A. Quality Circle
History
Quality Circles are generally associated with Japanese management and manufacturing techniques. The introduction of quality circles in japan in the postwar years was inspired by the lectures of W. Edwards Deming (1900-1993), a statistician for the U.S government. The newly formed Union of Japanese Scientists and Engineers was familiar with Deming’s work and heard that he would be coming to Japan in 1950 to advise the Allied occupation government. It was first established in Japan in 1962; Kaoru Ishikawa has been credited with their creation. The first circles were established at the Nipon Wireless and Telegraph Company but then spread to more than 35 other companies in the first year. By 1978 it was claimed that there were more than one million.
Definitions:
A volunteer group composed of workers (or even students), usually under the leadership of their supervisor (but they can elect a team leader), who are trained to identify, analyze and solve work-related problems and present their solutions to management in order to improve the performance of the organization, and motivate and enrich the work of employees.
According to Joel E. Ross and William C. Ross, “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 relatively autonomous unit (ideally about ten workers), usually led by a supervisor or a senior worker and organized as a work unit.”
The term quality circlesderives from the concept of PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Act) circles developed by Dr. W. Edwards Deming.
Quality Circles are not normally paid a share of the cost benefit of any improvements but usually a proportion of the savings made is spent on improvements to the work environment.
Quality Circles is a people – building philosophy, providing self-motivation and happiness in improving environment