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Quality Circles

The document discusses quality circles, which are voluntary groups of employees that meet regularly to discuss and solve work-related problems. Quality circles aim to improve quality and productivity by empowering employees to participate in decision-making. They were first developed in Japan in the 1960s and introduced to the US, though their use declined with the rise of total quality management. The document provides details on how quality circles function, how they can be used in organizations, provides an example, and discusses potential problems.

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144 views

Quality Circles

The document discusses quality circles, which are voluntary groups of employees that meet regularly to discuss and solve work-related problems. Quality circles aim to improve quality and productivity by empowering employees to participate in decision-making. They were first developed in Japan in the 1960s and introduced to the US, though their use declined with the rise of total quality management. The document provides details on how quality circles function, how they can be used in organizations, provides an example, and discusses potential problems.

Uploaded by

edrich1932
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Quality Circles

By : Dhanraj.I

Overview
What are Quality Circles? How Do Quality Circles Work? How Can They be Used in an Organization? Example and Activity Problems with Quality Circles Summary of History and Practices Bibliography

What is a Quality Circle?


Voluntary groups of employees who work on similar tasks or share an area of responsibility They agree to meet on a regular basis to discuss & solve problems related to work. They operate on the principle that employee participation in decisionmaking and problem-solving improves the quality of work

How Do Quality Circles Work?


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

How Do Quality Circles Work?


All members of a Circle need to receive training Members need to be empowered Members need to have the support of Senior Management

How Can They be Used in an Organization?


Increase Productivity Improve Quality Boost Employee Morale

Real World Example


At Penn State University in 1983, a Quality Circle was formed by Professor Hirshfield, a Professor of East Asia History.
Selected 8 Students from a large lecture class Resulted in increased involvement from the class

Team Exercise
Break down into teams of 6-8 people Establish a leader and rules for your Circle Have a brainstorming and problem-solving session to resolve the issue on the next slide

Team Exercise
A Collegiate class on Statistical Analysis has a total enrollment of 45 people. Average attendance is 18 students The class consists mainly of lectures How can the professor of this class improve the quality of this course and increase student involvement?

Problems with Quality Circles


Inadequate Training Unsure of Purpose Not truly Voluntary Lack of Management Interest Quality Circles are not really empowered to make decisions.

Summary of History and Practices


Quality Circles were first seen in the United States in the 1950s Circles were developed by Dr, Kaoru Ishikawa in Japan in the 1960s Circles were re-exported to the US in the early 1970s

Summary of History and Practices


1980s brought Total Quality Management and a reduction in the use of Quality Circles Quality Circles can be a useful tool if used properly

Bibliography
Cole, Robert E. 1999. Managing Quality

Fads: How American Business Learned to Play the Quality Game. New York, NY: Oxford Press. Aubrey, Charles A. 1988. Teamwork: Involving People in Quality and Productivity Improvement. Milwaukee, WI: Quality
Press. Foster, S. Thomas. 2001. Managing Quality: An Integrative Approach. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Bibliography
Author Unknown. 1984. Quality Circles in the Community College [online]. Available online via http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ ed353008.html Author Unknown. 1994. Kaizen and Quality Circles [online]. Available online via http://sol.brunel.ac.uk/~jarvis/bola/quality/ci rcles.html

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