A zero-defects mentality exists when a command-and-control structure does not tolerate mistakes. This atmosphere is now widely acknowledged to be ineffective in both military and corporate life.
The results of a zero-defects mentality can include careerism, reduced motivation and stifled innovation. Soldiers or employees will feel neither empowered by their successes nor accountable for their failures.
Eliminating a zero-defects mentality is one of the primary goals of Lean manufacturing, specifically through the application of Kaizen and Andon in the Toyota Production System.
Famous quotes containing the word mentality:
“Its idea of “production value” is spending a million dollars dressing up a story that any good writer would throw away. Its vision of the rewarding movie is a vehicle for some glamour-puss with two expressions and eighteen changes of costume, or for some male idol of the muddled millions with a permanent hangover, six worn-out acting tricks, the build of a lifeguard, and the mentality of a chicken-strangler.”
—Raymond Chandler (1888–1959)