In our society, mistakes generally have a negative connotation. This is because they are often synonymous with human failure, inaccuracy or short-sightedness. However, mistakes – if handled correctly – can lead to better processes and greater innovative strength.
If you want to reduce error rates in the long term and achieve better process quality, you need the following: an open error culture!
But what exactly is an open error culture? Why is it so important for companies and how do companies start the change? Find out in this article!
Many industrial companies strive for error-free production. But mistakes happen to everyone, even if many are reluctant to admit it. Calculating the costs associated with errors and quality problems is not always easy. Scrap, rework, wasted capacity, wasted time, wasted energy and a few more components can be easily identified. Others are very difficult to quantify, such as planning delays, supply chain acceleration or time spent identifying root causes. According to studies, failure costs in manufacturing companies amount to 1.4% of annual turnover. For an average German mechanical engineering company, this would be around €5,000 per month.
It therefore makes sense to fundamentally address the area of error management in order to further establish an open error culture.
In companies without an open error culture, errors are often covered up and concealed. And this is the real problem! This is because the cause is not investigated and repeat errors occur. The right strategy can largely prevent this type of error from occurring again.
What is meant by “error culture”?
In general, “error culture” refers to the way in which errors and their consequences are dealt with. The error culture therefore describes the way in which an organization deals with errors and problems.
The error culture describes HOW an organization deals with errors and problems.
In a poor error culture, errors are concealed, covered up or ‘culprits’ are sought.
A positive error culture is reflected in an open and solution-oriented approach to errors. Everyone involved consciously reflects and looks for causes and solutions.
Another positive effect of an open error culture is that employees dare to play a more active role in shaping the company. This can trigger enormous potential for innovation and success within the company.
The added value of a systematic, open error culture is obvious. It can reduce the costs of quality problems, increase employee commitment and satisfaction and, above all, focus more on meeting customer requirements.
Error culture in the DACH region.
In many places in our society, mistakes have a very negative connotation. However, many companies are gradually realizing that striving for the highest quality and an open error culture are not contradictory, but actually reinforce each other.
There is still a lot of room for improvement when it comes to error culture in companies. A German study (by SThree) shows that a majority of people, namely 86%, would like to see a different error culture. According to the study, employees want more tolerance for mistakes and a more motivating way of dealing with failure.
This is how you start a change towards a positive error culture.
An open error culture starts at the top of the company. If you want to start changing the error culture in your company, it is not enough to simply call on employees to adopt an open corporate culture. A positive error culture must be exemplified from the top of the company across all management levels.
One reason why many errors are only discovered when the production process is already well advanced is the lack of communication. Improving communication between people, processes and systems can reduce errors and increase product quality.
As digitalization progresses, there are many opportunities to improve communication. With mobile solutions for error and defect management, upstream and downstream process steps can be made transparent and it can be determined at which point in the overall process a deviation has occurred during quality inspections. With integrated task management, anomalies can be immediately assigned to the responsible employee. A central digitalization platform can also support a seamless handover with regard to shift handovers. It is important here that traceability is guaranteed throughout in order to avoid unnecessary media disruptions or process delays.
Today’s networked world shows us how easy end-to-end data collection can be. With the documentation of quality-relevant data along the entire production process, a data-based overall picture of the production process can be drawn. Previously opaque “black boxes” thus become data machines, from which much more precise patterns can be identified.
Mistakes as a driver of innovation and progress.
Furthermore, according to the study, the majority of people would like to work in a more innovative company. The majority of people state that being creatively involved is the most important reason for working at a more innovative company.
Errors provide important information.
Mistakes can provide important information. Dealing with errors correctly enables companies to adapt to changes in an agile, fast and innovative way.
See a culture of error as a driver of innovation: the fact that errors are openly and actively addressed and tackled unleashes enormous innovation potential. Idea management in companies can help to eliminate errors by encouraging employees to proactively solve problems and help shape products and processes.
A prerequisite for the ongoing optimization of your processes is strong employee involvement. Every employee should be empowered to play an active role in improving process quality.
Employees in production are in direct contact with the value-adding processes and therefore have an enormous amount of knowledge and potential. Therefore, an environment must be created in which employees can deal openly with mistakes and express their ideas for process improvement without hesitation.
A side effect of an open error culture is usually an improvement in the working atmosphere:
- More mutual appreciation and finding solutions together instead of blaming each other and focusing on problems.
- More courage and joy in contributing your own ideas, trying out new things instead of fearfulness and a lack of confidence.
By dealing with errors in an appreciative and constructive manner, you encourage people in the company to uncover weaknesses in existing processes. And to share their knowledge and ideas for solutions.
Companies should offer their employees opportunities and incentives to actively contribute to the improvement of processes. This can start with setting up an idea collection box and go all the way to establishing a sophisticated idea management system in the company.
Conclusion
The introduction of a positive and open error culture is the responsibility of management. A working atmosphere must be created that allows mistakes to be dealt with constructively.
Digital tools can help to optimize communication channels and bring more transparency to upstream and downstream production processes, find causes and prevent measures against quality problems. It also promotes teamwork and mutual learning from mistakes.
