ABSTRACT
The AT&T Network Systems quality study utilized focus groups conducted with fifteen to twenty people. Participants in the focus group were asked to recall and discuss their first and subsequent experiences and associations with the word “quality.” The quality archetype study revealed tension created by the opposing forces of actions and feelings. Messages like “do it right the first time” and “zero defects” by their very nature are not consistent with the American quality archetype. In America, perfection is not synonymous with quality, but instead has unpleasant connotations. Americans learn that for their achievements to be valued, they must put in maximum effort. Many successful American movies tell the story of an underdog who becomes a champion, and reflect the basic pattern of the archetype. For virtually all Americans, the beginning of the imprint experience for “quality” was a time when they did not produce what others expected or wanted and, thus, felt bad.
