ABSTRACT
In 1982, the management of Norfolk Social Services Department realised that it has a serious problem. It had no idea whether the services it was offering to the public were of a high enough quality. The ideas and concepts underpinning it were discussed informally for well over 12 months in the usual meetings between senior and other members of staff. A guarantee was given that information gathered as part of an inspection would not be used for disciplinary purposes — unless the member of staff subsequently refused to accept guidance or direction on how to improve. The factory had all the usual quality checks and procedures, but there was something more. The factory appeared to have achieved this important objective. "Any worker who was performing badly would not survive in an environment where everyone was striving for good quality," said one team leader in the factory.
