Beyond testimonials: Learning from a quality circles programme

Abstract

Quality circles programmes are based on the assumptions that employee participation leads to valued outcomes such as intrinsic satisfaction and recognition, and that it also results in the implementation of changes which enhance productivity and satisfaction. An in-depth case study of one such programme finds that generally favourable testimonials by participants may be misleading. This programme yielded a few minor changes but little impact on productivity and attitudes in the unit as a whole. Causes for its demise are discussed.Given these cultural and contextual differences, it seems imperative to monitor the results of Q.C. programmes in American business settings. This paper presents an in-depth examination of the implementation of a quality circle programme in a large food-retailing organization. The programme was studied for five months prior to the beginning of circle activity and for one year after start-up. Formal and informal interviews and observations were used to explore contextual and design variables which contributed to attitude survey and productivity outcomes. The research was guided by a conceptual model (Mohrman, 1982) developed to predict the impact of employee participation on productivity and attitude outcomes. THE QUALITY CIRCLES PROGRAMMEA quality circle is a small group of workers who apply problem-solving techniques to problems in their work setting. The quality circles programme which is the subject of this study was implemented in a warehousing operation which receives and warehouses perishable products from neighbouring processing facilities and loads trucks with the orders for 150 retail supermarkets. The circle programme was implemented as a pilot, and was one part of an overall corporate strategy toward increased employee involvement. Employee participation was seen as a means of coping with rapid growth and the transformation of the company from a relatively small, family-run organization to a large, partially automated operation with modernized facilities, retailing practices and managerial techniques.Department management in this 80 person two-shift operation volunteered to adopt the Q.C. programme. The six supervisors and department head had been exposed to human resources concepts through an earlier team building process. The implementation of the circles programme was preceded by a survey feedback process in which the results of a general organizational survey were fed back to groups of workers by specially trained co-workers. As survey feedback was a common practice in the company, its use was not perceived as an unusual intervention. Survey results triggered discussions around feelings of exclusion from information and decision-making in the department. All but four of the 80 department workers volunteered to be part of a pilot circles programme. The programme which was implemented had the following characteristics:Four 10 personproblem-solving 'teams' composed of a cross section of workers familiar with the warehousing operation. Worker leaders and co-leaders who were ex...

Teams and TQM

“…They suggested that the only difference is that in the first model, where emphasis is on implementation of ideas, QCs may affect members and non-members alike, while, in the second model, direct participation in QCs is necessary in order to achieve positive outcomes on productivity and satisfaction. Research evidence on participation, in general (Coch and French, 1948;Nurick, 1985), and the effects of QCs, in particular (Mohrman and Novelli, 1985;Rafaeli, 1985), supports the direct participation link in the second model.…”

“…Kumbanaruk concluded that this characteristic is not compatible with the QC concept, in which individuals are encouraged to express their ideas to solve problems. Mohrman and Novelli (1985) proposed two models to explain the causal link between QCs and productivity and satisfaction. The first model predicts a causal sequence in which, first, ideas are generated by the circle, then ideas are implemented, and implementation of ideas leads both to positive changes in employee satisfaction and involvement and to improved productivity.…”

“…The hypotheses are based on Mohrman and Novelli's (1985) second model and the supporting research evidence. The hypotheses predict that, because members of QCs and quality improvement teams are directly involved in a formal participation program, their level of perceived participation, skill utilisation, satisfaction with participation, job satisfaction, and attitudes toward consultation will be greater than employees who are not involved in QCs and quality improvement teams.…”

Quality Circles and Quality of Work Life

“…In view of the widespread adoption of QC programmes, it is surprising to find so little information about the effects of participation in QC and the theoretical foundations of the technique [6].…”

Les facteurs de contingence des cercles de qualité: Une synthèse de la documentation empirique

“…On constate globalement la rarete des Ctudes empiriques ayant CvaluC, avec une certaine rigueur mCtho-dologique, les impacts individuels et organisationnels des C.Q. Parmi la liste des rksultats individuels et organisationnels associCs aux C.Q., on retrouve notamment la productivite (Bradley & Hill, 1983;Tortorich et al, 1981), I'absentCisme (Hunt, 1981;Mohrman & Novelli, 1985), la satisfaction au travail (Rafaeli, 1985;Zahrd, 1982) et 1'implication organisationnelle (Griffin & Wayne, 1984;Hunt, 1981). Dans la m&me veine, on relkve la frCquence des carences methodologiques (Steel & Shane, 1986), la raretC des Ctudes empiriques impliquant plusieurs organisations (Frazer & Dale, 1986;White & Bednar, 1984), et I'absence de modkle thCorique permettant d'intCgrer et d'articuler les rksultats obtenus a certaines variables relatives au fonctionnement des C.Q.…”