--Quality Circles--

OverviewWhat are Quality Circles?How Do Quality Circles Work?How Can They be Used in an Organization? Benefits of quality circles?Problems with Quality CirclesSummary of History and PracticesBibliography

What is a Quality Circle?

Quality circle is a volunteer group composed of workers (or even students), usually under the leadership of their supervisor (but they can elect a team leader), who are trained to identify, analyze and solve work-related problems and present their solutions to management in order to improve the performance of the organization, and motivate and enrich the work of employees. When matured, true quality circles become self-managing, having gained the confidence of management.

• Quality circles are an alternative to the dehumanising concept of the division of labour, where workers or individuals are treated like robots. They bring back the concept of craftsmanship, which when operated on an individual basis is uneconomic, but when used in group form (as is the case with quality circles), it can be devastatingly powerful and enables the enrichment of the lives of the workers or students and creates harmony and high performance in the workplace. Quality circles are not normally paid a share of the cost benefit of any improvements but usually a proportion of the savings made is spent on improvements to the work environment.

• They are formal groups. They meet at least once a week on company time and are trained by competent persons (usually designated as facilitators) who may be personnel and industrial relations specialists trained in human factors and the basic skills of problem identification, information gathering and analysis, basic statistics, and solution generation.

Characteristics

• Volunteers• Set Rules and Priorities• Decisions made by Consensus• Use of organized approaches to Problem-Solving

STRUCTURE OF QUALITY CIRCLES

Problem solving tools and techniques?

• All members of a Circle need to receive training-- members need to know 7 tools of Quality Control:1. Pareto Charts2. Cause and Effect Diagrams3. Stratification4. Check Sheets5. Histograms6. Scatter Diagrams7. Control Charts and Graphs

• Members need to be empowered• Members need to have the support of Senior Management

How it operates?

How Can They be Used in an Organization?

• Increase Productivity• Improve Quality• Boost Employee Morale

PDCA Approach

OBJECTIVES OF QUALITY CIRCLES

BenefitsThe most important benefit of quality circles is their effect on people’s attitudes fall into three categories:

1. Quality Circles Effect on Individual Characteristics(a) Quality circles enable the individual to improve personal capabilities—group participation and learning specific problem-solving tools.(b) Quality circles increase the individual’s self-respect.(c) Quality circles help worker change certain personality characteristics—shy person become as active.

2. Quality Circles Effect on Individuals Relations with Other (a) Quality circles increase the respect of the supervisor for the

worker. (b) Quality circles increase workers understanding of the difficulties

faced by supervisors—problem selection, solving and implementations.(c) Quality circle increase management’s respect for worker.

3. Quality Circles Effect on Workers and Their Attributes(a) Quality circles change some workers negative attitudes.(b) Quality circle reduces conflict stemming from the working environment.(c) Quality circles help workers to understand better the reasons while many problems solved quickly.

4. Quality circles, as a management tool, are based on the following basic principles of people:(a) People want to do a good job.(b) People want to be recognized as intelligent, interested employees and to participate in decisions affecting their work. (c) People want information to better understand goals and problems of their organization and make informed decisions.(d) Employees want recognition and responsibility and a feeling of self-esteem.

5. Motivational methods are not enough for successful quality circle programs. Management support, technical knowledge, and statistical procedures are essential.

Real World Example• At Penn State University in 1983, a Quality Circle was formed by

Professor Hirshfield, a Professor of East Asia History.– He selected 8 students for this endeavor and had them study

the purpose and operation of Quality Circles and used the methods that they learned to determine the type and frequency of written assignments, the content of lectures and the method to be used for testing .

– The decisions made by the Circle resulted in change to the course structure and content. Some of the actions were the use of daily outlines , increased student participation in the selection of poetry and films used in class, and urged the use of contemporary analysis to illustrate the use of course material to modern problems..

DRAWBACKS OF QUALITY CIRCLES

Summary of History and Practices