QUALITY

CIRCLES
Prepared by:

Sheila Mae Malesido

• Quality circle is defined as a
small group of 6-12
employees doing similar What is a
Quality Circle?
work voluntarily meet
together on a regular basis
to identify improvements in
their respective work areas
What is a
Quality
Circle? Proven techniques for analyzing and
solving work-related problems that are
preventing from achieving and sustaining
The groups work toward mutually uplifting
employees as well as the organization

excellence

A way of capturing the creative and

innovative power that lies within the work
force
What is a Quality Circle?

QUALITY CIRCLE IS A FORM OF QUALITY CIRCLE IS A HUMAN QUALITY CIRCLE IS A PROBLEM-

PARTICIPATION MANAGEMENT RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT SOLVING TECHNIQUE
TECHNIQUE
Origin of Quality Circles
• Originally the idea of American business guru W. Edwards Deming, the
idea was taken up in Japan after the Second World War. The idea was that
the front-line production workers – the people who knew best about the
product – would meet regularly with supervisors and managers
(engineers and salespeople may also be involved) in order to discuss ways
of improving work
Origin of Quality
Circles

• He argued that American management had

typically given line managers and engineers
about 85% of the responsibility for quality
control and line workers only about 15% and
wanted these roles to be reversed.
• This fact made Deming encourage the
formation of quality circles during the 1950s
where the bottom-line working force meets
regularly to discuss shop problems.
Origin of Quality Circles
• Originally formed for controlling defects at the shop floor level, its scope was later widened by
Kaoru Ishikawa, the initiator of Cause and Effect diagram, to include method improvements,
maintenance problems etc.
• Quality circles took shape in 1962 due to the efforts of Kaoru Ishikawa who translated, integrated
and expanded the management concepts of W. Edwards Deming and Joseph M. Juran into the
Japanes system of Quality Control Circles and Small Group Activity.
Quality circles offer more responsibility to the
production worker.

They are more part of the decision-making process,

which is called empowerment.

Quality circles benefit management by giving

employees a less formal opportunity to discuss what
they think is going well or what can be improved on,
thereby bringing the product on in terms of quality
 The American Scenario

Even the U.S. National

This concept of quality Labor Relations Board
circles spread to the (NLRB) in 1990, which
Thereafter, quality circles
United States after the By 1988, more than one pro-hibited company
spread rapidly and by
U.S. aero-space In 1978, 1981, and 1985: million Circles, with over unions and
1980, more than one-half
manufacturer Lockheed three international ten million members management-dominated
of firms in the Fortune
organized a tour of quality circle conventions were formed in Japan labor organizations, later
500 had implemented or
Japanese industrial were held. (https://en.wikipedia.org/ relaxed the ruling in the
were planning to
plants, and planned to wiki/Quality_circle). case of quality circles to
implement quality circles.
implement in their make them more popular
company. in companies in the
interest of productivity
 The Indian Scenario

• As a direct effect of the • Quality Circle Forum of

success of BHEL's quality India (QCFI) represents
circles, the Quality Circle India in the 13-nation
• In India, the quality
Forum of India came International Committee
circles concept was first • Since then several
into existence in Apr. that has been set up for
introduced by BHEL, engineering colleges
1982, as a nonprofit, • Tata Motors (formerly organizing International
Ramachandrapuram, and other educational
nonpoliti-cal, national Telco) started quality conventions on Quality
Hyderabad in the year institutions have set up
professional body with circles in 1983, and by Concept Circle.
1980, which grew to quality circles and QCFI
the purpose of creating 1985, they had more
1411 Circles in all BHEL • After attending a QC gives the best QC
an environment for than 400 Circles. Conference in Hong Kong in
offices covering around Project award in its
active involvement and 1993, the City Montessori
13,362 members by School Lucknow was the first annual meets.
participation of
1985. educational institution to set up
employees and college the student quality circle.
students in every area of
human endeavor.
Quality circles are formed of employees working together in an
operation who meet at intervals to discuss problems of quality
and to devise solutions for improvements, and are led by a
supervisor or a senior worker. SIGNIFICANCE
OF QUALITY
CIRCLE
They usually receive training in formal problem-solving
methods, such as brain-storming, Pareto analysis, and cause-
and-effect diagrams—and are then encouraged to apply these
methods, either to specific or general company problems.

Quality circles played a key role in rejuvenating Japanese

industries and economy. This practice spread from Japan to
countries all over the world, in-cluding India.
 Objective
s of
Quality
OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE JOB CREATE AND BUILD AN ATTITUDE
IDENTIFY AND SOLVE SATISFACTION. ENHANCE PROBLEM- OF PROBLEM
PROBLEMS IN THEIR SOLVING CAPACITY PREVENTION AND
WORK AREA. RESULTING IN PROBLEM-SOLVING.

Circles
ENHANCING
COMPETENCE.

RECOGNITION
LEADING TO
PROMOTE PERSONAL BETTER MOTIVATION. PROMOTE
AND LEADERSHIP INTERPERSONAL CREATIVITY.
DEVELOPMENT. RELATIONSHIP.
 1. Customer service.

2. Streamlining of factory
functioning.
NATURE OF
3. Business growth and profitability. PROBLEMS
4. Optimum utilization of working
space.
THAT CAN BE
5. Optimum unitization of SOLVED BY
QUALITY
manpower.

CIRCLES
6. Reduction of human errors.

7. Reduction in the defects

produced. (In fact, this was the
original objective of quality circles.)

8. Training and knowledge

development.

9. Cleanliness of the work area and

factory premises.
 Ron Basu and J. Nevan Wright, in their book
TEN Quality Beyond Six Sigma specified seven
CONDITIONS conditions for successful implementation of
quality circles. These are summarized below
FOR after adding three more:
SUCCESSFUL 1. Quality circles must be staffed entirely by volunteers.
QUALITY 2. Each participant should be representative of a different
functional activity.
CIRCLES 3. The problem to be addressed by the QC should be chosen
by the circle, not by management, and the choice honored
even if it does not visibly lead to a management goal.
4. Management must be supportive of the circle and fund it
appropriately, even when requests are trivial and the
expenditure is difficult to envision as helping toward real
solutions.
TEN CONDITIONS
FOR SUCCESSFUL
QUALITY CIRCLES
5. The members should not be suppressed in giving their opinions.
There should ideally be brain-storming, allowing them to "let
loose their brains."
6. There should be prior suggestions to the members, to let them
think before coming for the meeting.
7. The members should only seek clarification, but no criticism.
8. Circle members must receive appropriate training in problem-
solving.
9. The circle must choose its own leader from within its members.
10. Management should appoint a manager as the mentor of the
team, charged with helping members of the circle achieve their
objectives; but this person must not manage the QC.
 Identify Identify work-related problems

Prioritize Prioritize problems by applying ABC analysis, etc.

ROAD MAP
Define Define the problem
TO BE
Analyze Analyze the problem FOLLOWED
Identify Identify the root causes by cause and effect principle IN A
Develop Develop solutions QUALITY
Foresee Foresee the probable resistances CIRCLE
Conduct Conduct trial implementation and check on the performance MEETING
Implement Implement 1 O. Maintain.
 Informality in the
Commitment to task
meeting

CHARACTERISTICS OF
AN EFFECTIVE
Conflicts on ideas,
QUALITY CIRCLE
Openness and not between
persons
MEETING

Agreement by
Constructive criticism
consensus

Action plan after the

meeting.
STRUCTURE OF A
QUALITY CIRCLE

• Any corporate employee irrespective of his cadre, except the head

of the unit, can join the circle. The structure of a quality circle
consists of the following ele-ments, as illustrated in the following
figure
• (i) A steering committee: This is at the top of the structure. It is
headed by a senior executive and includes representatives from the
top management personnel and human resources development
people. It establishes policy, plans, and directs the program and
meets usually once a month.
• (ii) Coordinator: He may be a Personnel or Administrative officer
who co-ordinates and supervises the work of the facilitators and
administers the program.
STRUCTURE OF
A QUALITY
CIRCLE
• (iii) Facilitator: He may be a senior supervisory officer.
He coordinates the work of several quality circles
through the Circle leaders.
• (iv) Circle leader: Leaders may be from the lowest
level workers or supervi-sors. A Circle leader
organizes and conducts Circle activities.
• (v) Circle members: They may be staff workers.
Without circle members, the program cannot exist.
They are the lifeblood of quality circles. They should
attend all meetings as far as possible, offer
suggestions and ideas, partici-pate actively the in
group process, and take training seriously with a
recep-tive attitude. The roles of Steering Committee,
Coordinator, Facilitator, Circle leader, and Circle
members are well defined.
Quality circles are not limited to
manufacturing firms only. They
are applicable for variety of CONCLUSION
organizations where there is
scope for a group-based solution
of work-related problems.

Quality circles are relevant for

factories, firms, schools,
hospitals, universities, research
institutes, banks, government
offices, etc.