This started in Stanfilco when in 1988, Stanfilco changed its paradigm on quality and declared a Vision: to be number one.

The concept of TQM was learned when in 1989 JP Mercado and Henry Betancur attended the Philippine Quality and Productivity Movement (PQPM) Conference in Manila. Here, we heard the concepts of TQM and the quality and productivity philosophies under TQM through the Keynote Speech of Mr. Manlapit, the President of Procter and Gamble Philippines. He described the TQM concepts and practices initiated by Procter and Gamble, These same concepts and TQM continuum were adopted to direct the Dole Number One Program of Stanfilco in 1990, when JP Mercado headed the Dole Number One Division.

The Dole Number Divsion was created in 1989. The task was to facilitate the new Dole Number One Program with goals to be the highest quality, lowest cost producer through customer-focused empowered workforce (Managers, Supervisors,, and workers of business partners.

The TQM initiative would be extended to Dole Asia when in 1997, the Dole University Board of Regents resolved to tairlorfit a TQM initiative for Dole Asia Companies. This will be in support for the practices of the Dole Six Work Values.

The Following is the TQM Framework that will be learned and practiced in time. The Dole University is tasked to facilitate its communication, understanding, and implementation through the various companies in Asia.



Foreword

This Primer is prepared by the Academic Board for use of the Dole University and the Dole Asia Companies in the following directions:

1) For teaching and facilitating a common understanding of TQM and a common language of quality to all Dole Philippines and Dole Asia employees and partners; and

2) For implementing a workable TQM initiative through a common Framework we call Dole Number One Initiative. The Framework is called Dole Number One (DNO) to highlight the Dole Asia Vision to be "Dole Number One Without Number Two" in all Dole's efforts to be a Worldclass Company which will satisfy and delight all its Stakeholders (Owners, Employees, Partners, Customers, an as a Word Citizen),

In this Manual, we define the "Primer" as a small book containing basic principles and guidelines for teaching all Dole Employees and Partners to understand and implement a common Total Quality Approach. We assume that a common understanding of Total Quality and a communal awareness of implementing a common DNO Framework are absolute prerequisites to achieve higher productivity, greater progress and faster growth over the long-term of Dole Philippines and of Dole Asia. Quality as a way of life and as a common culture becomes a jumping board to achieve quantum improvements in our operations- improvement that can really make a big difference in upgrading organizational and business bottomline performance, to levels which we may not have thought attainable. This is the mindset behind the approval of this Primer by the Dole University Board of Regents last May 23, 1997.

To all of us in Dole and to all our Partners, we enjoin to embark with intelligence and enthusiasm into a journey towards Excellence through a common understanding and practice of Total Quality. We become Quality Practitioners by the time we participate in seminars and workshops organized to understand the Primer, and as we continue to understand the language and strategies of Total Quality, and to manifest quality leadership by participating in all the quality initiatives and projects in the Company.

To help us understand the DNO Framework and the TQM definitions, let us read the attached recommended readings, many ideas of which become rich sources of our Primer.

Good luck for a common Quality Journey.


Prepared by the Dole University Academic Board
And approved by the Board of Regents
1st Edition, May 24, 1997
For Dole University use
And for Implementation in Dole Asia.


This Primer was approved by the Dole University Board of Regents during the Board Meeting on May 23, 1997

A. Members of the Board of Regents

B. Members of the Academic Board



A. The meaning of Dole Number One Initiative

The Dole Number One Initiative is our journey towards excellence through Total Quality. It is a comprehensive process involving all Dole employees and partners focusing on continuous improvement. It results from the synergy of all organization components working together, and is based on four imperatives:


The foundation of the quality initiative of any Dole Division of its Company is Dole Quality Policy. Examples follow:
This Policy speaks directly to our dedication to quality and is embraced by each of terms/policies employees company-wide. It conveys three basic concepts:
These concepts are our foundation for achieving superior quality.







How Dole Number One Initiative Works

The initiative is divided into seven segments, corresponding to the seven categories of the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence. As we go on our journey to be Dole Number One, we use these criteria as a checklist to ensure that Dole's plan addresses all critical elements of quality.

1. Leadership: This item addresses how the Dole's senior leaders set directions, and build and sustain a leadership system conducive to high performance, individual development, initiative, and organizational learning. It calls for development on the major aspects of leadership: creating values and expectations; setting directions; projecting a strong customer focus; developing an effective leadership system; and effectively communicating values, directions, expectations, and a strong customer focus. It calls for improvement in:
2. Strategic Planning: This stresses that customer-driven quality and operational performance excellence are key strategic business issues that need to be an integral part of all overall company planning. This includes effective development, translation, and deployment of overall customer and operational performance requirements derived from the strategy. It call for:

3. Customer and Market Focus: This is the focal point within the criteria for examining how Dole seeks to understand the voices of customers and of the marketplace. It stresses relationship enhancement as an important part of an overall listening and learning strategy. Vital information for understanding the voices of customers and of the marketplace must come from customer satisfaction results. This calls for the development of:
4. Information and Analysis: This is the main point within the criteria for all key information to effectively manage Dole and to drive improvement of company performance and competitiveness. It is the "brain center" for the alignment of Dole's operations with its strategic directions. It calls for development in:

5. Human Resource Development and Management: This is the focal point within the criteria for all key human resource practices - those directed toward the creation of a high performance workplace and toward the development of employees that enable them and the company to adapt to change. The criteria address human resource planning as an integral part of company planning in the Strategic Planning Category. It call for the development of:

6. Process Management: This is the focal point within the criteria for all key work processes. Built into this category are the central requirements for efficient and effective process management - effective design, a prevention orientation, evaluation and continuous improvement, linkage to suppliers and partners, and overall high performance. It call for the development of:
7. Business Results: This provides a results focus that encompasses the customer's evaluation of the company's products and services, the company's overall financial and market performance, and the results of all key processes and process improvement activities. Through this focus, the criteria's dual purposes - superior value of offerings ass viewed by customers and the marketplace, and superior company performance reflected in operational and financial indicators - are maintained. This addresses:
For further understanding of these seven criteria, refer to the Revised Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Criteria for Performance Excellence.



Implementing Dole Number One Initiative

When an organization expects to perform a massive transformation among its people, it requires continuous leadership and firm commitment at all levels of management. Quality improvement does not come from slogans, banners, exhortations, or from publishing a five-year plan. It requires mechanisms to foster change and drive continuous quality improvement. To that end, we identified specific change mechanisms called the "five change mechanisms," which help us t o implement the Dole Number One Initiative:


These mechanisms are published regularly in the Company's newsletter. We call this piece the roadmap, which helps us remain on course and monitor our progress. If we want anything done, we get it on the roadmap.

1. Management Communication: To establish credibility for long-term change, we must open and maintain communication channels. A value system centered on quality must be communicated to all employees and supported by visible management action.

2. Core Education Program: In addition to communicating our belief in Dole Number One Initiative, we have to assure its results. The primary method of assuring success in any program is through education. We base Dole Number One Initiative core quality training on what many experts are saying, including Dr. Deming, Dr. Juran, Phil Crosby, and Val Feigenbaum. Our Dole Number One Initiative is really a combination of these theories, and based on latest developments in TQM.

Internet links:
The Deming Teaching Slides
THEDeming 14 Points
The Works of Dr. Deming
NASA's Design For Competitive Advantage
Articles Three Experts on Quality Management



3/ Management Network: This network establishes the basic leadership structure for implementing our plan. The network begins at the very top with the President or General manager, who chairs the highest level process improvement council, composed of Division Managers, Leaders, and Councilors, in the case of Stanfilco. The Division Leaders chair their own Quality Council. Quality officers are in every Division around the company. Their roles are to communicate with the corporate quality organization and network throughout the company to assure that Dole Number One Initiative is implemented in an expeditious manner.

4. Quality Improvement Process: This is the key implementation strategy, following the quality process cycle of Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA), which contains nine elements:
The quality improvement process and the use of its tools help individuals and work groups define their mission, responsibilities, and customer requirements, and continuously evaluate and improve the quality of the work they perform. The problem-solving process, part of the quality improvement process, enables our employees to thoroughly analyze a problem based on numerical data, determine the true cause, and carefully plan solutions.

We use the nine-step quality improvement process to reach four major strategic goals of the company:
5. Rewards and Recognition: As a result of our efforts, we must reward our accomplishments. We are continually assuring alignment of compensation in the recognition system within the principles of excellence through quality. We strike a balance between individual and team incentives and create celebration awards to celebrate every success.




Our understanding of Total Quality Management (TQM)