Maybe I’m just getting old, but what on earth has happened to the concept of quality in business? Years ago, businesses seemed to have a sharp focus on quality. It wasn’t just a goal—it was embedded in the very DNA of an organisation. Quality was seen as a core competitive advantage, the reason customers came back, and the foundation upon which reputations were built.
As John Ruskin once said, “Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of intelligent effort.” Or take Henry Ford’s perspective: “Quality means doing it right when no one is looking.” These weren’t empty words but guiding principles that shaped industries. Yet today, the word ‘quality’ seems to be missing from boardrooms and management agendas. Instead, we hear a lot about ‘scaling fast,’ ‘failing fast,’ and ‘continuous enhancements.’ So, what exactly has happened?
The Shift in Focus: Failing Fast, Scaling Rapidly
In the rise of modern technology firms and the startup mentality, there’s been a dramatic shift in the focus of businesses. It’s all about how fast you can move—how quickly you can scale, iterate, and pivot. ‘Fail fast’ has become the new mantra, encouraging companies to test, fail, and reconfigure at a dizzying speed. ‘Continuous enhancements’ push teams to tweak and improve in real time, with constant updates to features and services.
“Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of intelligent effort.” - John Ruskin
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not against failing fast. If anything, I’d rather fail fast than fail slowly, where you’re stuck in an endless cycle of analysis paralysis. Similarly, continuous enhancements are a great strategy for staying adaptable and competitive. But here’s the thing: when did we stop talking about doing things well in the process? Where is the focus on quality—on getting things right the first time?
There’s a tension between scaling fast and scaling well. When you scale rapidly without a clear focus on quality, you often build on shaky foundations. Products may hit the market quicker, but they also come with more defects, bugs, and customer complaints. Enhancements are made, but often at the cost of leaving ‘good enough’ in the dust. In many ways, this rush to deliver has diluted the meaning of true quality, replacing it with the ‘move fast, break things’ mentality that Silicon Valley has popularised.
“Quality means doing it right when no one is looking.” - Henry Ford
The True Value of Quality
For me, quality is not just about delivering a better product or service—it’s about creating a genuine competitive advantage. And it’s not just something that benefits customers. The focus on quality can make a profound difference for employees as well.
When you prioritise quality, you give your team something meaningful to aim for. Employees know when they’re producing substandard work, and it’s demoralising. The idea that “we’ll fix it later” or “it’s good enough for now” doesn’t inspire pride. It’s a short-term mindset that leaves people feeling disconnected from their work. On the other hand, when people produce work they are proud of—work they know meets high standards—it fosters a sense of accomplishment. This, in turn, builds motivation and morale, leading to increased engagement and better overall performance.
As one of the first consultants once, Aristotle, wisely noted, “Quality is not an act, it is a habit.” A culture of quality should be embedded into an organisation's day-to-day activities. It’s not something you add on later, nor is it something that should be sacrificed in the rush to deliver faster. The long-term value of quality work pays off in customer loyalty, brand reputation, and employee satisfaction—things that no amount of rapid scaling or quick enhancements can achieve alone.
“Quality is not an act, it is a habit.” - Aristotle
Will the Focus on Quality Ever Return?
The question I keep asking myself is whether quality will ever make a true comeback in the modern business world. Has it been lost to the depths of management theory from a bygone era, or is there a chance we might see a resurgence of this once-sacred concept?
Perhaps the challenge is that quality takes time, and time is something businesses today feel they don’t have. But maybe it’s time to reconsider what we mean by “time well spent.” Slowing down just enough to build quality into processes doesn’t necessarily mean moving slower; it means moving smarter. After all, fixing mistakes down the road or rebuilding after a bad customer experience takes far more time and resources than getting it right the first time.
In the race to scale and innovate, I worry that quality has been overshadowed. But imagine a business world where the focus shifts back to doing things well. Where failing fast doesn’t mean failing at the expense of delivering subpar products, and where continuous enhancements don’t come at the cost of a solid foundation. Quality, in my view, might just be the key competitive differentiator we’ve been ignoring.
The shift may be subtle, but I believe that businesses who invest in doing things right—rather than just doing them quickly—will have the edge in the long run. Whether or not the world slows down enough to recognise that remains to be seen. But for me, quality is not just a concept from the past; it’s a timeless principle that, if revived, can carry businesses well into the future.
"Has your business sacrificed quality for speed? Share your thoughts in the comments and let’s discuss how we can bring the focus on quality back to the forefront of business strategy."
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