Definition:

Quality Circle is a small group of 6 to 12 employees doing similar work who Voluntarily meet together on a regular basis to identify improvements in their respective work areas using proven techniques for analysing and solving work related problems coming in the way of achieving and sustaining excellence leading to mutual upliftment of employees as well as the organisation. It is "a way of capturing the creative and innovative power that lies within the work force". If workers are prepared to contribute their ideas, the management must be willing to create a congenial environment to encourage them to do so. Philosophy: Quality Circles is a people building philosophy, providing self-motivation and happiness in improving environment without any compulsion or monetary benefits. It represents a philosophy of managing people specially those at the grass root level as well as a clearly defined mechanism and methodology for translating this philosophy into practice and a required structure to make it a way of life. It is bound to succeed where people are respected and are involved in decisions, concerning their work life, and in environments where peoples capabilities are looked upon as assets to solve work-area problems. The Quality Circle philosophy calls for a progressive attitude on the part of the management and their willingness to make adjustments, if necessary, in their style and culture.
Concept: The concept of Quality Circle is primarily based upon recognition of the value of the worker as a human being, as someone who willingly activises on his job, his wisdom, intelligence, experience, attitude and feelings. It is based upon the human resource management considered as one of the key factors in the improvement of product quality & productivity. Quality Circle concept has three major attributes: a. Quality Circle is a form of participation management. b. Quality Circle is a human resource development technique. c. Quality Circle is a problem solving technique. Objective: The objectives of Quality Circles are multi-faced. a) Change in Attitude. From "I dont care" to "I do care" Continuous improvement in quality of work life through humanisation of work. b) Self Development Bring out Hidden Potential of people People get to learn additional skills. c) Development of Team Spirit Individual Vs Team "I could not do but we did it" Eliminate inter departmental conflicts. d) Improved Organisational Culture Positive working environment.

Total involvement of people at all levels. Higher motivational level. Participate Management process. Organisational Structure: The structure of a Quality Circle consists of the following elements. 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 in a month. ii.Co-ordinator: He may be a Personnel or Administrative officer who co-ordinates and supervises the work of the facilitators and administers the programme. iii.Facilitator: He may be a senior supervisory officer. He co-ordiates the works of several quality circles through the Circle leaders. iv.Circle leader: Leaders may be from lowest level workers or Supervisors. A Circle leader organises and conducts Circle activities. v.Circle members :They may be staff workers. Without circle members the programme cannot exist. They are the lifeblood of quality circles. They should attend all meetings as far as possible, offer suggestions and ideas, participate actively in group process, take training seriously with a receptive attitude.The roles of Steering Committee, Co-0rdinator, Facilitator, Circle leader and Circle members are well defined. Process of operation: The operation of quality circles involves a set of sequential steps as under:

1 Problem identification: Identify a number of problems.

2 Problem selection : Decide the priority and select the problem to be taken up first.

3 Problem Analysis : Problem is clarified and analysed by basic problem solving methods. 4 Generate alternative solutions : Identify and evaluate causes and generate number of possible alternative solutions. 5 Select the most appropriate solution : Discuss and evaluate the alternative solutions by comparison in terms of investment and return from the investment. This enables to select the most appropriate solution. 6 Prepare plan of action : Prepare plan of action for converting the solution into reality which includes the considerations "who, what, when, where, why and how" of solving problems. 7 Present solution to management circle members present solution to management fore approval. 8. Implementation of solution : The management evaluates the recommended solution. Then it is tested and if successful, implemented on a full scale.

Points :QC defined --Composed of gp of 5 to 8 people, who are member of single work unit section/deptt. ; basic purpose of QC is to discuss Qlty problem and generate ideas that might help to improve qlty. The goal- Involve employees in decision making Membership is almost voluntary and members share a common bond ; perform similar task. benefitsincr employee participation ; trust among members and managers ;inexpensive way to provide training to employee ; importance-create strong lines of communication;solve the problems that have been around years logistic-meet once in month(use PACER technique) ;gp comes up with recognized problems along with possible soln to implement; present solns decide best soln implement soln techniques-used for problem solving : Brain storming ; Gordon tech ; nominal gp ; SWOT ;brain writing ; synectics Me becomes us in good Quality circle

QUALITY CIRCLES AND TEAMS A quality circle is a participatory management technique that enlists the help of employeesin solving problems related to their own jobs . In their volume Japanese Quality Circles and Productivity, Joel E. Ross and William C. Ross define a quality circle as "a small group of employees doing similar or related work who meet regularly to identify, analyze, and solve product-quality and production problems and to improve general operations. The circle is arelatively autonomous unit (ideally about ten workers), usually led by a supervisor or a senior worker and organized as a work unit." Employees who participate in quality circles usuallyreceive training in formal problem-solving methodssuch as brainstorming, pareto analysis, andcause-and-effect diagramsand then are encouraged to apply these methods to either specific or general company problems. After completing an analysis, they often present their findings tomanagement and then handle implementation of approved solutions.Although most commonly found in manufacturing environments, quality circles are applicable toa wide variety of business situations and problems. They are based on two ideas: that employeescan often make better suggestions for improving work processes than management; and thatemployees are motivated by their participation in making such improvements. Thus,implemented correctly, quality circles can help a small business reduce costs, increase productivity, and improve employee morale. Other potential benefits that may be realized by asmall business include greater operational efficiency, reduced absenteeism, improved employeehealth and safety, and an overall better working climate. In their book

Production and Operations Management, Howard J. Weiss and Mark E. Gershon called quality circles "the bestmeans today for meeting the goal of designing quality into a product."The interest of U.S. manufacturers in quality circles was sparked by dramatic improvements inthe quality and economic competitiveness of Japanese goods in the post-World War II years. Theemphasis of Japanese quality circles was on preventing defects from occurring rather thaninspecting products for defects following a manufacturing process. Japanese quality circles alsoattempted to minimize the scrap and downtime that resulted from part and product defects. In theUnited States, the quality circle movement evolved to encompass the broader goals of costreduction, productivity improvement, employee involvement, and problem-solving activities. Background Quality circles were originally associated with Japanese management and manufacturingtechniques. The introduction of quality circles in Japan in the postwar years was inspired by thelectures of W. Edwards Deming (1900-1993), a statistician for the U.S. government. Deming based his proposals on the experience of U.S. firms operating under wartime industrial standards. Noting that American management had typically given line managers and engineers about 85 percent of the responsibility for quality control and line workers only about 15 percent, Demingargued that these shares should be reversed. He suggested redesigning production processes tomore fully account for quality control, and continuously educating all employees in a firm - from