In the first place, the mood needs to be relaxed. To truly do QC’s justice, it is important to meet several conditions. Some typical subjects that are extremely suitable for discussion in circles are improvements concerning health and safety at work, improvement concerning the workplace and concerning production processes and the product design. Employees are generally free to select subjects in the QC’s. They are able to convert challenging problems into opportunities with the solution they offer themselves. Quality circles offer employees the opportunity to use all their experience, knowledge and creativity to bring improvement into their activities. It is important that the participants in the QC have the correct knowledge and are trained beforehand by the so-called facilitators experts in the area of personnel and employment relationships. The small group is best led by a manager. The main concept of a QC is based on mutual respect, in which there is no place for assumptions and suspicion. In this, it is a requirement that they voluntarily participate in the QC and meet regularly.

This is easiest when it concerns smaller teams of approximately 3 to 12 people. Quality Circle and compositionĮmployees show more loyalty and devotion to their organisation when they are open to collaboratively define and solve problems concerning quality or performance.

QC’s are primarily about identifying problems to then lead to suggestions for solutions of these problems. The main objective of a QC is eventually help solve a problem that impacts the total performance of the organization. The latter business started with quality circles when the lifespan of a torch battery did not meet expectations. Many businesses in Europe and the United states also adopted working with quality circles, including Hewlett-Packard and Coleman. Later, Edwards Deming introduced a similar work in his quality circle. The underlying idea was to systematically include employees from all levels in the organisation-wide production of quality. It was Japanese professor Kaoru Ishikawa who first used the term quality circles and made it accessible in his 1985 manual ‘What is Total Quality Control? The Japanese Way’. This will result in increased quality, productivity and cost reduction. The purpose of a QC is to build towards a good relationship with employees, so they will show more interest and devotion in the work they do. Do you want unlimited ad-free access and templates? Find out more

Quality circle advantages