Whether Gorbachev's policy of glasnost is having sufficient effect on Soviet economic life remains to be seen. But in Gothenburg, Sweden, the idea of more openness rang bells in the head of Ture Nelson, a quality inspector at Volvo, the car manufacturer.
'In our company are we really as open as we think we are?' he asked. The Volvo Car Corporation was, understandably, concerned to give a good image, says Nelson. And so information on quality was strictly limited to prevent leaks to the press. Information on good quality reached management fast, but news of problems seemed to travel slowly.
'We asked ourselves: "Do the members of our organization really know what the customers feel about our cars? Do they know about customers' problems with their cars?" ' says Nelson. 'The answer was "No". That was the beginning of change.'
Nelson and his colleagues started a Volvo news bulletin called Quality Facts. Initially sent out to 100 managers, including top executives, it was a success, and fulfilled a long-felt need for honesty. Now its circulation is over 1,000.
The content of the paper is primarily customer experiences, both good and bad. Secondly there are concrete plans for quality improvement. Each president of the company has taken on personal responsibility for solving one complex problem, and the paper follows exactly how they progress. Thirdly it publishes the results from different factories and departments with comments from the managers responsible. Finally, Volvo's own quality targets are published.
Nelson feels that the resulting openness has given the workforce a new chance to participate in improving company products and practices. At the simplest level it is a chance 'to produce a better car and to feel good about themselves', he says.
