Quality Circles

• Conceptually Quality Circles can be described as a small group of employees of the same work area, doing similar work that meets voluntarily and regularly to iden­tify, analyze, and resolve work-related problems.
• This small group with every member of the circle participating to the full carries on the activities, utilizing problem-solving techniques to achieve control or improvement in the work area and also help self and mutual development in the process.
• It consists of a group organization of eight to ten employees who meet each other during a meeting which is held one in a week, fortnight, or month depending upon the problems and their frequency of generation.
• The concept of the Quality Circle is based on “respect for the human individual” as against the traditional assumption based on suspicion and mistrust between management and its em­ployees.
• Quality circles built mutual trust and create greater understanding between the manage­ment and the workers. Quality Circles aims at building people, developing them, arousing genuine interest and dedication to their work to improve quality, productivity, cost reduction, etc.
• A quality circle is a group of 5 to 8 employees performing similar work, who volunteer themselves to meet regularly, to identify the cause of their on-the-job problems, employ advanced problem-solving techniques to reach solutions, and implement them.
• The con­cept is based on the premise that the people who do a job every day know more about it than anyone else and hence their voluntary involvement is the best way to solve their work-related problems.

Characteristics of Effective Quality Circles

• The atmosphere should be informal, comfortable, and relaxed.
• Everyone should participate.
• The objectives should be clear to the members.
• The members should listen to each other.
• The decisions should generally be taken by a kind of consensus and voting should be minimum.
• When an action is required to be taken, clear assignments should be made and ac­cepted by all the members.
• The leader should not dominate the group. The main idea should not be as to who controls but how to get the job done.

Implementing Quality Circles

For the success of Quality Circle programme, following actions are necessary in the Organisation:

• Few managers representing production, quality control, design, process planning form the Quality Circle (Q.C.) steering committee. This acts as a policy-making body and will monitor the Q.C. in the Organisation.
• Top management must attend the orientation courses designed for them.
• Committed top and middle management is necessary.
• A facilitator must be appointed, who serves as a link between top management, Q.C., steering committee, middle management circle leaders, and circle members. Facilita­tor will coordinate training courses, get support from all concerned including top management Q.C, circle leader, and circle members to help the circle leader in conducting the meetings, and to provide necessary resources.

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