For much of the past two decades, organizations across the world pursued speed, scale, and expansion with relentless intensity. Delivery timelines compressed, markets widened, and growth targets became increasingly ambitious. Quality, while acknowledged, often remained secondary—managed through controls rather than conviction. Today, that balance has decisively shifted. In an environment marked by transparency, complexity, and heightened accountability, quality has emerged not as an option, but as the only sustainable choice.
This shift is not ideological; it is experiential. Organizations have learned—often through costly failures—that growth built on compromised quality erodes trust faster than it creates value. As W. Edwards Deming observed, “Survival is not mandatory.”1 In the contemporary global economy, survival increasingly depends on the ability to deliver consistently sound outcomes under pressure.
Ending the tolerance for compromise
Professionals across industries recognize the quiet compromises that once defined delivery—shortcuts justified by deadlines, risk deferred to later stages, and decisions optimized for immediacy rather than consequence. For years, such trade-offs were absorbed within systems. Today, they are exposed.
Global clients, regulators, and stakeholders operate in an interconnected ecosystem where quality failures are instantly visible and widely amplified. The margin for error has narrowed, not because expectations have become unrealistic, but because the cost of failure has become clearer. Quality lapses now translate directly into reputational damage, regulatory scrutiny, and long-term loss of confidence.
As Joseph Juran defined it, “Quality is fitness for use.”2 Increasingly, that “use” extends beyond functional adequacy to include reliability, judgment, and responsibility.
Changing the nature of client expectations
One of the most significant drivers of this shift is the evolution of the client. Across geographies, clients are no longer passive recipients of services or products. They are informed, discerning, and acutely aware of value. The focus has moved decisively from effort to outcome.
Clients are no longer persuaded by the scale of deployment or the complexity of process. What they seek is assurance—confidence that decisions are well-considered, risks are understood, and outcomes are defensible. This has reframed quality from a technical construct to a relational one. Quality is now how trust is established and sustained.
As Peter Drucker famously noted, “The best way to predict the future is to create it.”3 Organizations that prioritize quality are, in effect, choosing to create futures anchored in credibility rather than convenience.
Defining quality as a leadership discipline
Globally, leading organizations have recognized that quality cannot be inspected into delivery. It must be led. This realization has shifted ownership of quality from isolated functions to leadership itself. Quality is increasingly reflected in how priorities are set, how teams are empowered, and how difficult decisions are made under constraint.
This represents a fundamental change. Quality is no longer defined by the absence of defects, but by the presence of professional judgment. It manifests in the willingness to challenge assumptions, to escalate risks early, and to protect long-term value even when short-term pressures are intense.
W. Edwards Deming’s assertion that “Quality begins in the boardroom”4 has never been more relevant.
Redefining our core mindset to measure success
The global movement toward quality signals a deeper redefinition of success. Sustainable organizations are not those that move fastest, but those that move with intent. In an age of relentless delivery, quality has become the stabilizing force — the principle that holds when speed alone is insufficient.
Ultimately, quality is not about perfection. It is about integrity in decision-making and consistency in execution. As organizations navigate increasing complexity, quality stands as the one choice that endures — quietly, reliably, and sustainably. Its right time that firms across start believing in “Quality is who we are and what we do”! This points to a core mindset, embedded in every action, from design to customer service. Quality builds trust, reputation, and resilience for any organization and reflects a commitment to excellence, customer satisfaction, and continuous improvement. That’s why quality has become the ground roots of a company's identity.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mohit Khullar is a senior executive with extensive experience in risk management, contracts, and business development, currently serving as an Executive Director at Grant Thornton Bharat LLP. He focuses primarily on risk, quality, and government consulting. Known for leadership roles in risk, contracts, and mentoring, he is a published author of "BossvsCoach," and is an accredited coach.
ABOUT GRANT THORNTON BHARAT LLP
Grant Thornton is one of the leading management and development consultancy firms, part of Grant Thornton International, with operations in more than 140 countries and more than 62,000 professionals. Grant Thornton Bharat's mission is to shape a more vibrant Bharat by building trust in India, driving responsible business, simplifying digital change, helping achieve sustainability goals, and being the go-to growth advisor for dynamic companies by delivering innovative, value-driven solutions with a strong focus on integrity and client success.
END NOTES
- AI Overview – W. Edwards Deming
- AI Overview – Joseph Juran
- AI Overview – Peter Drucker
- AI Overview – W. Edwards Deming