Appearance and Reality of Quality

The holiday season means end-of-year celebration banquets at many firms, and the experience of such an event discloses much about a firm: particularly, the contrast between the look and feel of quality that speaks volumes about the company’s own consideration of quality. Unfortunately, this is very often unflattering.

Having been to a number of these events over the years, I can say it’s not unique to one firm, and moreover I have the perception that it appeals to a great many firms who mean well, but fail on execution.

Plus one Minus Four

On the positive side, a company that provides a banquet at all is at least making an effort, which stands in stark contrast to the many that don’t. And when you first enter the banquet hall, it’s clear that the organizer has made an effort to impress, or to show appreciation of, the individuals who are invited: you immediately see the cloth napkins and metal silverware, the elegant centerpieces and décor of the banquet hall, and it’s clear that the company wants to give the impression of hosting an elegant event.

But then you are seated and you pick up the napkin, and notice its weight and texture: it is a cloth napkin, but the material is coarse and cheap. The flatware, likewise, has the appearance of quality, and is metal rather than plastic – but it is lightweight and flimsy. Literally everything you encounter is superficially upscale. And as much as you want to be impressed, you end up disappointed.

The appearance of quality is offset by the reality of the situation, as you have to wonder which of the following is true:

• The company cannot afford to deliver genuine quality, but is striving create the impression that it can
• The company could afford to deliver quality, but does not have a clue as to what “quality” actually means, and is incapable of delivering it in spite of a genuine desire to do so
• The company can afford it, and knows how to do it, but has chosen not to provide it for this particular audience, because they think it would be pearls before swine - that the people in attendance would not recognize quality.
• The company can afford it, knows how to do it, thinks that attendees would recognize it, but wishes to demonstrate that they do not deserve it.

Because it is a cultural taboo to express disfavor to someone who has gone out of their way to do something nice for you, even if it is unsatisfactory, chances are that the companies that host the event do not get negative feedback from the attendees. A polite person will say “thank you” and a fawning sycophant will offer high praise to curry favor – but in reality, they likely recognize the fact that your best efforts are not up to par, and have formed their own conclusion as to the reason why.

Do Employees Matter?

Even though many firms pay lip-service to valuing their employees, there remains a strong cultural tradition from ages past, in which there is a clear separation between the nobles and the peasants, the officers and the enlisted, the management and the workers – in which the former is considered to be a better class of person than the latter. And in this regard, as in so many others, there is often a schism between words and actions – the latter of which, as the saying goes, speaks louder.

Keeping to the example of celebratory meals, there is often a stark contrast between the kind of place an executive will take an important client for a business lunch and the kind of place the same executive will take an employee for a congratulatory lunch – the latter being less upscale than the former, which belies their true opinion of the status of the guest.

Or better still, consider that many firms have separate events for management and employees, where there are stark differences in quality. An executive event is held off-site in an upscale restaurant, country club, or hotel banquet room. An employee event involves gathering in a conference room with sandwiches brought in from the local supermarket’s deli counter.

In that regard, it’s clear that to some companies, employees really do not matter. They will claim (words) that a person who has given twenty years of service to the firm is a valued employee, but when their unit manager takes them out to lunch (actions) to celebrate the anniversary, the choice of venue suggests the same desire to undertake a superficial effort to create an false impression.

There are many who would defend such a decision, and who consider an executive who is overly generous in his treatment of his people to have a character flaw, in the same nature as a master who is kind to his slaves is a weak man. I can't subscribe to this point of view.

Do Customers Matter?

Ultimately, relationships are important, and those who recognize this make every effort to be attentive to relationships in all regards: whether it is with an employee, a vendor, or a customer.

It is not unusual for companies that have events to invite some of their key vendors and customers to socialize with the employees. On one hand, it agrees to the cultural value of egalitarianism to see everyone, of every rank and status, treated just the same. But on the other hand, consider that everyone is treated to the same coarse napkins and cheap flatware.

You can even go to the extreme of events that are customer-only. Not all firms treat customers very well, and there is also stark contrast in what is offered to a prospective customer whose future business the firm wishes to win, and an existing customer whose future business the firm has largely taken for granted. Even in this instance, the same principle applies.

The Rest of the Time

And finally, what about the rest of the time? There is again a contrast between the few occasions in which a firm undertakes an atypical effort to make a positive impression, and the rest of the time – the way that a customer will be treated on a day-to-day basis, in the course of regular business.

I’ve heard it remarked that the worst vendors throw the best parties and give the best holiday gifts. And while I’m not quite cynical enough to accept that as a general rule, I do believe that it wouldn’t be said at all if there were not some shred of truth to it. It would likely be more accurate to say that when a company gets quality right on special occasions, it’s no guarantee that they will get it right the rest of the time.

A vendor that provides high quality service will often also treat customers to high-quality perks – because they want everything that they do to convey their genuine commitment to quality. The fact that vendors who are not as committed to quality will sometimes imitate this as a method of deception should not be cause to disparage the genuine intent of others.

Likewise, a company that treats its employees or customers well may be devoted to quality in all of its relations. But again, some companies treat some of their relationships with greater care than others. It may be argued whether it is rightly so – but it cannot be argued that it is the behavior of a firm that truly values its people, its vendors, and its customers well.

Back to the Point

As usual, it’s been a long ramble that has taken me off the course I had intended to follow: the discrepancy between the appearance and reality of quality.

I had meant for this to be a meditation on the importance of getting the details right – making sure that the reality and appearance are not out of joint – but it took me in a different direction. That seems to happen quite often.