence winners their results speak for themselves.

I can’t get this new song out of my head. Sing it and sing it loud!

"Listen well to the customers, understand all their needs. Fix all your products and services, good processes will ensure they all come back. Let me root, root, root for employees, if they don't win it's a shame. It's PEP® 1, 2, 3, and PEP® 4, at the old Qual game."

Links:
Get an NQI PEP® package
Learn about the Canadian Framework and NQI PEP® : Framework for Excellence Training
Learn about the NQI Certified Excellence Professional Designation
Learn about Process Mapping

References: