The quality of our products and services will be a key factor determining how we survive and thrive in the post-LDC era. Quality is no longer a luxury, but a primary survival mechanism for Bangladesh in a competitive global landscape. When new tariffs will be imposed in the post-LDC period, Bangladeshi products will have to offer superior quality, reliability and compliance to survive in the international marketplace.
Zooming in on quality in ancient thinking, Aristotle describes quality or excellence in his book: Nicomachean Ethics (Circa 340 BCE). It tells us that every item has three attributes: (1) Telos (purpose), (2) Ergon (function) and (3) Arete (excellence). Arete is the quality of performance that allows an item to fulfil its Ergon perfectly. Consider a surgical blade as an example. Telos of a surgical blade is to cut. Its Ergon is the act of slicing. The Arete of the surgical blade is sharpness. If the blade is dull, it fails to achieve its Arete and thus fails its Telos. Aristotle argues that the Arete of a human is to perform the functions of a human being to attain his/her full potential. He contends that since human beings are what they repeatedly do, they cannot be excellent sporadically. To attain the quality or excellence human beings must construct a character that defaults to excellence. Aristotle famously said: "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."
Evolutionary biology, psychology, and philosophy suggest that humans are "hardwired" for quality. While the quest for quality is inherent in human nature, actual success in attaining quality depends greatly on culture and circumstances. Ingrained human behaviours in some cultures drive individuals to strive for and achieve excellence. In modern time, Japanese culture is famous for giving rise to unprecedented quality consciousness. Japanese cultural traits are the reasons why quality consciousness reached a very high level there and why Total Quality Management (TQM) practices flourished and blossomed in Japanese industries. These traits include Monozukuri or Spirit of Making, Kodawari or- Relentless Obsession with Detail, Kaizen or Continuous Improvement, Omotenashi or Selfless Hospitality, Gaman & Nintai or Patience and Perseverance, and Wa or Harmony.
The core definition of quality in TQM is meeting or exceeding customer expectations and requirements. TQM seeks long-term customer satisfaction and benefits for all, not just short-term profit. TQM demands that every single person - from the cleaner to the chief executive of an organisation - shares equal responsibility for quality. While traditional systems equate quality to a final inspection at the end of a production line, TQM weaves quality into the very fabric of the process, organisation and its daily operations. It is not about "finding defects" but instead "preventing defects". Other quality systems focus on documentation and meeting specific criteria for certification. But TQM is a broader management philosophy that prioritises the human elements - a permanent shift in mind-set, leadership and teamwork.
A precondition for the success of TQM is the persistent pursuit of quality by individuals. Research studies repeatedly show that major barriers to implementation of TQM are related to adverse characteristics of individuals. TQM gurus have identified Ethics, Integrity and Trust as the foundation of TQM. Organisational leaders must of course make circumstances favourable for individuals to develop these foundational traits and to exercise their quest for quality.
In Bangladesh's quality landscape, the major sector, Ready Made Garment (RMG) has been moving from survival-based to compliance-driven operations. In the post-Rana Plaza period, the RMG sector is pursuing stricter workplace safety and observing standards to achieve compliance. Other sectors like pharmaceutical and food are also practicing compliance-driven quality systems. TQM, the total quality philosophy, is yet to take root in this country. Only a few companies are putting effort towards adopting TQM.
At present Bangladesh may not be well-known for its quality culture, but perhaps quality is not a foreign concept to this land. Let us consider Muslin - one of the finest fabrics ever made. Its birthplace was present-day Bangladesh (around Dhaka, Sonargaon). Megasthenes, Greek envoy to Chandragupta Maurya's court in 4th century BC, mentioned Muslin in his writings. The Muslin of Bengal was a highly prized item to the Romans and the Greeks in the ancient period (1st Century BCE - 2nd Century CE). Later in the medieval and renaissance periods (12th - 16th Century), it was a very coveted merchandise in the royal courts and among elites in Europe, China and the Moghul empire. During 17th-18th century, Muslin was at the pinnacle of European fashion. Some of the quality parameters of Muslin include: thread count - as high as 800 to 1200 warp threads per inch, and lightness - a 10 yards long fabric could weigh less than 100 grams, and pass through a finger ring. Evidence suggests that the ancient Muslin artisans of Bengal practiced some of the TQM principles, like customer focus, process cantered, total employee involvement, continuous improvement, fact-based decision making etc.
Let us consider another example of excellence in this land, shipbuilding. Chittagong in Bengal (present-day Bangladesh) was renowned globally for producing finest-quality, most technologically advanced ships. The 14th century Moroccan traveller Ibn Batuta returned home from Bengal in a ship built here. European traveller Caesar Frederick reported that Chittagong was the centre of building ocean-going vessels in the mid 15th century. The Moghul naval force had their ships built in Chittagong. Shipbuilders of Chittagong were commissioned to craft an entire fleet of warships for the Ottoman Empire in the 17th century. Warships built in Chittagong were used by the British navy in the battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The German Navy had its frigate constructed in Chittagong in 1818. The superior quality of Bengal-made ships was achieved by continuous quality improvement. The innovations of craftsmen of this land such as flushed-deck designs made their ships stronger than the contemporary European vessels. Their technology of preservation of wood - the main shipbuilding material at that time - made the ships highly durable. High quality innovative joining technology, precise drilling technique to make holes with accurate diameters etc. also contributed to the premium quality of ships made in this land.
In post-LDC era, in our journey from "Compliance-First" to TQM enabled "Quality-First", Bangladeshi industry must get inspiration from their forefathers who achieved excellence on a truly global scale in their time. Our predecessors did it - reached the pinnacle of quality in their industry. We can do it too. But each of us must personally commit to excellence, making it a habit as Aristotle tells us. And our leaders at each level and in each sphere must make it easy for us to implement quality in order to build a quality-conscious nation.
The writer is Member, National Steering Committee, Kano-BSTQM Quality Award and Former Dean, Faculty of Postgraduate Studies, and Professor of Nanomaterials and Ceramic Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), Dhaka.
haseeb@nce.buet.ac.bd