Quality Circle - A Way of Participative Management

Many organisations have a wide variety of activities aimed at enhancing the quality of the employee relationship. Some of the programs are formal, such as conflict resolution procedures or quality circles. Other activities are more casual, such as organising and funding an employee picnic. Encouraging a cooperative rather than adversarial relationship is the goal. The underlying assumption is that such an atmosphere will better allow employees to perform their jobs and contribute a creative spark to the organisation.

Quality circles pioneered by Dr K Ishikawa, in early sixties, helped Japanese Industry to make a miraculous recovery from the ravages of the Second World War and transforming its earlier image as producer of substandard products into leading industrial nation with high productivity and reliable quality.

Quality circles are small groups of employees that meet on a regular basis to discuss ways in which they can improve productivity and cut costs. Generally a Quality circle consists of about ten employees who meet on a regular basis voluntarily for an hour or so to identify, analyse and discuss specific work -related issues, which will lead to over all improvement in total performance and enrichment of work life. The idea here is to meet at free period, generally lunch hours or after the factory hours. The meetings are loosely structured and often begin with a group of brain storming session to identify problem areas.

The organisational structure of the quality consists of following parties:

a) Non - members are those employees who are not the part of the circle however they are very important for the implementation and success of Quality Circles.
b) Members are the employees who form the Quality circles. The eligibility to become a member solely depends upon participation.
c) Leaders/ Deputy Leaders are chosen among the members
themselves on a rotation basis. Such convention would ensure leadership building aspect of quality circles, as every member would have an opportunity to lead the team.
d) Facilitator is a senior officer of the department and is nominated by the management. Outsiders are not appointed as facilitators.
e) Departmental Committee / Steering Committee comprises heads of major departments. Such involvement of the top management creates a lot of confidence and commitment on the part of workers which leads to higher productivity.
f) Coordinating Agency coordinates the activities of the circle throughout the organisation. Generally Personnel / Human Resource Department or Quality Assurance department are earmarked for this task.

The structure of the QCs as described above is relevant to large organisations with a large work force. It is not necessary for small organisations to adopt such an elaborate structure. The suggested setup may bee simplified however care should be taken to see that the essence of quality circles concept is not diluted. Before implementation or initiation of Quality circle, organisation should be ready for a welcome change in management style, that is, culture of participative management needs to be accepted at all levels of hierarchy.

Quality circles
a) improve human relations and work area morale
b) promote participative culture
c) promote team work
d) improve over all productivity yet cost effective
e) satisfy the self esteem requirements of the employees at the grass roots.

The QC is however not a panacea to solve all organisation difficulties. It is one of the several alternative approached of HRM that organisations may adopt. They have problems and pitfalls. While in the initial phase, there are the problems of getting started, later is the risk if getting stereotyped, running out of new ideas and the losing zeal to move ahead. It needs skill, knowledge, high level of commitment, clear understanding and perseverance of the participants. Undoubtedly, quality circles hold a great promise, but successful practice requires a great deal of determination and hard work.

In India, BHEL was the first organisation to implement QC way back in 1980 at its Hyderabad plant. A movement for QC was then institutionalised in the year 1982, in the name of QCFI (Quality Circle Forum Of India), which is a non profit organisation and represents INDIA at the international level, in a committee comprising 13 nations.