Selection of an appropriate quality system is paramount for companies in the manufacturing industry. Quality systems are essential in promoting production efficiency, improving processes, reducing costs, and meeting customers’ demands (Manders, de Vries, & Blind, 2016). In highly competitive industries like the motor vehicle manufacturing sector, a quality system is the primary distinguishing factor between successful and unsuccessful companies. The type of quality systems at General Motors was the main undoing factor of problems linked to Chevrolet Cobalt, which were associated with the death of 13 people. It took the company twelve years to recall the vehicle after the initial discovery of the Cobalt’s malfunctioning. A comprehensive evaluation from the perspective of a quality assurance manager shows the cause of the problem was the quality system used at General Motors.
General Motors wrongfully applied the ISO 9001 quality system in manufacturing the Chevrolet Cobalt. ISO 9001 is a popular quality management system that can be used in all organizations regardless of size, type of business, or products in the market (Manders, de Vries, & Blind, 2016). For years, GM’s ISO 9001 certification provided consumers with an assurance that the company produced quality products. However, wrongful management interpretation of ISO 9001 implementation at the company led to more disadvantages than advantages at the company. The results of this problem were the faulty ignition of the Chevrolet Cobalt models and lengthy period taken to correct the problem.
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Several factors show GM’s mistakes in the ISO 9001 quality management system. The management failed to focus on customers wants and interest; thus the car failed to meet consumers’ safety requirements. Customers’ complaints about Chevrolet indicated that the airbags were dysfunctional; thus they could not protect people during accidents (Colvin, 2014). Moreover, GM’s company culture was more focused on meeting internal quality standards, instead of competing with other car manufacturing companies in the country. Employees were satisfied with meeting organizational deadlines even if the cars were not appealing to the general public.
Besides, GM was experiencing leadership problems from the top to the bottom of the organization. Poor coordination of activities between management and employees caused the company to delay the correction of the Cobalt problems (Hoyle, 2017). The bureaucratic culture in the organization required all decisions to go through committees and engagement of qualified consultants in deliberating between various options (Colvin, 2014). Moreover, the top management failed to promptly act on customers’ complaints prolonging the danger posed by the Chevrolet Cobalt to users. Note that ISO 9001 acknowledges the probability that the company will produce defective goods; however, what matters is an organizations’ actions taken to correct such issues. In GM’s case, the management delays worsened the situation, and there is no wonder the company found itself in financial problems following its methods of operations.
Additionally, low employer engagement was a significant contributor to the production of defective Chevrolet Cobalt. GM hires competent and skilled employees with a wide range of knowledge contributing to the provision of customer value. Consequently, GM should have manufactured quality and innovative motor vehicles taking the world by storm. Although Chevrolet Cobalt was positively received in the market, numerous consumer complaints led to the loss of the vehicle’s novelty. It later emerged that top managers had the final say on all significant decisions in the company and workers opinions were not taken into consideration (Colvin, 2014). Employees describe a situation where they were invited to meetings and debates ensued about the organization’s future directions. However, the workers' suggestions were not implemented; thus personnel lost the interest to contribute to the company’s development positively.
GM was a massive failure in improvement processes which is the basic foundation of ISO 9001. The chronology of events following the first incidence of the Chevrolet Cobalt’s inability and official recall of the defective vehicles indicates there were numerous opportunities for improvement (Hoyle, 2017). Once the company discovered the problem, it hired an expert to determine the credibility of the claims instead of mobilizing a team of engineers to assess damage and initiate corrective actions. Surprisingly, this was not the first incidence involving improvement activities in the company as the firm was unable to undergo culture change in 2009 effectively. Although Bara has the opportunity to transform GM’s culture for the realization of better results, there is a lot of uncertainty whether the company will succeed this time or not.
Finally, GM was unable to manage a relationship with other stakeholders effectively. In the car manufacturing industry, it is essential for companies to maintain a good relationship with other parties in the sector including car dealers. There should be good coordination of relationship among the stakeholders to facilitate the successful sale of vehicles. In spite of GM receiving reports from dealers on the Chevrolet Cobalt’s defects, the company paid little attention to the problem. Therefore, the corporation did not show its commitment to the organization putting a dent in its relationship with other parties.
From a personal perspective, GM did not require a different quality system than ISO 9001. All the components of ISO 9001 are specifically designed to ensure companies are successful in their markets and satisfy consumer needs. Moreover, the effectiveness of ISO 9001 in manufacturing is evident from its extensive use within and outside the industry (Hoyle, 2017). What matters the most with ISO 9001 is the organizations’ ability to follow the prescribed guidelines. Therefore, lack of understanding of this quality system is what contributed to the problems encountered in manufacturing Chevrolet Cobalt. For Bara, the incidence is a learning opportunity, and the company should train all the employees’ on ISO 9001 to ensure effective implementation in all functional areas to achieve its vision.
References
Hoyle, D. (2017). ISO 9000 Quality Systems Handbook-updated for the ISO 9001: 2015 standard: Increasing the Quality of an Organization’s Outputs. Routledge.
Manders, B., de Vries, H. J., & Blind, K. (2016). ISO 9001 and product innovation: A literature review and research framework. Technovation, 48, 41-55.
Colvin, G. (2014). Mary Barra's (unexpected) opportunity. Retrieved from http://fortune.com/2014/09/18/mary-barra-general-motors/
