1.

Quality circle
2. Quality Circles (QC) or Quality Control Circles (QCC) : History • Pioneered by Japanese. •
Japanese nomenclature: Quality Control Circles (QCC), generally now known as Quality •
Circles (QC) or some call it as Small Group Activity (SGA). • 1962: First QC Circle was
registered with QC Circle Head Quarters in Japan. • 1974: Lockheed Company, USA started
Quality Circle movement. • 1977: International Association of Quality Circles (IACC) was
formed in USA. • 1980: BHEL, Hyderabad first in India to start Quality Circles. • 1982: Quality
Circle Forum of India (QCFI) was founded.
3. Formal and Informal Groups Formal Groups • Family • Organization • Departments Informal
Groups • Employees meet near water cooler and gossip. • Five salesmen from marketing
department meet once a month for lunch to discuss mutual concerns and to seek relief from
tedious aspects of their job.
4. Cont… • Four computer programmers form a jogging club that meets three days per week at
lunch time to run two miles. • All employees of a section meet and discuss how to improve and
beautify office layouts. • Seven workers of a production shop floor meet once a week to solve
their technical problems. • Maintenance department staff meet regularly to maintain machines
in a better way.
5. What is Quality Circle • Quality Circles are (informal) groups of employees who voluntarily
meet together on a regularbasis to identify, define, analyze and solve work related problems. •
Usually the members of a particular team (quality circle) should be from the same work area
or who do similar work so that the problems they select will be familiar to all of them. • In
addition, interdepartmental or cross functional quality circles may also be formed. • An ideal
size of quality circle is seven to eight members. But the number of members in a quality circle
can vary.
6. Other Names of Quality Circles • Small Groups • Action Circles • Excellence Circles •
Human Resources Circles • Productivity Circles
7. Objectives of Quality Circles • Promote job involvement • Create problem solving capability
• Improve communication • Promote leadership qualities • Promote personal development •
Develop a greater awareness for cleanliness • Develop greater awareness for safety
8. Improve morale through closer identity of employee objectives with organization's
objectives • Reduce errors. • Enhance quality • Inspire more effective team work • Build an
attitude of problem prevention • Promote cost reduction
9. Develop harmonious manager, supervisor and worker relationship • Improve productivity •
Reduce downtime of machines and equipment • Increase employee motivation
10. Quality Circle Meetings • Meetings are important part of quality circle's working. • Meetings
are attended by all the members of the quality circle. • In general, meetings take place once a
week or once in a fortnight. • Each meeting lasts for approximately one hour, though variations
are possible.
11. Apart from the frequency of the meetings, what is important is the regularity of the
meetings.
12. What Takes Place During Quality Circle Meetings? • Any of the several activities may
occur during a meeting such as: • Identifying a theme or a problem to work on. • Getting
training as required to enable members to analyze problems. • Analyzing problem(s). •
Preparing recommendations for implementing solution(s). • Follow up of implementation of
suggestions. • Prepare for a presentation to the management.
13. Misconception for QC • Quality Circles do not tackle just quality problems. • Quality Circle is
not a substitute or replacement for task forces, product committees, joint plant councils or
works committees, quality assurance department, suggestion schemes. • Quality Circles do
not change the existing organizational structure or the chain of command.
14. Quality Circles are not a forum for grievances or a spring board for demands. • Quality
Circles are not a means for the management to unload all their problems. • Quality Circles are
not just another technique. • Quality Circles are not a panacea (treatment) for all ills.
15. Pitfalls and Problems • Lack of faith in and support to Quality Circle activities among
management personnel. • Lack of interest or incompetence of leaders/facilitator • Apathy, fear
and misunderstanding among middle level executives • Delay or non-implementation of Circle
recommendations • Irregularityof Quality Circle activities
16. Non-application of simple techniques for problem solving • Lack of or non-participation by
some members in the Circle activities • Circles running out of problems • Inadequate visibility
of management support • Non-maintenance of Quality Circle records
17. Too much facilitation or too little • Language difficulty in communication • Communication
gap between Circles and departmental head • Change of management • Confusing Quality
Circle for another technique • Resistancefrom trade unions
18. Structure of Quality Circles Program • Six Basic Elements • Circle participants or members.
• Circle leaders/deputy leaders. • Program facilitator. • Steering/advisory committee. • Top
management. • Potential members and non-participating management/members.
19. Roles and Responsibilities of Various Elements • Roles of Members • Focus on
organizational objectives through the theme(s) selected for one's quality circle •
Theme/problem should be related to work. • Do not bring in the personal issues or problems
as the themes of quality circles. • Demonstrate mutual respect. • Take training in all the
aspects of quality circles
20. Roles of Members • Acquire the necessary skills in various quality circle tools and
techniques. • Participate wholeheartedly in problem-solving process by giving ideas and views
voluntarily and suggesting the solutions. • Attend all the meetings of quality circle. When
unavoidable to attend the meeting, seek prior permission of the quality circle leader. •
Participate in implementing the finalized solutions.
21. Roles of Leaders • Decide date and time of each quality circle meeting and inform to all the
members. • Ensure maximum attendance of all the members in the meetings. • Conduct the
meetings effectively. • Motivatethe members for their fullparticipation in the proceedings of
quality circle meetings and related activities. • Facilitatethe members in datacollection.
22. Cont… • Maintain the records of quality circles meetings and other related activities. • Interact
with other quality circle leaders. • Interact with the quality circle facilitator frequently. • Make
presentations of solutions to the management. Involve the members in making the
presentations. • Seek management approvals of the solutions.
23. Cont… • Ensure implementation of the approved solutions with the active involvement of the
members. • Arrange first time training and later on, the refresher training of the members and
self in the quality circles group process, tools and techniques.
24. Roles of Facilitators • Act as an effectivelink between the quality circles and the
management. • Coordinatethe work of several quality circles through their respective leaders.
• Act as a resource person for the quality circles being facilitated. • Arrange for obtaining
necessary expertise from other agencies and quality circles. • Keep the motivation and moral
level of all the leaders and members at the highest level. • Review the progress of each circle
periodically and lead them appropriately.
25. Cont… • Continually update the knowledge and skills pertaining to the working of quality
circles by studying the relevant literature and attending the training programs. • Transfer the
knowledge and skills to the leaders and the members. • Arrange for additional training to the
leaders and members as required. • Arrange for necessary monetary budgets and keep the
required records. • Facilitate and guide the quality circle leaders and members to make the
management presentations.
26. Roles of Steering Committee (Management) • Formally announce the launching of quality
circle initiative in the organization. • Provide full support and encouragement to quality circle
movement in the organization. • Provide leadership and guidance to develop the quality circle
models, structure and policies. • Design the opportunities for presentations by the quality
circles.
27. Cont… • Facilitate the approval and implementation of the solutions presented by quality
circles. • Sanction the necessary monetary budgets for smooth working of quality circles. •
Provide the logistic support as needed (presentation venues, meeting rooms, time, finance,
training facilities etc). • Plan out and execute various training programs for the existing and
prospective quality circle facilitators, leaders and members.
28. Cont… • Give due recognition to quality circles, their members and their work by way of
prizes, felicitations and other means. • Develop guidelines for measuring the effectiveness of
quality circles and also the quality circle initiative as a whole. • Review the performance and
progress of quality circles periodically.
29. QC Operation • Appointment of a steering committee, facilitator and QC team leaders. •
Formation of QCs by nomination/voluntary enrolment of QC members. • Training of all QC
members (by an expert consultant). • Training of non-participating employees (by an expert
consultant).
30. Problem data bank and identification of problems for QC work. • QC problem resolution
by QCs through standardized techniques. • Presentation of QC solutions to management. •
Evaluation of award/recognition.
31. Code of Conduct for QCs • Attend all meetings and be on time. • Listen to and show respect
for the views of other members. • Make others feel a part of the group. • Criticize ideas, not
persons. • Help other members to participate more fully. • Be open to and encourage the
ideas of others. • Every member is responsible for the team’s progress. • Maintain a friendly
attitude. • Strive for enthusiasm. • The only stupid question is the one that is not asked. • Look
for merit in the ideas of others.
32. Code of Conduct for QCs • Pay attention- avoid disruptive behavior. • Avoid actions that
delay progress. • Carry out assignments on schedule. • Give credit to those whom it is due. •
Thank those who give assistance. • Do not suppress ideas- do express. • Objectives and
causes first, solutions next. • Give praise and honest appreciation when due. • Ideas
generated by the group should not be used as individual suggestions to suggestion • scheme.
33. Problem Solving Tools and Techniques Used by Quality Circles • Old QC tools •
Brainstorming. • Pareto analysis. • Cause and effect diagram (or fish bone diagram or
Ishikawa diagram). • Histogram. • Scatter diagram • Stratification • Check sheet • Control
charts and graphs
34. New tools • Relations diagram. • Affinity diagram. • Systematic diagram or Tree diagram. •
Matrix diagram. • Matrix data analysis diagram. • PDPC (Process Decision Program Chart). •
Arrow diagram.
35. Benefits of QC • Self development. • Promotes leadership qualities among participants. •
Recognition. • Achievement satisfaction. • Promotes group/team working. • Serves as
cementing force between management/non-management groups. • Promotes continuous
improvement in products and services. • Brings about a change in environment of more
productivity, better quality, reduced costs, • safety and corresponding rewards