First part
introduction
The continuous improvement process corresponds to the Management by Objectives and Results (AOR) strategy. Over the years, entrepreneurs have managed their businesses by setting only limited goals, which have prevented them from seeing beyond their immediate needs, that is, they plan only in the short term; which leads to not reaching optimal levels of quality and therefore to obtaining low profitability in their business and administrative operations.
According to the managerial experiences of leading international companies, the secret to obtaining the most positive and most successful results in the world lies in having high quality standards for both their products and their employees; Therefore, total quality control is a philosophy that must be applied to all hierarchical levels in an organization; and this implies, a process of Continuous Improvement that has no end. This process allows a broader horizon to be visualized, where excellence and innovation will always be sought, which will lead executives and businessmen to improve their competitiveness, reduce costs, and direct efforts to satisfy the needs and expectations of customers.
Likewise, this process seeks in our case, that our Rector is a true leader of the University, ensuring the participation of all and that we are involved in all the processes of the production chain (teaching, research, social projection). For this he must acquire deep commitments, since he is the main person in charge of the execution of the process and the most important driving force of the University.
To carry out this process of Continuous Improvement both in a department, a specific production center, and in the entire University, it must be taken into consideration that said process must be economical; that is, it must require less effort than the benefit it brings; and cumulative, it means that the improvement that is made allows opening the possibilities of successive improvements, while guaranteeing the consolidation and full use of the new level of performance achieved.
It should be noted that improvements are based on meeting standards and solving problems, be they endogenous (controllable or uncontrollable), or exogenous (controllable or uncontrollable). Improved standards are only established when the goals have been satisfactorily met and present conditions for improvement. Otherwise, the causes of its non-compliance and its possible reformulation must be analyzed, without ruling out that the standards can be ratified, and therefore the possible errors and consequently those responsible for such errors must be identified. Applying the motto: "every mistake generates a cost and it pays."
II. Conceptual bases
2.1 The customer is King:
According to Harrington (1987), " In today's buyer's market the customer is king ", that is, customers are the most important people in the business and therefore employees must work in order to satisfy the needs and wishes of these. They are a fundamental part of the business, that is, it is the reason why it exists, therefore they deserve the best treatment and all the necessary attention. From a conceptual point of view, the customer is " any unit or entity following your process ", and what it is about is to achieve full customer satisfaction.
In the purely commercial aspect, the reason why customers prefer foreign products is the attitude of business leaders to complaints about mistakes that are made: they accept their mistakes as something very normal and apologize to the customer, to them the customer is always right.
2.2 The Improvement Process
The search for excellence comprises a process that consists of accepting a new challenge every day. Said progress must be progressive and continued. It must incorporate all the activities carried out in the company at all levels.
The improvement process is an effective means of developing positive changes that will save money for both the company and the customers, since quality failures cost money.
Likewise, this process implies the investment in new machinery and more efficient high-tech equipment, the improvement of the quality of the service to the clients, the increase in the levels of performance of the human resource through continuous training, and the investment in Research and Development, which allows the company to keep up to date with new technologies.
2.3 Basic Improvement Activities
According to bibliographic recommendations and studies on the improvement processes put into practice in various companies in the United States, there are ten improvement activities that should be part of every company, whether large or small, public or private:
1. Obtain the commitment of senior management.
2. Establish an improvement board of directors.
3. Obtain the full participation of the Administration.
4. Ensure employee team participation.
5. Get individual participation.
6. Establish systems improvement teams (process control teams).
7. Develop activities with the participation of suppliers.
8. Establish activities that ensure the quality of the systems.
9. Develop and implement short-term improvement plans and a long-term improvement strategy.
10. Establish a system of recognition and incentives.
III. Importance of continuous improvement
The importance of this management technique lies in the fact that its application can contribute to mitigating or correcting weaknesses and strengthening the strengths of the University.
Through continuous improvement, it is possible to be more productive and competitive in our work and in the market to which our institution belongs, on the other hand, any organization must analyze the processes used, so that if there is any problem, it can be improved or corrected. As a result of the application of this technique, it may be that organizations grow within the market and even become leaders.
IV. Advantages and disadvantages of continuous improvement
Advantage
1. Effort is concentrated in organizational areas and specific procedures.
2. They get improvements in a short term and visible results.
3. If there is a reduction in defective products, it results in a reduction in costs, as a result of a lower consumption of raw materials.
4. Increases productivity and directs the organization towards competitiveness, which is of vital importance for the future development of the company.
5. Contributes to the adaptation of processes to technological advances.
6. It allows to eliminate repetitive processes.
Disadvantages
1. When improvement is concentrated in a specific area of the organization, the perspective of the interdependence that exists between all members of the company is lost.
2. It requires a change in the entire organization, since to obtain success the participation of all the members of the organization and at all levels is necessary.
3. In view of the fact that managers in public institutions, small and medium enterprises are very conservative, Continuous Improvement becomes a very long and slow process.
4. You have to make significant investments.
V. Procedure for the search for continuous improvement in the university
To have a measurement base in the evaluations (self and peer evaluation) it is necessary for each operating unit to formulate its Institutional Development Plan, which is proposed with the following scheme.
As the University can be considered a corporation, which owns two products, two schemes are proposed as an example: a) For teaching purposes (Faculties and Graduate School) and b) For purposes of production of goods and services in production centers.
a) For Teaching Purposes:
1. Executive Summary.
2. Institutional integrity.
2.1 Policies, purposes, plans and actions.
2.2 Mission and Vision
2.2 Institutional Agreement on Purposes and Actions.
2.3 Fundamental factors of differentiation.
3. Faculties and professional careers:
3.1 Foundations: Philosophical and conceptual aspects, Mission, Vision and policies
3.2 Diagnosis of Stocks and Needs (Existence, Consistency and Relevance)
3.3 Curriculum, Organization and Contents: Types of contents, forms of organization, distribution of credits and times. Relationships: among themselves, with the objectives and professional profile, between theory, practice and reality, between general, basic career and professional level training, basic updated bibliography for each course. (Level of clarity, flexibility, consistency and relevance).
3.4 Curriculum - Evaluation: Periodic review of the curriculum. Readjustments based on the evaluation carried out and periodicity.
3.5 Curriculum - Methodology: Offering modality: face-to-face with compulsory attendance, blended attendance, c / without attendance control, pedagogical strategies; orientation and emphasis on: theoretical reflection, active participation of students in class. Theory / practice relationship. (Level of clarity, level of precision, flexibility, consistency and relevance).
3.6 Curriculum - Evaluation and Suitability of Students: Evaluation strategies, evaluation purposes and frequency and accreditation (degree). (Degree of clarity, quality, efficiency, relevance).
3.7 Curriculum - Execution: Forms of programming (calendar, schedules) Annual and semi-annual internal efficiency. (Existence, relevance, consistency, flexibility, levels of attrition and retention).
3.8 Teachers: Number in relation to: number of students, credits in professional area courses. Training: with undergraduate and graduate studies. Experience: work or occupational, teaching, research, productive activities. Level of achievement of the objectives and goals of the medium-term plan (number of teachers by category, dedication, specialty, with advanced academic degrees). (Sufficiency, time, grade, level, quality (qualification and merits), relevance, level of compliance).
3.9 Resources: Materials and equipment for teaching. Physical infrastructure, classrooms, laboratories and workshops. Library. Financing. (Existence, availability, relevance, sufficiency).
3.10 Level of achievement of the objectives and goals of the medium-term plan: Number of vacancies / year, number of graduates / year, number of graduates / year. Statistics. (Level of compliance, degree of efficiency).
4. Teachers:
4.1 Number: Ratio of teachers / students / semesters. Teachers / credit hours ratio to be dictated per semester. Proportion of TC + DE in relation to its total. Relationship between quantities of the various teaching categories. (Level of achievement of proposed objectives and goals, sufficiency, relevance).
4.2 Training: Studies; with a Ph.D. degree, with a Master's degree, with postgraduate studies at school, lasting no less than twelve months but without a degree. (Level of achievement of objectives and proposed goals, relevance).
4.3 Remuneration and incentives: Data contained in the institution's regulations or policies. (Level of achievement of objectives and proposed goals, relevance).
4.4 Experience: Occupational work, teaching, research and productive activities. Teaching ladder, intellectual production, publications. (Time, quality and relevance).
4.5 Selection, evaluation and promotion: Criteria, requirements, procedures. Data contained in the standards, execution. (Existence, relevance and efficacy)
4.6 Responsibilities: Teaching, Research, Social Projection, Production of Goods and Services, Administration. (Existence, percentage of dedication to each activity, relevance).
5. Physical infrastructure (Educational resources):
5.1 General characteristics: Integration and possession. Inventories and plans. (Type of possession, sufficiency, relevance, quality and state of conservation, degree of accomplishment of objectives and proposed goals).
5.2 Classrooms: Characteristics: Covered area / Student, capacity, design, number. Plans and inventories. (Availability, sufficiency, quality and state of conservation, relevance, degree of achievement of objectives and goals).
5.4 Laboratory and Workshops: Relationship with professional training areas. Roofed area / student, capacity, design, number, quality of equipment, materials and supplies. Plans and inventories. (Availability, sufficiency, quality and state of conservation, relevance, degree of achievement of objectives and goals).
5.5 Library: Characteristics, equipment, availability of books, use and access to the library, interconnection with scientific and technological information networks. Plans and inventories.. (Availability, sufficiency, quality and state of conservation, relevance, degree of achievement of objectives and goals).
5.6 Student Welfare Services: Indoor area / student, types of facilities, types of services, equipment. Plans and inventories. (Availability, sufficiency, quality and state of conservation, relevance, degree of achievement of objectives and goals).
6. Students:
6.1 Number: For each professional career. Statistics. (Degree of achievement of objectives and goals).
6.2 Origin: Institutional, geographic - political, socio-economic. College of provenance, records, documents. (Degree of achievement of objectives and goals).
6.3 Admission process: Criteria, requirements, procedures, approval and validation with previous studies. Rules and regulations in this regard. Execution. (Existence, clarity and level of diffusion, efficiency, concordance with the requirements of the careers).
6.4 Evaluation: Mechanism for evaluating students, criteria and regulations for academic performance. Rules and regulations. Execution. (Guarantee of preservation of the university level).
6.5 Permanence: Average duration of studies, graduation and degree. Standards and study plans, academic records, statistics. (Time, efficiency, consistency).
6.6 Monitoring: Criteria and procedures. Retention rates, pass rates, graduation rates, graduation rates. (Existence, consistency with policies and the introduction of necessary change).
7. Student wellness services
7.1 Orientation and Counseling: Services provided, Rules and regulations. Execution. Availability of resources.. (Availability, sufficiency, quality and state of conservation, relevance, degree of achievement of objectives and goals).
7.2 Health service: Type of service offered. Availability of resources. Rules and regulations. Availability of resources. (Availability, sufficiency, quality and state of conservation, relevance, degree of achievement of objectives and goals).
7.3 Financial Aid: Type of services offered. Rules and regulations. Availability of resources. (Existence, sufficiency, quality, efficacy).
7.4 Recreation and Sports: Types of Services. Rules and regulations. Availability of resources. (Existence, sufficiency, quality and state of conservation, efficiency).
7.5 University Dining Room: Types of services offered. Rules and regulations. Availability of resources. (Existence, sufficiency, quality and state of conservation, quality, efficiency).
8. Research, intellectual and artistic creation
8.1 Characteristics: Role, Emphasis, Orientation. Lines of investigation. Investigation programs. Research projects. (Level of importance, relationship with the areas of professional training, relevance, quality, socio-economic relevance, degree of achievement of objectives and goals).
8.2 Human Resources: Number and average dedication of the teachers involved. Administrative staff. Student participation. Research plans. Execution. (Level of teaching dedication, research as part of the student's training. Degree of achievement of objectives and goals).
8.3 Other Resources: Physical infrastructure, materials and other supplies. Financial resources. Inventories, budgets, execution. (Existence, sufficiency and quality, relevance, degree of achievement of objectives and goals).
8.4 Follow-up: Periodic evaluations. Existing documentation. Execution. (Existence, relevance to introduce corrections).
9. Social projection
9.1 Characteristics: Role, Emphasis, Orientation. Specific projects. Technical Assistance Programs. Projects in Execution. (Socio-economic relevance. Relationship with professional training areas. Level of importance as a generator of financial resources, relevance, quality of service, degree of achievement of objectives and goals).
9.2 Human Resources: Average number and dedication of the teachers involved. Support staff. Student participation. Projects in execution. (Existence, level of dedication, their participation in the practical training of students. Degree of achievement of objectives and goals).
9.3 Monitoring: Periodic evaluation. Reports and documents. Execution. (Existence, relevance to introduce corrections).
10. Administration
10.1 Organizational structure: Instances and bodies. Relationship between them. Functions. Normativity. Execution. (Clarity, sufficiency, consistency, relevance, flexibility).
10.2 Management Process: Academic. Support. Financing. Training. Normativity. Execution. (Clarity, consistency, relevance, flexibility).
10.3 Decisions: Administrative. Academic Regulations. (Coherence, opportunity, needs, information system).
10.4 Competition: Higher authorities and other administrators. Normativity. Execution. (Training, experience, quality).
10.5 Formulation of plans and projects: Participation. Normativity. Execution. (Clarity, consistency, breadth, relevance, flexibility).
10.6 Monitoring: Periodic evaluation. Existing documents. Execution. (Existence, relevance to introduce corrections).
11. Financial administration
11.1 Financial stability: Ability to meet current and investment expenses. Possibility of generating debt commitments. Execution. (Adequate balance between income and expenses. Rationality in the use of resources, coherence with institutional purposes).
11.2 Financial planning: Policies and decisions. Budget of income and expenses, institutional plans. Execution. (Clarity, coherence, degree of achievement of objectives and goals proposed in the institutional development plan).
11.3 Financial administration: Human resources available, risk coverage, information available. Staff ladder. Budgets of income and expenses. (Competence, sufficiency, coherence with institutional mission, availability of adequate information and safety margins).
b) For the purposes of Production of Goods and Services in the Production Centers:
1. Executive Summary.
2. Concept of the Production Center: Characterization and diagnosis.
2.1 Good or service that is produced or sold.
2.2 Process required to produce or sell.
2.3 Fundamental factors of differentiation.
3. The company or production center in your sector.
4. The product and its possible enhancement with complementary products or services.
5. Technology
5.1 Research and Development Plan, technological aspects that it develops and aspects that are compared and evaluated, calendar and budget.
5.2 Research and Development Plan, motivation and retention.
5.3 Main technological contingencies and their coverage.
6. The Market and the competition.
6.1 Business plan.
6.2 Production plan.
6.3 Buying versus manufacturing. Providers.
6.4 Your Contractors.
7. Personnel. Plan of incorporation of people. Profiles, motivation and retention.
8. Economic aspects. Cash Flow Forecast (cash flow). Cost effectiveness.
8.1 Financing. Financial needs of the Production Center.
8.2 Fund sources to finance capital. Debt Service Chart.
9. Management of the company. Responsibility for each activity and means of control.
10. Detailed Marketing Plan of the Production Center. Main contingencies and coverage.
Sometimes the person in charge of running the Production Center sees in a different way what is perceived in the market and is created safe from competitors who are actually a threat. Knowing how to segment the market is a wise move and knowing how to find a differentiated space is crucial. In a business plan, it is convenient to present the segmented sector and locate in the niche in which the production and sale activity will take place. One way, for example, that until now has not been specified referring to the Milk Plant, is the possibility of permanently marketing to public and private entities, via payroll discount. Another is regarding Laboratories and Total Quality, that there is the possibility of obtaining an agreement with the Ministry of Health,to delegate some functions that were previously carried out by the General Directorate of Agroindustry of the Ministry of Agriculture and which is currently under the jurisdiction of DIGESA. However, DIGESA does not have the infrastructure that we have; reason for which there is the possibility of achieving such functions, so that we can enter to carve in relation to the control of food export and import products.
Regarding the product and its possible penetration with related goods or services, it is necessary to analyze: what aspects of the product allow its extension; possibility to modify it and thus be able to introduce it in other markets; possibility of finding complementary products or services that allow increasing sales: Possibility of extending the product concept to a family of products; find advances that allow, through their incorporation, to think about the second and third generation of the product. Once it has been successful in the founding phase of the activity, it is necessary to guarantee its indefinite growth, it is only possible through an offer of continuously renewed products.
Technology is the basis of the business, it can be difficult to master: knowing when it will be perfected by determining aspects of the product, how much will have to be spent to reach a certain degree of advance in the development process.
The Business Plan must explain how you are going to achieve sales? Who are the customers going to be? and why are they going to buy?
A very special chapter is the determination of the price at which the product will be sold, it will influence whether a lot or little is sold, it is the income flow that will be obtained. It is to attract or discourage competitors, to provoke counteroffensive actions by those who feel affected by the image, which the consumer or customer assigns to the product or the company, in the expectations generated by the product. In addition to the price as part of a package, it includes the payment method, the guarantee, the reaction to complaints, the after-sales assistance, the delivery method and the other services with which the product is accompanied.
Regarding the aspect of the production plan, it must be borne in mind that all the requirements such as investments, miscellaneous expenses (materials, finished products, storage space, manufacturing equipment, production personnel), is a burden that directly affects the cash flow.
In the case of new Production Centers, we must bear in mind that the ability to quickly occupy the market is of crucial importance; And to achieve this, it sometimes requires agility to expand the productive capacity, this may be unaffordable due to lack of means to make the necessary investments (productive capacity, logistics, distribution capacity, financing for sales).
In summary, we can propose that the content to formulate the PDIs of the Production Centers must contain the following points:
The executive summary.
Industry analysis
Market study.
Marketing and sales plan.
Operations / production plan (Material balance, energy balance, process flow).
Organization and human resources.
Economic - financial plan.
Growth and Development Plan
The executive summary raises the objective, which is the business card of the company, explains in brief paragraphs the viability of the initial idea, how the company is, the products or services and needs it covers, the marketing plan as well as the aspects from five to seven.
The second element explains how the sector has evolved and within the market study it shows how the marketing plan describes the market or segment and that its tactics will be different depending on the product, based on the sales objectives set.
The case of the operations plan, details the resources that are necessary for the entity to be able to function or market services, as well as the procedures of the processes and how the material and financial means must be available to guarantee compliance with the plan.
In the case of human resources, it indicates the need for personnel and its relationship with the structure and forms of hiring that will be or has been established by the entity.
The main objective of the financial economic plan that appears is to quantify the money or capital available and in this way guarantee the production and marketing operations.
As a final aspect the expansion plan where the long-term objectives are explained, evaluating the risks in the expansion and the considerations for a possible strategic exit or reconversion plan.
SAW. Conclusions and recommendations
6.1 Conclusions:
- The application of continuous improvement is urgently required throughout the organization of the University.
- Due importance is not being given to the search for administrative, academic, research and social projection excellence. And if any importance is being given, it is not transcendental, it does not generate any impact.
6.2 Recommendations:
- A systematic and general training is started, with the use of INTERNET for teachers and administrators, so that they are imbued with the concepts and responsibly assume their roles.
- That Senior Management assume their roles and responsibilities, assuming leadership of operational and strategic changes.
Why is it not attempted to develop continuous improvement in a systematic way at UNALM? Proposals for its implementation
1. Senior Management Commitment:
Until you have a firm decision to change, it is impossible to develop a policy of continuous improvement. The improvement process must start from the main managers, and progress to the degree of commitment they acquire, that is, in the interest they put to change the current "Status Quo", which does not favor the improvement and development of systems (academic, research, social projection, production). And overcome to be better every day.
2. Improvement Steering Committee:
The lack of an Improvement Committee does not allow the development of improvement actions in key sectors of operational and production development. The presence of this technical group would contribute to the implementation of standards and actions that lead to a substantial improvement in management. In addition to identifying the various "bottlenecks" in the various administration and production units. It must be made up of a group of top-level professionals or executives, who will study the productive improvement process and seek to adapt it to the needs of our institution.
3. Total Participation of the Administration:
Once the recommendations have been raised and reflected in directives if necessary, the management team is responsible for the implementation of the improvement process. This implies the active participation of all the Deans, Heads of Office, Heads of Academic Department and supervisors of the organization. Each executive or official must participate in a training course that allows them to know the new standards of the institution and the respective improvement techniques.
4. Employee Participation:
Once the management team is trained in the process, the conditions will be in place to involve employees. This is carried out by the Deans, the Heads of Office and Heads of Department of each academic unit, who are responsible for training their subordinates, using the techniques they learned during the respective training.
5. Individual Participation:
It is important to develop systems that provide all individuals with the means to contribute, at the same time being measured and their personal contributions are recognized for the benefit of improvement. Here it is important to seriously and responsibly take into account the suggestions made by any worker. If such suggestion is not relevant or incorrect, it must be made known to him, which will not be possible for or for what reason, making him see his mistake. Otherwise, we would be generating some discomfort in the workers. If correct, it deserves the explicit recognition of such contribution, which can be monetary or non-monetary, depending on the degree of economic impact generated, but the important thing is that it must be recognized.
6. Systems Improvement Teams (Process Control teams):
For the application of this process, there must be a single individual responsible for the complete operation of said process, who works under the management of the Improvement Committee, he must be a Professional with extensive knowledge of planning and computing; and at the same time, be responsible for the operation of the process control equipment. That have to do with the elaboration of the flow diagrams of the processes, including their measurements, controls and loops (Set of instructions whose execution is repeated until a certain output condition is satisfied) of feedback. For the application of this process, there must be a single individual responsible for the complete operation of said process.
7. Quality Assurance:
Resources for quality assurance, which are dedicated to solving problems related to products and processes, should be redirected towards controlling systems that help improve operations and thus avoid problems.
8. Short-Term Quality Plans and Long-Term Quality Strategies:
Our University must develop a long-term quality strategy. Then you need to ensure that the entire academic and administrative group understands the strategy so that its members can develop detailed short-term plans that ensure that the group's activities coincide and support the long-term strategy.
9. Recognition System:
The improvement process aims to change the way people think about mistakes. To do this, there are two ways of reinforcing the application of the desired changes: punishing all those who fail to do their job well all the time, or rewarding all individuals and groups when they reach a goal by making an important contribution to the improvement process.. I think that both should be applied, since as mentioned, every error generates a cost and must be paid by whoever makes it. And on the other hand, it has also been proposed that a policy of performance incentives be implemented, based on Management by Objectives and Results.
Second part
Introduction:
Following the approach in Part I, it is necessary to guide the actions of Senior Management and middle managers, so that a homogeneity of thought and action is achieved. However, the most important aspect is the degree of commitment to the institutional objectives that the components of the Senior Management (University Assembly, University Council, Rector and Vice-Rectors) must assume, so that every effort is oriented in the same direction; in a systematic, coherent and dynamic way. It is not possible that we continue in an apparent stagnation as a result of two unfavorable factors, such as the lack of budget, or the inaction of many teachers, or the lack of decision-making capacity among others; while in other university centers progress is significant, we are lagging behind in many respects.
I. Commitments that must be assumed
1.1 Senior Management Commitments:
The improvement process must start from the main managers and progress to the extent and degree of commitment they acquire. They must bear in mind that the decisions they make must be thinking about and committing themselves to the institution. Thanks to the quality of these decisions, spectacular and well-established results will be obtained. Among the main recommendations to Senior Management are:
a) Propose institutional and control policy guidelines, in the aspects of teaching, research, social projection and production of goods and services. That it serves as an orientation in the different actions, in which both the teachers, administrative, and also corporately, the different structured operating units are committed.
b) That the Rector is a true leader of the University, ensuring the participation of all and that we are involved in all the processes of the production chain (teaching, research, social projection, production of goods and services). For this he must acquire deep commitments, since he is the main person in charge of the execution of the process and the most important driving force of the University.
c) Do not try to manipulate the decisions of other component (s), of the University Council (do not lobby or Council). The Deans must make their own decision, based on the basic principles of ethics, honesty and transparency; but always thinking about the improvement of our institution; and not as on some occasions, to oppose the Rector or to make in certain cases, decisions related to subordinate interests, which do not lead to any improvement. In this sense, decisions must be made on the basis of discernment, respecting the particularity and freedom of thought of each component of the University Council; and in a fair, responsible and relevant manner.
d) Every decision must be based on truth and rationality. In such a way that they are adequately supported by an adequate justification, whatever the type of decision; even more so when it comes to appointing those responsible for the management of structured units, on whom rests the great responsibility of generating economic value, efficiency, economic welfare and productive profitability.
e) In order for strategic decisions and important projects to be adequately supported, it is necessary to institutionalize a Technical Advisory Committee, made up of teachers with extensive experience and knowledge of Investment and Planning Projects.
f) The entire University Council must understand that coherent and wise decisions generate value and enhance our institution.
g) The principle "TO EACH WHO ACCORDING TO HIS WORK AND TO EACH WHO ACCORDING TO HIS CAPACITY" is applied. For performance incentive decisions and for assigning new responsibilities.
h) That the administration in the University, is by Objectives and Results (AOR). So that a Commission or Committee for Continuous Improvement is institutionalized, which is in charge of carrying out the actions of supervision, monitoring, standardization and normalization. In order to guarantee compliance with operational, economic and production ordinances. And to report to Senior Management on the progress of the different structured units of UNALM, prioritizing those that by their nature require greater attention.
i) Senior Management has the unavoidable commitment to program and seek financing for the training of all the administrative personnel of UNALM, in matters of continuous improvement and organizational behavior, in addition to those normally addressed in properly technical aspects.
j) That those responsible for the administration and management of the structured academic and administrative units, assume their responsibilities for the errors or faults they commit in the administration, following the principle that "every mistake is a cost, and must be assumed by those who make it".
k) That all components of Senior Management are trained in Administration and Leadership, with a view to making pertinent and adequate decisions, correcting possible management errors and with a view to systematizing to have a single strategy, in solving the different problems they present themselves. In other words, each executive must participate in a training course that allows them to know how to identify the causes of problems? What are the bottlenecks? What management standards or indicators are the most relevant? Or what standards should be formulated or created, for the control of the systems? and relevant breeding techniques.
l) It is observed that there are many agreements that do not lead to anything. It is important that Senior Management properly select those that can be carried out, having as an important framework the financing, which must be assured, to guarantee its execution and completion.
m) Senior Management must bear in mind that any decision-making that is not framed in the values of: Truthfulness, Fairness, Honesty, Transparency, Fairness and Justice. It will generate its own problems and transmit discontent, which in turn will transform into: reluctance to work, contempt for the institution, lack of collaboration, and an environment contaminated with gossip and subordinate interests. Ultimately it will be our institution that pays for those mistakes.
1.2 Commitments of the Administration Staff
a) Assume their roles in a responsible and efficient manner, under the principle "Each process following yours is your client." Considering the client as being whom we must fully satisfy, and basically it is thanks to him that our self-esteem and value as a company or individual grows, develops, otherwise it decreases and can lead to its extinction. We improve or degrade our intrinsic value on the basis of providing value to third parties (clients), the better we serve our clients, our value will increase and therefore, our environment is transformed into a harmony of efficiency and positive results.
b) One of the causes of low performance and the lack of institutional identity is the anger that is generally generated in gossip. That contributes to developing a low level of administrative and management quality; projecting discouragement, lack of mystique and lack of institutional identity. In many institutions, gossip has taken over leadership and decision-making; In other words, the authorities make decisions not thinking about the generation of value, but more based on gossip, which is generally distorted and far from the truth; to the detriment of the institutional image and good management. Even against his, often highly recognized management record, as an authority. What should matter to those responsible for leading the operating units,are the results obtained by this or that worker or teacher; which is, on that basis, that institutional value is generated. Contrary to this, we will be losing the historical possibility of generating sustained growth and development.
Every resource, especially human, must be used to its maximum capacity, without pettiness or personal revenge. Our aim must be the generation of institutional value, within the framework of the values set out in this document.
University authorities have a great responsibility to renounce any personal and group appetite; and that they are willing to make any sacrifice and any change in their administration and management "modus operandi" in order to make La Molina Agrarian University one of the best in Latin America. This is not a question of money, or of material goods of any kind. It is a matter of DECISION. Authorities willing to do what they should and have to do themselves, for our institution. On the contrary, it might be thought that our authorities are not aware of this great responsibility that they have in their hands.
Apparently all authorities are willing for our University to grow and develop in a competitive manner, and we are all proud to have those authorities. But when they discover that the process begins with themselves, that they must be correct, fair, without rings and must not transfer their own responsibilities to teachers and administrators, then the difficulties begin, many authorities give up with their good intentions, and a monotony begins no major or structural changes, in some cases complete disappointment and consequently high institutional cost.
In this sense, what is difficult for managers and administrators, who are located at the top of an institution, is to understand is that they also have to learn, train and that they must be solicitous for the necessary changes, making use of their best cadres human and physical potentialities. We must remember that a true leader is a man of principles and values, which are not just words, but rather he deals with them. He knows how to guide, encourage, drive. He is someone who does not escape responsibility; therefore he recognizes his mistakes, as well as recognizes the merits of others when things go well, and does not appropriate all the success for himself. Always keep in mind the respect and well-being that others deserve. He looks for the best in others, he is not a technocrat. Technicians are important in any organization,but someone who directs them is needed; they alone cannot conjugate towards a common end.
c) Another cause for the deterioration of authority at different levels is the lack of judgment in solving problems and poor decision-making capacity, as a result of aversion to risk or lack of experience, among others. The non-timely solution of a problem can bring discouragement in the staff, such as very high losses to our institution: As has already been given, for example in the Costa Institute, in the opportunity that $ 40,000.00 was lost as a result of the delay in the decision to set the price for the sale of cottonseed. Which eventually ended up as pig food.
d) The concept of Opportunity Cost should be handled in every decision, because in each decision that is made, try to select the best alternative, or the best alternative use. For this, it is essential that decision-makers become aware of the role that they must assume for the benefit of our institution. However, in recent times, the decisions that have been made, in many cases have not been the most appropriate, with discouragement on the part of teachers and workers. It must be taken into account that each economic resource (human, physical and intangible) has an intrinsic opportunity cost value, which must be used in its best alternative use, and that its economic value is generated based on that use. For example, by owning unused land that is used to pile garbage or waste,we are ceasing to earn its fair price, on top of that it has a use whose current opportunity cost is negative, since it is giving a bad appearance in prejudice of the ornament that should exist.
1.3 Commitments of the Heads of Office
One of the characteristics of modern organizations is that they have incorporated into their processes management elements that allow them to evaluate their achievements or point out shortcomings to apply the necessary corrections. These elements, known as indicators, must be established from the moment the strategic development plan is prepared and are applied to it and to the operational plan, so that the development is known at times of inspection or in the evaluation stage.
The operating units of the University have not yet incorporated the culture of measurement into their processes. In this sense, it is the responsibility of Senior Management and Heads of Office to identify and quantify these indicators, which serve not only to carry out diagnoses, but also for them to analyze, apply and have them as a point of analysis in the future. reference in your operational plans.
Las implicancias de la medición en el mejoramiento de procesos, están relacionadas con la posibilidad de adelantarse a la ocurrencia de las dificultades, identificar con mayor exactitud las oportunidades de mejoramiento con el fin de conocer oportunamente las áreas problemáticas, y conocer los motivos de los bajos rendimientos. La mayor implicancia podría pensarse, está en la posibilidad del conocimiento profundo que se puede tener de los procesos y poder llegar así a las metas de la excelencia propuestas.
In decision-making, measurement is essential because it allows collecting and analyzing relevant data, forecasting results, eliminating subjective assessments such as "I think, I think, I think," encouraging participation in decision-making based on observations. common to all and avoid silly discussions by having different criteria or diametrical points of view, dedicating the direction or management to what is important instead of getting lost in the urgent. Therefore, measurement in decision making is not only to accumulate data to be accumulated, it must have a theoretical framework that allows concatenating, characterizing, classifying, establishing relationships, studying frequencies and interpreting the data in order to improve the processes of decision making.
The Heads of Office have the great responsibility that all the gears of the administration work properly and efficiently. Among the criteria and values, under which they must be developed are the following:
Efficiency: It is the ability to minimize the resources used, to achieve the proposed objectives. It relates the resources and inputs used with the estimates, emphasizing quantity and not quality; it is closely related to productivity. We can summarize by saying that efficiency is the adequate compliance with the ordinances, obligations, norms and assigned functions, within the available period and the optimal use of the assigned resources.
Effectiveness: It is the ability to determine the objectives and goals correctly. No degree of efficiency can compensate for a lack of effectiveness, in this sense many leaders affirm that effectiveness is the key to the success of an organization. Before we go about doing something efficiently, we have to be sure that we have found something right to do.
Relevance: It refers to the importance and requirement in the decisions, which measurements must have, be clear about what each measurement is made for and what is really the use of it. Remember that the degree of relevance should be periodically reviewed due to the relative use of resources, the available capacities and the direction taken at a given time.
Effectiveness: Measures the impact of what is done or provided, in terms of customer satisfaction, which is completely related to quality.
In any case, it is important to emphasize that these criteria must be used and analyzed together, integrally, to obtain an objective and systemic observation. It has some similarity to effectiveness, only that effectiveness is measured by results.
Precision: Every civil servant must decide in time and space with a precision that must result in an optimization in the use of resources. It must convey very clearly the degree to which the measure accurately reflects the magnitude of the event to be analyzed or confirmed. For this, a good operational definition must be taken into account, where the characteristics of the measurement scale units, the number and selection of samples, the calculation of estimates, clearances or tolerances, a good instrument and an assurance that the data given by the measuring instrument is well recorded by the person in charge of doing it.
Opportunity: Responses to decisions made by Senior Management or by any authority; as well as, measurements as information, must be given at the time and in the same space in which it is required, so that it allows correcting and preventing weaknesses in the systems, as well as designing elements that agree to keep them within the allowed tolerances.
Reliability: It is the characteristic that must offer the answers to the decisions made and that offers security to the Senior Management or management, based on the truth and an adequate analysis. And be an adequate basis for decision-making and ensure that measurements in organizations are not carried out just once, complemented by that periodic need to confirm their validity with permanent audits that allow detecting deformations or administrative faults, in short, that are Trust the responses and actions of the operating units.
Economy: In any decision, the cost-benefit relationship must be analyzed; In other words, the proportionality between the costs of the measurement and the benefits obtained from it must be important, without detriment to quality or productivity at any given moment.
Responsibility: Responsibility is easy to detect in daily life, especially in its negative aspect (or irresponsibility), we see it in the engineer who did not do his job correctly, in the Official who did not decide in a timely manner generating costs to the institution, in the young person who has low qualifications, in the architect who has not fulfilled the design plan for a new project, and in more serious cases in a public official who has not done what he promised or who uses public resources for his own interests.
An indispensable element within the responsibility is to fulfill a duty. Responsibility is an obligation, whether moral or even legal, to fulfill what has been committed.
Responsibility has a direct effect on another fundamental concept: trust. We trust those people who are responsible. We put our faith and loyalty in those who stably deliver what they have promised.
Responsibility is a sign of maturity, since fulfilling an obligation of any kind is generally not something pleasant, as it involves effort. In the case of the manager of a company, he has to make adequate decisions that optimize the work of his workers and do his job well. The teacher has to stop doing that personal occupation or pleasure to go to teach his classes or to develop his research work. Responsibility can seem like a burden, and failure to do what is promised has consequences.
Why is worth responsibility? Responsibility has to do with the awareness that the more and better you serve others, the greater your value as a person or as a professional. Practically, we are not yet aware that we come into this life to serve others and not to serve ourselves. What is the use of having the knowledge if we are not going to apply it to the well-being of others (including our own family). This logically translates into economic wealth, within the market economy. Consequently, thanks to her, we can coexist peacefully in society, be it at the family, friendly, professional or personal level.
When someone falls into irresponsibility, we can easily stop trusting that person. At the workplace level, the worker who during a meeting undertakes to carry out an important task on a certain date and when the delivery date arrives, fails to comply with what was offered, having preferred to go and have fun; trust will be broken, because the worker did not have the ability to fulfill his established promise. And it is easy to fall into the temptation of whim and immediate well-being. The worker may prefer the immediate enjoyment of a diversion, and forget that in the long term, his job stability and prestige is more important.
El origen de la irresponsabilidad se da en la falta de prioridades correctamente ordenadas. Por ejemplo, el carpintero no fue a pintar la puerta porque llegó su “compadre” y decidieron tomarse unas cervezas en lugar de ir a cumplir el compromiso de pintar una puerta. El carpintero tiene mal ordenadas sus prioridades, pues tomarse una cerveza es algo sin importancia que bien puede esperar, pero este hombre (y tal vez su familia), depende de su trabajo.
The responsibility must be something stable. Everyone can tolerate someone's irresponsability ocasionally. We can all easily fall into irresponsibility at times. However, not all of us will tolerate someone's irresponsibility for long. Trust in a person in any type of relationship (work, family or friendly) is essential, as it is a correspondence and fulfillment of duties.
The cost of irresponsibility is very high. For the carpenter it means losing his job, for the husband who wanted to have a good time it can be the final separation from his wife, for the ruler who misused public resources it can be jail.
Responsibility is a value, and it generates value for us, because thanks to it we can coexist in society in a peaceful and equitable way. The more responsible we are, the greater the value that society or our environment assigns us. Responsibility at its most elementary level is to comply with what has been committed, or the law will make it happen. But there is a much more subtle responsibility (and difficult to live), which is that of the moral plane.
If we promise to finish a job on a date and we don't comply, or if a person leaves us waiting for them, then we lose faith and trust in them. The loss of trust ends relationships of any kind: the boy who despite his many promises continues to get poor grades in school, the husband who has promised not to get drunk again, the boyfriend who continues to flirt with other girls or the friend who usually leaves us planted. All these behaviors will end sooner or later and depending on our own tolerance towards irresponsibility, and negatively affected our relationship.
Being responsible is assuming the consequences of our actions and decisions. Being responsible is also trying to ensure that all our acts are carried out in accordance with a notion of justice and the fulfillment of duty in all senses.
Values are the foundations of our social and personal coexistence. Responsibility is a value, because the stability of our relationships depends on it. Responsibility matters, because it is hard to achieve.
What can we do to improve our responsibility?
The first step is to realize that everything we do, every commitment, has a consequence that depends on ourselves. We are the ones who decide and we are guilty of the destiny that awaits us, upwards or downwards, towards good or evil, towards growth and development or towards ineptitude and laziness; towards competitiveness or towards an inertial and opaque institutional life.
The second step is to achieve in a stable, habitual way that our actions correspond to our promises. If we promise to "do the right thing" and don't do it, then there is no responsibility.
The third step is educating those around us to be responsible. The simplest attitude is to let things pass and not commit to anything, to let middle managers perform well or badly with their functions, not to decide anything important, simply to continue living. Do not punish the irresponsible, and sin as benevolent with those close to him, forget about the carpenter without first drawing his attention and get another, do the job he had commissioned myself, fire the employee, without giving him the opportunity to claim. However, this easy path has its own level of responsibility, because then we ourselves are being irresponsible by taking the easy path.What good have we done the carpenter by firing him? Is it really the best solution to break up? It might even appear that it is "the right thing to do" and that we are doing the "right thing". However, to do that is to fall into the irresponsibility of not fulfilling our duty and being equal to the carpenter, the ruler who did things wrong or the official who did not fulfill his functions. And what is that duty? The responsibility to correct.
The most difficult path, but one that is the best in the long run, is to educate the irresponsible. Didn't the carpenter come? So to go get it and do whatever it takes to make sure it gets the job done. And the plumber? Have the damage repaired free of charge that you did not fix the first time. And with the unfaithful partner? Make him see the importance of what he has done, and everything that depends on the relationship. And with the ruler who did not do what he should? Use the means of protest conferred by law so that that person responds for their actions.
Living responsibility is not comfortable, nor is correcting an irresponsible person. However, our duty is to make sure that we can all live together harmoniously and do what is in our power to achieve it.
What is not easy? If we all made a little effort to live and correct irresponsibility, our University, our society, our countries and our world would be different.
Common good: All decisions and actions of University servants (teachers and administrators) or public employees in general, must be aimed at satisfying the needs and interests of society, over and above the particular interests outside the welfare of the community.. The public servant must not allow their judgments and conduct to be influenced by interests that may harm or benefit individuals or groups to the detriment of the welfare of society.
The commitment to the common good implies that the public servant is aware that the public service is a heritage that belongs to all Peruvians and that it represents a mission that only acquires legitimacy when it seeks to satisfy social demands and not when individual benefits are pursued.
Integrity: The UNALM server must act with honesty and transparency, always paying attention to the truth. By conducting himself in this way, the servant will promote the credibility of society, in public institutions and will contribute to generating a culture of trust and adherence to the truth.
Honesty: No worker or public servant shall not use his public office, to obtain any personal benefit or advantage or in favor of third parties. Nor should you seek or accept compensation or benefits from any person or organization that could compromise your performance as a public servant.
Impartiality: The public servant will act without granting undue preferences or privileges to any organization or person.
Their commitment is to make decisions and exercise their duties objectively, without personal prejudice and without allowing undue influence from other people.
Justice: The public servant must invariably conduct himself in accordance with the legal norms inherent to the function he performs, to reason and to the truth. Respecting the rule of law is a responsibility that, more than anyone else, every public servant must assume and fulfill.
For this, it is their obligation to know, comply with and enforce the legal provisions that regulate the exercise of their functions.
Transparency: The public servant must allow and guarantee access to government information, with no other limit than that imposed by the public interest and the privacy rights of individuals established by law.
Transparency in the public service also implies that the public servant makes a responsible and clear use of public resources, eliminating any undue discretion in their application.
Accountability: For the public servant, accountability means fully assuming before society, the responsibility to perform their functions properly and subject to the evaluation of the society itself.
This obliges it to carry out its functions with efficiency and quality, as well as to permanently have the disposition to develop processes of continuous improvement, modernization and optimization of public resources.
1.4 Commitments of teachers:
a) Teachers are the basis of change. Therefore, it is essential that teachers assume their obligations and duties responsibly. Putting institutional interests before personal and group interests. Faithfully comply with their course programs, assume punctuality as the basis of responsibility, and have the main objective of transmitting knowledge to students in an interactive, broad, deep and practical way.
b) Try to ensure that students permanently contact the environment, so that they become imbued with their problems, analyze them and present their results, following a scheme similar to those used in research, that is, they contain: Review of the literature, Justification and Analysis of the Problem, Materials and Methods, Results, Conclusions and Recommendations. That the teachers stop dictating as in a school, and the Head of Practices, becomes an active facilitator or advisor to carry out such group work. And these works must be supported before the Professor of Theory for qualification. This action must be carried out permanently and with a lot of business vision. Only in this way will we be in a position to substantially improve the quality of teaching.
c) One of the things that every Miller teacher must assume is transparency with our institution. In this sense, any extra academic work, paid in which they intervene, must inform the Heads of Department; and whether it is an agreement of the parties, the amount or amount that must be paid as a donation to our institution. In order to capitalize a fund, which serves to encourage the best teachers who have fulfilled their duties and obligations.
III. Improvement needs
The Senior Management of UNALM, are the main responsible for the speed or advanced success in our organization or, on the contrary, the failure of its management, that is why the entire University corporation, grant all responsibility and trust to the Rector and the University Council, taking into account his capacity and good performance as an administrator, capable of solving any type of problem that may arise and satisfactorily achieving the success of the institution. Today, for many companies and institutions, the word quality represents a very important factor in achieving the objectives set.
It is important to mention that for the success of the improvement process, it will depend directly on the high degree of support provided by the team that makes up the Senior Management, therefore the Rector, is in the duty of requesting the opinions of each one of its members of the administration team and of the heads of the structured units that make up our institution.
Executives must understand that Mr. Rector plans to implement a process that benefits the entire institution. And furthermore, it can provide employees with better elements for the good performance of their jobs. It must be clear that, whatever the case, quality is the responsibility of Senior Management.
Before the final decision to implement an improvement process, it is necessary to calculate an estimate of the potential savings. They begin by conducting a detailed examination of the figures for poor-quality or no-project costs, as well as cost savings; the improvement process implies an increase in productivity, reduction of inaction and improvement of morale. It is important to highlight that a better quality production in the different units will reflect the capture of a better institutional image and the capture of a greater proportion of the market, in all senses.
To achieve these savings, during the first years, our institution will have to invest a minimum percentage of the cost of the final result, to develop the improvement process; After this investment, the cost of maintaining the program will be negligible.
On the other hand, in order to perceive the effective operation of the improvement process, it is not only necessary to have the support of the Rectorate and University Council, but also their active participation. The Rector and his Technical Committee must measure the degree of progress and reward all those people who in one way or another contribute significantly, and make observations to those who do not contribute to the success of the process.
A very effective way to determine whether the overall management team sees the need for improvement is to conduct a feedback poll among themselves. The preparation of the survey will help to detect how the management group considers the institution and how much they think it should improve. Questions can be asked:
How good is people's cooperation?
How good is the cooperation of the departments?
How much does the management care about the quality of work ?, among others.
However, topics such as: communication, organization and productivity can be included; taking into consideration that the value of the survey will depend exclusively on the honesty of the responses by the members.
IV. Quality politics
The basis for the success of the improvement process is the proper establishment of a good quality policy, which can define precisely what is expected of teachers and employees; as well as the goods or services that are provided to customers. The University Council and the Rector are responsible for this policy.
The quality policy must be written so that it can be applied to the activities of any teacher and employee, it can also be applied to the quality of the goods or services offered by our institution. It is also necessary to clearly establish quality standards, and thus be able to cover all aspects related to the quality system.
To give effect to the implementation of this policy, it is necessary for employees to have the knowledge required to know the demands of customers, and in this way to be able to offer them excellent goods or services that can meet or exceed customer expectations.
V. Recommendation
This document is made known to the University community for its knowledge and discussion.
