QMS Processes: 4 Things Children Can Teach Us When It Comes To Corrective Action

We have all been children at one stage and some of us even have children now or will have them in the future. The development of children into great adults and the development of a great Quality Management System are very similar. As we all know children have their moments; both Quality and Safety issues and it is how parents handle these issues (through Corrective and Preventative Actions) (CAPA) that children learn and develop. Quality and Safety issues in any organisation are no different.
Here we look at 4 things we can learn from childhood development that will impact positively on your business making your Quality Management System processes more effective.

1. Picking your Battles

When dealing with anyone, adults or children this is essential. By nit-picking every infraction with children you end up demoralising them and damaging their self-esteem, therefore stalling their personal development. The same stands for employees and colleagues, how can they develop without making minor mistakes? learning from them and hence developing. By filtering out the less critical matters we can focus our time on the more important behavioural matters.
By recognising that not all workplace situations require corrective action you cut down on the unnecessary time wasted on CAPA’s and focusing your time and efforts on more priority situations, thus reducing risk.
Also by utilising your Quality Management System correctly you can focus on issues of the highest importance rather that issues that occur related to the closest due date.
2. Consistency Makes All The Difference
It is always important to have clear, standardised processes in place when dealing with corrective actions. With children it is essential for establishing clear boundaries that respond predictably, effectively and fairly to specific behaviours. When dealing with children’s behaviour many parents use a very clear cut procedure, child gets warning, then if negative behaviour continues, they are sent to time out, when this time is up, child apologises and they are given a hug.
In the workplace any corrective action should also follow a clear line of actions. By using your Quality Management System effectively you can split out the standard processes required for a variety of events. For example if it is a quality event, safety event or a customer complaint, each will have its own required steps that must be followed to ensure the situation is adequately dealt with.

3. Ensure that Adverse Events are marked by a Teachable Moment

To efficiently correct behaviour either as a parent or an employer, one of the most difficult factors is avoiding alienating them. The reason this is so important is due to the fact that when an issue like this arises emotions in both parties are usually heightened. Partially because the parent or supervisor is angry by the actions or shocked by a ‘near miss’ occurring and the individuals involved can quite often react defensively due to being corrected and also may feel rattled by the event.
As the authority figure in the situation it is very important to put your emotions to the side and explain that your ultimate goal is ensuring everybody’s safety. By having a clear Quality Management System based on collaboration you can ensure this is now an opportunity to ensure everyone is up to date on best practices. Used correctly you will sometimes be able to identify something as simple as a gap in employee training. And in relation to children we all know that training is key to their development as well rounded citizens.

4. Track and Report

An imperative element of any corrective action process is following-up, empty threats become clear and corrective action processes become flawed. In Business all Quality & Safety issues must be handled appropriately through clear processes that track the outcomes of these.
A good Quality Management System involves clear processes, tracking and reporting, which leads to a better performing organisation overall.
At work or at home, we’re all human. Just as children need guidance to grow into responsible adults, so too do employees and even business processes need occasional course corrections in order to achieve key business objectives.

Contact CGBC to find out how we can get your company an effective Quality Management System in place and get you ISO certified within 12 weeks.