بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته Alhamdulillah, I am happy for the opportunity given to be with all of you at the National Level Quality Control Circle (QCC) Convention in an effort to use QCC as a tool for upgrading the quality of public service. I thank the convention organizer for inviting me to officiate the highly prestigious Convention.
We know that the QCC program, introduced about two decades ago, is one of the steps taken by the Government to instill better quality in our working culture. It is strengthen through continuous efforts by the Public Service Institute (IPA) as the responsible agency. Among the efforts undertaken to upgrade the QCC program is providing training in QCC to officers and staffs ; issuing guidelines on QCC as well as organizing conventions at the national level as recognition to the QCC working groups. This is in line with the Public Service stakeholders hope that members of the public service keep on finding best practices in solving the problems that arise while executing their duties.
Lately, the QCC development program has been further strengthen by benchmarking that has been used as a supporting factor towards quality upgrading programs that have been introduced and implemented in yesteryears.
Benchmarking is a management tool that could potentially be used to maneuver government sectors towards practicing the continuous learning concept. By benchmarking activities, one will have a better chance of learning from others systematically. By learning from others, an agency will be aware of their weaknesses and will try to improve it.
In a management world that has become highly competitive, benchmarking will not only prevent an organization from being comfortable with their current performance and from thinking that there is no need to explore for improvement purposes. It can also be used to upgrade the level of competitiveness in the government agencies in order to improve the quality of public service and promote customers satisfaction.
Ladies and gentlemen,
In an effort to achieve excellence in public service, the 21st Century Public Service Vision, stressed on the importance to upgrade and change the role of Public Service. Today, we realize the role of public service have clearly changed from its traditional functions.
The change of role has given a positive impact towards the style of leadership in the public sector, from command and control style to transformational leadership that encourages better communications with staff and this has lead to a lesser use of the empowerment style. The changes help provide conducive environment that stimulate QCC activities and much more dynamic quality improvement activities in an organization.
Realizing its role that has become more complex and challenging today, Public Service will continue to face quality pressures in providing its services and products. Public Service is currently facing a dynamic environmental changes and higher expectations from stakeholders and customers. To realize its role, fulfill customers need as well as creating excellence in public service, it needs knowledgeable and competent staffs in each field.
Excellence in the public service needs to be achieved and upgraded through the high competency of officers and staffs in their related fields. To upgrade excellence, the officers and staffs who are the intellectual capital of Public Service need to be equip to face challenges: - Swift changes
- The need for current knowledge and skills
- Ever changing environment
- Prompt decision making and actions
- The need to give attention to NGOs
- Responsive towards technological advancement
- Practicing learning culture in organization
- Ever changing customers need
To face the challenges that I have mentioned and to ensure we are still relevant, public service need officers/staff with these qualities: - Knowledgeable in their field
- constantly upgrading their skills
- have positive values and attitude
- Capable of managing their organization with flexibility
- Instilling and practicing learning culture
- Able to give services swiftly and competently
The qualities that I have just mentioned is strongly needed in the Government efforts towards good governance that stress on the importance of integrity and accountability in management as well as being competent, transparent, responsive, consensus, equitable and inclusive, follow rules and regulations, efficient, participatory, just and effective.
Infrastructure towards developing these qualities have been provided by the QCC programs. The techniques, tools and disciplines utilized in QCC are able to train and prepare members of the group in order to improve their ability to innovate and exercise critical thinking as well as acquire a dynamic sense of creativity and assimilate risks and decision making as their routine to develop internal motivation and self development. From my observation, the officers and staff who face the problems will be the most capable group to solve the particular problems and they are more receptive and open to changes needed towards excellence as they are fully committed towards achieving their organization's objectives.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Based on the excellent results derived by organizations from QCC programs, I feel that it is timely for the Public Service to take initiatives towards strengthening QCC programs. One way to improve QCC is to take advantage of ICT and e-government programs by creating QCC portal. The QCC portal equip with a systematic and comprehensive data vault could be used by the Public Service Institute to develop QCC programs from time to time.
The existence of the portal which is highly anticipated by organizations especially the QCC community will eventually help organizations in getting comprehensive information easily. The portal will also give opportunity for civil servants to analyze and make use of the methods and best practices by organizations that have succeeded in their QCC programs as well as enable knowledge sharing among them easily on-line.
The portal will help us in our effort to re-analyze the current processes, procedures and working system. It can openly disseminate experience and innovative ideas practiced by each organization to other departments. This will help create alignment and strategic alliance in public service mainly in implementing issues of national interest.
In an effort to boost QCC programs, initiative towards creating an Annual National QCC Facilitator Award should be considered for showing our appreciation to the QCC facilitators role and recognize their involvement towards upgrading the quality of public service in their respective organizations.
Strategic actions in QCC programs advancement is vital to ensure QCC projects are relevant as a tool for continuous improvement in organizations. This is because the QCC programs is not a self sustaining activity plus the existence of hindering factors in organizations such as indifference could jeopardize QCC practices. Furthermore, without the support and commitment from management, will weaken QCC or worst QCC will not survive. Therefore, we need to manage QCC as best possible and upper management need to join in and give their support to the QCC groups.
Ladies and gentlemen,
In an effort to make QCC as a working culture and relevant in upgrading the quality and products of Public Service especially that now the programs have reached two decades and have been reinforce by QCC Conventions in the Ministry and National level since 1998, it is important for Public Service Institute to prepare a Report on Implementation of QCC Programs in Public Service. This can be used to show or measure government agencies effort in upgrading the quality of services and products using QCC. This is an important way to increase awareness of QCC and the role QCC groups play in improving Public Service and implementing good governance.
Efforts to convince public service personnel that the QCC groups in their organization is the most powerful tool in finding solutions to work related problems and achieving positive results must be supported by proving that QCC programs have done so not only in enhancing organization's products and services but have undoubtedly capable in upgrading performance at work, work ethics and competency of the QCC members. So, it is necessary to record members involvement in QCC in their performance appraisal and record service as well as be considered as a factor for promotion.
From my observation, in the last five years, QCC programs are able to create best practices useful in various service delivery and products.
In creating the best practices, the QCC groups for sure have done check and balance to processes, procedures, service delivery and products system as well as regulations. They must have introduced new working process, clients charter (TPOR) as well as the latest and more constructive Guidelines. In this context, Heads of Departments play a vital role in ensuring the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) suggested in QCC as a step towards upgrading the quality of products and services, can be implemented effectively in the organization. Without the involvement and support from department heads, will only bring enhancement efforts to a halt. That's why support from heads of departments is the most fundamental and vital in all kinds of development programs or changes within the organization. Heads of departments who as leaders in the organization are at a position to notice things that are not immediately visible to their staff. They should become motivator, be prepared to challenge the status quo, question the existing policies and rules by providing a better and more constructive alternatives.
Ladies and gentlemen,
In line with the objective of this convention, to upgrade the quality and achieve excellence of public service, I would like to stress here that customer focus should be made priority of management. In the competitive environment, customers measure organization competence based on its ability in providing quality services promptly. For that, the clients charter have been introduced. To keep ones promise is a great value accepted universally as mentioned in Surah al-Isra' (verse 34) that could be translated as Keep your promises to Allah the Almighty and with fellow human because you will be questioned. I hope the QCC community will work diligently in ensuring customers satisfaction by continuously trying to make improvement in their organization.
Finally, I wish to congratulate the Public Service Institute for successfully organizing the National Level QCC Convention and to Awang Md Zeni bin Latip, Senior Training Officer for composing a song entitled 'KKC Budaya Kerja' as the QCC theme.
I hope this year's QCC convention will function as a forum for the QCC community to interact and share innovative ideas directly and can be used as a step towards uniting QCC development efforts towards excellence of public service holistically. وبا لله التوفيق والهداية و السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته |
