The coming quality test of progress

India's infrastructure, products and people will increasingly face the Q-test as mobility, economy and interconnectedness gather speed

One of the key indicators of economic progress is the speed of mobility. This encompasses the mobility of people, products, services, and knowledge, in terms of acquisition of new skills and capabilities to respond to changes in demand faster.

Take the example of the speed of travel in India. India is rapidly enhancing its infrastructure, both in magnitude and variety. Bullet trains are expected to be operational by 2026. Reportedly, orders are being placed for E-5 series Shinkansen, which can travel at 320km/hour. Several other fast trains (up to 180 km/hour) are already running on several lines. New roads, expressways and freeways are being constructed and dedicated for use in rapid succession. These advancements have resulted in increased speed for vehicles.

Speed is not limited to mobility-enhancing activities alone. The quest for speed extends to communication, knowledge acquisition, construction, and all other human activities as people desire progress faster and faster, and with the government and the market responding to it.

Unfortunately, speed brings several problems as well with it. As the adage goes, “speed thrills but kills”. Death could be literal as well as in terms of pushing some people to the periphery of progress, into backwardness. Hence, the need for people to acquire fresh knowledge and skills fast enough to catch up with the speed of change.

Let us address physical speed on the roads and tracks itself. Accidents have become more frequent and severe on the brand new roads and railroads.

 However, plane accidents are rare, though it is the fastest mode of transport. The difference is quality. Quality of all the professionals involved (pilots, engineers, ATC managers, and ground staff) and that of the infrastructure and systems for air traffic. It is protocol-based, system-driven and planned for zero failure. Though, no human endeavour is completely free of accidents.

As the speed of mobility and change in other domains of life becomes faster, it is this quality test (Q-test) that becomes crucial for the country. The Q-test is applicable to every activity, no matter how insignificant they may seem. The quality of materials, construction, ground-level employees, managers, engineers, scientists and all other professions becomes equally important. Even minor deviations in any of these factors could lead to disasters. For this exalted level of quality discipline, integrity and professionalism to become ingrained in the system, the entire ecosystem has to undergo changes. Q-test for material, assets, people, processes and systems have to become the norm.

Though change is on the horizon, the quality of people at the ground level in India is neither assessed nor ensured. Managers often take quality rather casually. Therefore, we have drivers on the road without licence, or with illegally procured licences. We do repair works, signalling and control duties in a casual manner. Several major railway accidents, including the recent one at Balasore, are the outcome of such lack of all encompassing quality of the staff, their supervisors, and of the devices/components used.

Several incidents serve as typical examples of the need for a comprehensive Q-test of the infrastructure, systems and human beings involved. On July 29, 2012, entire north India plunged into darkness because of multiple power grid failures, affecting almost 700 million people. After enquiry, it was reported that the massive power outage was the result of “improper grid management and inadequate monitoring of the system”. Clearly, a full-scale human-system failure at every level, couched in nice language, with no action.

Another example is that of the power of a private security guard at a bank branch in South Delhi. Exactly when the prime minister was launching the Jan Dhan Yojana Scheme on August 28, 2014, this security guard told prospective account seekers who gathered before the branch, but were not allowed entry, that “bank accounts are not that easy to be opened just because your PM said so”.

Yet another case is the quality concerns with cough syrups and some other medicines reported from a few countries. As Indian companies export to more and more countries, quality issues of not only medicine but every product and service will be under the fine comb of other nations.

The growth story of post-war Japan exemplifies the importance of a holistic renaissance in the quality of products and services, skills, attitude and integrity of human resources. In 50 years of operation, Japanese bullet trains have faced no major accidents, demonstrating the power of quality consciousness.

Moreover, we have new substantive quality concerns emanating from how we treat the planet, plants and all forms of life. Governance has to holistically deal with environment and sustainability. Going forward, the Q-test needs to be extended to ESG too.

Upgrading and promoting quality consciousness in every walk of life is crucial for progress and the survival of all species on the planet. We cannot advance as a society without passing the Q-test in everything we do. 

The writer is director, National Institute of Securities Markets. The views are personal