By: Dr. Eng. Daniel Hernández Jiménez
Head of the Accreditation Agency of Engineering and Architecture programs
Federated College of Engineers and Architects of Costa Rica.
1. Introduction
Quality assurance is a constant concern for higher education institutions. Faced with this concern, the analysis of international standards in the matter is imposed, which are proposed as valid means for this purpose. It must, however, in an action specific to academic work, reflect deeply on the implications of assuming a specific model for quality management. The first step, without a doubt, is to discern what is meant by quality applied to the academic field.
This exposition starts with the construction of a quality definition extrapolated from the common aspects to multiple definitions, to advance in pointing out eight possible implications.
The aim is to provide a few elements for the discussion, of course, all subject to debate.
2. A Premise To Start:
“Institutions of higher education have the main responsibility for the quality of their provision and their assurance (…)” ENQA (2015)
Let’s analyze the etymology of the word RESPONSIBILITY:
Responsibility, formed with the suffix-ity of “condition or quality of being” and the Latin suffix -bilis (which can, which is capable of, which is possible) is formed in effect from the supine responsum of the Latin verb respondere (correspond to what was promised, answer ).
From the analysis, we can conclude that the responsibility is: “the ability or ability to respond according to what was promised.”
The institutions of higher education have a socially sanctioned as valid role, that we can synthesize in their academic offer, this is what they “promise”, then the quality of it and its assurance is what higher education institutions have the ability to give an answer.
International standards of quality management or any quality model that is followed do not in themselves ensure quality – the response of the university – they are means, that although qualified, are not ends in themselves. This is why, in order to analyze any implication that these quality standards may have with Higher Education, it must first be made crystal clear that the responsibility does not lie in the standards to follow, but rather in the institutions and the people that make it up, that appropriating these instruments channel their will to give the best possible response.
3. Aspects Common to Different Definitions of Quality:
Without going into the different acceptances of the word quality in tertiary education, which can be consulted in Maguad and Krone (2012):
We can point out three aspects common to these definitions and extrapolate a definition:
- Quality implies meeting or exceeding customer expectations.
- Quality is applied to products, services, people, processes and environments.
- Quality is a constantly changing state, what is considered quality today may not be good enough to be considered quality tomorrow.
4. A Definition of Quality
When considering the “constants” or “regularities” of the definitions of quality, one can pose a definition such as Maguad and Krone’s:
“A dynamic state associated with products, services, people, processes and environments that meet or exceed current [customer] expectations.” Maguad and Krone (2012, p. 42)
To the definition we have added the aspect of the clients, because it is on their consideration that our opinion about the implications of the international norms of quality in Higher Education gravitates.
Let us now turn to eight possible implications, drawn from the previous considerations:
5. Implications for the Academic Sector
1. Identify in an unobjectionable way who the clients are:
To synthesize, clients or users of academic services can be cataloged in three areas, which must identify the recipients of the best response that the academy should offer, these are:
- People
- Organizations
- Society
2. Recognize expectations:
Always, in a tight synthesis which probably leaves aside other aspects that could be considered as substantive, in the three areas mentioned we can dare point out the main demand to the academic sector of each one.
It should be noted that each of these demands gives way to a deep analysis, which will not be given here. So, you have to:
- People: demand the construction of capacities to be a happy and productive citizen (knowledge, skills and attitudes).
- Organizations: they require human talent to achieve their objectives.
- Society: awaits the transmission and production of knowledge.
3. Work to satisfy and overcome them:
Having identified the main needs or requirements of the clients, the immediate consequence is to do the same to try to satisfy them or even overcome them, and for this it is required to possess a disposition of adequate spirit and a capacity defined as:
a. Attitude: Personal and organizational commitment
The etymology of the word COMPROMISE, gives us a bright perspective on the attitude to be had.
Con- (all, together), pro- (forward), missus (sent).
The last term is also associated with the concept of mission. Then, we could establish what commitment is “Carrying forward with all [our being] the mission that has been entrusted to us”.
It implies an involvement that could be called existential of each member of the organization, to meet the needs of the recipients of services and academic products, this is their customers.
b. Aptitude: Execution capacity (see Covey et al., 2014)
(focus, action, measurement, accountability)
The capacity of execution that must be met to meet the needs of customers is broken down into four interrelated aspects.
The first is the ability to focus on the most important, not necessarily the most urgent.
The second is to take action on the crucially important goals, in those that assure us the achievement of the most important objectives.
But it is not enough to work with boldness on what is most relevant, the level of achievement must be determined, to know if it is moving in the right direction and correct possible deviations.
Finally, we must render an account, give reason of what has been done and the level of achievement accomplished. And, to whom are we accountable? In first instance, to ourselves, to the organization, to facilitate self-regulation, but further ahead we must privilege the management audit, to determine the efficiency, effectiveness, economy, ecology and ethics of the use of resources in the achievement of organizational objectives, among which meeting the needs of customers occupies a preponderant place. (Cf. Maldonado, 2006).
4. Quality covers all areas of academic work:
The holistic view of the definition of quality that has been presented implies that the academic response must include all the areas of university work:
- Teaching
- Investigation
- Extension – Linkage
- Management
5. Have a systematic vision:
The holistic vision is favored if there is a systemic approach, which considers the environment in which the organization operates, the input resources, the processes it develops and the products and services it generates.
a. Environment: Needs of the suprasystem
b. Inputs: Resources
c. Processes: Strategic, operational, support
d. Results: Products and services
6. Determine the relevant competencies of the persons responsible:
In addition to the execution capacity, the people of the organization are required to be highly effective. Effectiveness in turn demands the consolidation of defined behaviors as one’s own, up to the level of habits (see Covey S., 2014)
- Proactivity: Responsibility for the things that occur.
- Teleological thought: Orientation towards the established ends.
- Organization: Prioritization of the important versus the urgent.
- Win-win thinking: Mutual benefit organization-client.
- Empathy: put oneself in the “place” of the client.
- Assertive communication: clarity and respect to different points of view.
- Synergy: 1+1= 3, 10, 1000
- Continuous renovation: Innovation.
7. Verify that the persons responsible hold the competences:
This implies three aspects:
- Performance evaluation
- Training
- Fair and equitable retribution
Again, the need to evaluate, verify that the people of the organization have the appropriate attitudes and aptitudes is stressed, this involves an evaluation of the performance. If this evaluation yields unsatisfactory results, a process of capacity building is imposed to solve the deficiencies and even if the evaluation does not show significant deviations, the constant training becomes necessary to enhance the successes.
One aspect of particular sensitivity is that of retribution to employees. It must be fair and equitable, having as its goal the contribution of each one; in the achievement of the organizational objectives especially that of satisfying the client. It is not easy, especially if one has archaic structures of retribution, that have been conceptualized, in other terms. But assuming the international standards of quality management as our own leads us to a necessary revision of our remuneration models.
8. Response to change: Engage in a cycle of continuous improvement
The starting definition of quality warned the need to consider it as something dynamic. What is considered quality today may not be good enough to be considered quality tomorrow. How can this commitment be faced? The international standards of quality, especially those of the ISO family, have as background plot the Deming cycle of continuous improvement. Cycle that involves thinking and acting. (see ISO 9001: 2015 and Garro, 2017)
- Plan: What to improve? And how?
- Do: Execute the planned
- Verify: Contrast results with objectives
- Act: Decision making
9. To conclude
For higher education institutions to assume the commitments derived from international standards of quality management is in turn a challenge and an opportunity.
It is a challenge because it will be necessary to review the structure of the organization and its processes. One and the others must obey the operational definition of quality that is assumed. The proposal of this paper is one of the alternatives.
As an opportunity, one has a privileged option to continue satisfying the criteria of relevance and relevance that should characterize the social effort involved in higher education, in the current context and in the future.
10. References
Covey, S (2014). Los 7 hábitos de la gente altamente efectiva. México: PAIDOS.
Covey, McChesnet, Huling y Miralles (2014). Las 4 disciplinas de la ejecución: 4DX. México: CONECTA.
ENQA (2015). Standards and guidelines for quality assurance in the European Higher Education Area. (ESG) Brussels: ENQA.
Recuperado de: http://www.enqa.eu/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ESG_2015.pdf
Garro, E. (2017). Ciclo PHVA: Piense dos veces – ejecute dos veces. Consultado el 24 de mayo del 2017 de http://blog.pxsglobal.com/2017/05/08/ciclo-phva-piense-dos-veces-ejecute-dos-veces/
Maguad and Krone (2012). Managing for Quality in Higher Education: A systems perspective. USA: Ventus Publishing ApS. ISBN 978-87-403-0205-9
Recuperado de http://bookboon.com/es/managing-for-quality-in-higher-education-ebook
Maldonado, Milton K. (2006). Auditoría de gestión. 3 Ed. Quito: Abya-Yala.