Accreditation

(30 May 09)

          We all know that a 5 star hotel’s better than a 3 star which is better than no star at all. Who decides how many stars to give? Experts, specialists, and that wonderfully vague word, consultants. Already in the pipeline are ‘stars’ being given to hospitals, laboratories, schools, colleges, even newspapers, maybe. Perhaps housewives/parents will be spared being ‘rated’.

Accreditation. It’s the latest hysteria in management circles; another term, I believe, for ‘stars’.

Wikipedia says: The accreditation process ensures that they (could be hospitals, schools, beauty-parlours) are competent, behave ethically, and employ suitable quality assurance. One example of accreditation is the accreditation of testing laboratories (where we send our sputum, urine, blood and stool samples). Certification specialists are permitted to issue official certificates of compliance with established standards: physical, chemical, forensic, quality and security standards.

Another example is Educational accreditation. Here, the services and operations of an educational institution or program are evaluated by an external body to determine if applicable standards are met. If they are, accredited status is granted by the agency. I guess it also means they (both the agency and the institution) can charge higher prices. In most countries in the world, the function of educational accreditation is conducted by a government organization, eg. ministry of education. In the US, the quality assurance process is independent of government and performed by private membership associations. We in India are following that route whether or not we need it, and unless monitored, it may well become a racket.  All of it costs money; believe it or not, now there are NGOs, non-profit-makers, who are jumping into the fray.

Yes, systems should be in place and they should be kept track of by an objective person or organization. But becoming over-structured isn’t a good idea either. More time, effort and resources get spent in documentation of what’s done than what’s actually done. When the government does it, we call it red tape.

Management gurus don’t believe in stuff that can’t be quantified. Hence ‘customer satisfaction’ has to be measured. But a passenger who’s uncomfortable in his seat, or a patient who wants another nurse, or a student who’s being victimized by a teacher, will not take comfort in data analyses or trends charts.

If this measurable stuff is so good, and the management gurus swear by it, how come so few of them have their own businesses? How come they’re teaching others what to do? Ill-educated bizzinechmen from Modi’s land are more successful. A case of those who can, do, those who can’t, teach.

A recent exercise of ‘quality’ stuff in my office has prompted this article. We’ve spent more time in paperwork/computerwork than on our primary tasks. Paper has been wasted (not spent) by the kilos just to rectify a date or a spelling error. When the inspectors/auditors come, there put your best face/foot/data forward. We’ve tracked trivia: when did the customer enter, what time did he fill up the form, what was the duration of his standing in the queue, what was the period of wait for the bathroom, did he go left first or to the right, and this was studied by management trainees (free labour!!) for over four months before they entered the numbers (occupied valuable space, used computers and stationery), crunched them, wrote reports and then analysed those at ‘presentations’.

Data can be fudged, auditors needn’t be meticulous…most importantly, most of the things done are pretty much common-sense stuff. During a six-sigma study I was part of, we actually proved with the help of numbers that people talking on mobile phones disturbed those sitting beside them!! And we spent so much money. Sometimes I wonder whether so many MBAs or their equivalents are doing all this only to justify their existence. Honestly. Wonder number two is that in these cost-cutting days, we have companies still wanting to ‘invest’ in such programs.

Maybe I’m just getting old and feeling ‘left behind’ for not agreeing with this. Twenty years down the line it’ll be the norm, and some youngster will say s/he told me so!! Que sera, sera. 

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