Elusive Quality

What is Quality? I asked this question to my students for years. We ask ourselves this question every day. But, seriously, how do you know Quality when you see it?

Do we judge quality based on performance? A well-built tool will not break. A well-designed car will be more comfortable, more stable, more reliable. A well-made shirt will resist fading or tearing.—it will last longer. It seems simple: quality things will outperform inferior versions of the same item. So if a KIA Sportage and a BMW 5-series both do the job of getting you from point A to point B with reliability and safety, is there really any difference in quality. If the ergonomics and technical wing-dings offer the desired amenities, does it make the cost of that BMW unjustifiable? Everyone should just drive KIA’s?

I know some of you are saying: No way! BMW is a superior car to a KIA in all ways possible. It has to be. It costs more.

Ah—there it is. The Quality = Cost equation. Perhaps it is worth it. Perhaps our entire system of value-oriented thinking is defined by wanting there to be levels of quality. Why just settle for something that functions acceptably when there are similar things that function better. Those must have better quality. If enough people attest to the value of an item, does that determine the characteristics of quality?

Is your head spinning yet? Let me try to spin it even faster.

But what about lives? What does a quality life look like? I think it is safe to say there are common elements we would all agree to—no illnesses, no substance abuse, safety, security, financial stability, freedom, food—all the things we think someone needs to live a “happy” life. But does Quality = Happiness? If so, then what makes you happy can be different from what makes me happy. So, Quality just depends on what you like and what you need and how you feel. Does a college graduate “happily” providing for their family by earning six-figures have more Quality to their life than someone who is in a service-related field but can “happily” provide for their family by earning one-third as much. If they both get the job done and feel a sense of satisfaction and agency, does it matter?

I think too often we try to pin down Quality as a static state of being. This item is better than that one. This wagyu burger is better than that ground chuck burger. But, if we look at our lives, I think it is better to look at Quality as a process. It lives in the path you take to that feeling of satisfaction and completion. Don’t confuse it with a pathway to “happiness.” Happiness may be a by-product of a Quality existence, but it is not the end of it.

If the main goal is not “happiness,” then what is it? I am glad you asked. In his book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert Pirsig discusses several elements of Quality: peace of mind, excellence (he uses the ancient Greek term arete), unity with your environment, a blend of logical and intuitive thinking, avoiding stylized beauty. It would seem that Quality from that perspective is an experience. When we put all those factors into motion, the end result is to elevate us as people, as human beings. We become better—not just in our jobs, but our relationships, our integrity, our curiosity, our ability to problem-solve—all of it. Everything that makes humanity unique is enhanced by searching for Quality.

So, how do you do that, go on that Quality quest? That’s another good question, and one that I think I will answer at another time.