QUALITY CIRCLE a group of employees who meet regularly to consider ways

of resolving problems and improving production in their organization.

Definition:
Perhaps the most widely discussed and undertaken intervention of
employee involvement is the quality circle (QC). The concept of QC
originally began in the United States and was exported to Japan in the
1950s. It is mentioned that it is the concept of QC that enabled Japanese
firms to make high quality products at low costs.
What is quality circle? It is a work group of employees who meet
regularly to discuss their quality problems, investigate causes,
recommend solutions, and take corrective actions. Generally, QC is a
small group of employees belonging to the same similar work area.
This is so because the employees doing the similar type of work are well
familiar to problems faced by them. The size of the QC should not be too
big so as to prevent some members from participating meaningfully in its
meetings. Generally, six to eight members are considered the ideal size
of the QC.
QC is formed to achieve the following objectives:
1. Improvement in quality of product manufactured by the organisation.
2. Improvement in methods of production.
3. Development of employees participating in QC.

4. Promoting morale of employees.

5. Respect humanity and create a happy work place worthwhile to work.
The main features of QC can be listed as follows:
1. Voluntary Groups:
QC is a voluntary group of employees generally coming from the same
work area. There is no pressure from anywhere on employees to join
QC.
2. Small Size:
The size of the QC is generally small consisting of six to eight members.
3. Regular Meeting:
QC meetings are held once a week for about an hour on regular basis.
The members meet during working hours usually at the end of the
working day in consultation with the manager. The time of the meetings
is usually fixed in advance in consultation with the manager and
members.
4. Independent Agenda:
Each QC has its own agenda with its own terms of reference.
Accordingly, each QC discusses its own problems and takes corrective
actions.
5. Quality Focused:

As per the very nature and intent of QC, it focuses exclusively on quality
issues. This is because the ultimate purpose of QC is improvement in
quality of product and working life.

Developing Quality Circles in Organisations:

Like any other organizational change, QC being a new concept may be
opposed by the employees.
Therefore, QC should be developed and introduced with great
concern and precaution as discussed below:
1. Publicising the Idea:
Introduction of QC is just like an organisational change programme
Hence, like an organisational change programme, the workers need to
be convinced about the need for and significance of QC from the points
of view of the workers and the organisation. Moreover, participation in
QC being voluntary, its publicity among the workers is necessary. To
begin with, management can also arrange for initial training to those
workers who want to form a quality circle.
2. Constitution of QC:
Workers doing the same or similar type of work are drawn voluntarily to
form quality circle. The membership of a QC is generally restricted to
eight to ten. Once a QC is formed, they remain as permanent members
of the circle unless they leave that work area.
3. Initial Problem Solving:

The members of QC should discuss the problem at threadbare and,

then, prepare a list of alternative solutions. Thereafter, each alternative
solution should be evaluated and the final solution should be arrived at
on the basis of consensus.
4. Presentation and Approval of Suggestions:
The final solution arrived at should be presented to the management
either in oral or in written form. The management may evaluate the
solution by constituting a committee for this purpose. The committee
may also meet the members of the quality circle for clarifications, if
required. Presentation of solutions to the management helps improve the
communication between management and workers and reflects
managements interest to the members of QC.
5. Implementation:
Once the suggestion or solution is approved by the management, the
same is being put into practice in a particular workplace. Quality circles
may be organized gradually for other workplaces or departments also. In
this way, following above outlined process, the entire organisation can
have quality circles.