"Quality also has to do with people"

Marlyse Roulin, 49, has a doctorate in physics and comes from French-speaking Switzerland, but has been working in German-speaking Switzerland for 20 years. She was most recently the owner and CEO of Business Agility GmbH, a company that offers consulting and training. However, she had previously also gained a wide range of experience in large companies.

You have a doctorate in physics. What did you research?
I wrote my doctoral thesis on high-temperature superconductors. In the process, I came into contact with many renowned scientists. It was a very stimulating time.

How did you end up studying physics? Even today, it is often thought that girls or women are not interested enough in mathematical subjects.
My dream was to be able to work for the space industry one day. And natural sciences have always interested me. Even as a child I wanted to understand the connections. For example, my father told me that wood does not conduct electricity. I then wanted to test this myself - when it was raining - by holding a piece of wood against a cow fence. I promptly received an electric shock and the additional lesson that only dry wood does not conduct.

So, as a child, you already tried to verify or falsify "theses" in a quasi empirical-scientific way....
Exactly. Even later, it was always important to me not to stay in the ivory tower, but to go out to the people. Only those who work practically gain experience and know what can be improved.

Until mid-2017, you were Head of the Risk, Quality, Safety and Environment Business Unit at SBB's Infrastructure Division in Berne. That means you will now be dealing with these topics again at SAQ?
These are, of course, areas that are all related to business excellence, one of the focal points of SAQ services. The topic of agility is also part of this.

And most recently you also ran your own company on this topic. What was your core business there?
Virtual reality, specifically immersive training to improve safety. I developed a project together with Suva. The immersion in interactive training with and in virtual reality was very well received by Suva's corporate clients.

So what made you decide to apply for the job at SAQ?
The advertisement for this position came at the right time for me. I have now worked for 20 years in various companies and have noticed that there is still a lot of need for action, especially in the area of quality. In addition, there is the "Version 4.0" for many topics, which is a challenge especially for SMEs. I thought to myself: How to support these companies? How can we promote exchange? The SAQ is a large association with a very good reputation. So I thought: This platform would be just the right thing to develop answers and pass them on in the network.

What tasks would you like to tackle first?
I will certainly first get an overview of what the SAQ is already doing. And it is already doing a great deal that is not even visible from the outside. I will take the time to make an overview and to consider how we want to develop the association together, step by step, into the future.

You mentioned the topic of "agility". Will you also consciously rely on agile methods?
The topic of quality has changed a lot. 20 years ago, quality was still a lot about control, measurement and testing according to defined specifications. Then came the wave with all the process descriptions, process improvements, efficiency increases and the various methods. And today everyone is talking about "4.0" and that everyone has to become more "agile". It seems to me that in the past, with all this belief in processes, people forgot that companies are also made up of people. You can't get very far without people. That means you have to get people more involved, more co-entrepreneurs. Only in this way can a company develop in an agile manner. This also includes questioning company structures. Agility is not only a question of method, but also of culture.

Back to the concept of quality. What significance does this have for you in general?
Quality is not a static concept. When I first started working in this field, it was mainly about product quality. Today, the concept of quality is moving more and more in the direction of business excellence. So the meaning has expanded.

When you think of business excellence, the reference to the EFQM model is obvious. What experience have you already had with it?
EFQM is a good model. However, it is sometimes a bit difficult for SMEs to implement it. There are also other models, for example from Japan or the USA. These are often less complex and could serve as an introduction to the EFQM model.

In other words, in future the SAQ should also be concerned with offering its members a broader range of opportunities?
That is one conceivable approach. Every company has different prerequisites, different customer requirements. In every company I have worked for so far, the idea of quality was different - just as the respective company culture was very different.

In which direction do you want to change the culture of the SAQ?
It cannot primarily be about changing the culture. Rather, it is a matter of building on strengths and bringing in experience, ideas and new momentum. Today's culture is characterized by a well-functioning militia system. The practical cooperation of the members and the know-how through the regional presence are enormously important for an association. The events "Swiss Quality Day" and FOREP are also central to creating public interest. Important steps have been taken with the extension of personal certification to other sectors such as banking and IT or, soon, healthcare. I would like to further promote this agility.

Now, however, we know from many clubs and associations that they are having more and more trouble filling new leadership positions. Interest in voluntary work seems to be waning. How do you see that?
An association only exists if members have an interest in its purpose. Just saying "we exist, now come on" is not enough. Therefore, one must ask oneself the question in time: Where is the journey going? Does our offer still meet the needs of the members? Are there new needs?

Being close to the people, as the SAQ does with its sections, are probably good prerequisites for the future?
Within the "quality community", the SAQ has a high degree of recognition. But how high is it beyond that? Excellence is not only limited to the position of quality management, but also includes other areas of a company's management. There is certainly still room here to move from duty to freestyle.

So there is also potential for new services. Do you already have ideas?
Give me some more time (laughs). So far I've had the opportunity to meet representatives of the sections from French-speaking Switzerland - all highly motivated people with lots of energy and ideas. Now I'm eager to get to know the other sections. In any case, I'm looking forward to it.