PNSQC 2026: "Communication Challenges in the Intersection of Diversity, Agility, and Leadership"

I had a lot of fun talking with Dr. Gwen Avington and Diana Larwsen for our PNSQChronicles interview for this talk, so while I can't be in person to experience it, I can at least appreciate a lot of what they are talking about.

PNSQChronicles interview with Dr. Gwen Avington and Diana Larsen

In the talk today, we were presented with an image for a brief period of time and then asked to say what we saw in the picture. As can be guessed, the image was not clear, and there was a lot of interpretation as to what was in the image (as a remote viewer, I had an even fuzzier view of the image, so it was interesting to hear what people in the room saw.

Quality is one of those areas that we talk a mean game about, and we know we should care about it. However, oftentimes our first quality hits (as in the bad kind, not the sensation kind) tend to come about because of poor communication. We don't have a clear understanding of what we should be doing. It doesn't matter who the person in the room is, or what the responsibility is. If we don't have a clear idea of what the problem is that needs to be solved or addressed, we are already at a disadvantage. Communication can absolutely help to mitigate risks and help avoid costs later on because we didn't discuss or understand the issues.

If we have conversations about quality or lack thereof later in the process, we will have to find ways to shoehorn those capabilities or quality measures in at a point when, had we done it earlier, we could have avoided so many issues. This is definitely an issue for newer people. We might feel like we don't have the status or the understanding necessary to speak up in early stages. We often mistake longevity for expertise and knowledge. We may have questions, but we fear being seen as dumb or lacking. Perhaps it behooves us to say, "Hey, I may be new and lacking information, but have we considered 'X' here?" I've had those experiences, and I've learned that it is valuable to have that attitude. Just because someone has experience or longevity doesn't mean they necessarily know if they have considered areas. Even if they have, they may not know that they are not communicating it well.

So how does diversity work into this? Sadly, a lot of the time, there's a set idea of who has expertise and understanding. We make mistakes all the time in this capacity. Everyone brings something of value to the table, and sometimes the best insights may come from people who may not be as obvious. Sexism, racism, classism, and other "isms" can get in the way of who we think may be able to offer insights of value.

We always get down to the question of what we perceive quality to be. One person will have some different ideas compared to another person. We are all used to the idea that "Quality is something of value to some person(s) who matter". That's a part that we often struggle with. We think that we have an idea of what quality is, but we might not be thinking of the areas that are actually important to the people who are most concerned with it. We also need to know when to reinforce and encourage people to show that their input and observations are both important and valued. No one wants to speak up if they think they will be shot down. It takes courage to open up and communicate. Additionally, help foster an environment where they can step up to speak and know that we have the space to speak in the first place.