Last week I posted about Quality Circles in Quality Circles—Improving the Improvement System. In that post, I covered an introduction to Quality Circles and the definition and philosophy surrounding its practice.
Read this ‘how to post” and you'll be implementing quality circles in no time.
Quality Circles is a simple-to-administer quality program conducted in the workplace by front-line employees. It is based upon a deeper engagement with your employees and the recognition of the worker as a human being, as someone who willingly provides her wisdom, intelligence, experience, attitude and feelings to the company to improve the service she provides. It is based on human resource management and is considered as one of the key factors in the improvement of service quality & productivity.
In short, the Quality Circle concept has three major attributes;
What I want to cover in this post is the implementation and operationalisation of Quality Circles.
The objectives of Quality Circles are many-fold and it’s important to understand what they are trying to achieve beyond just continual improvement in the quality of work output. This is reflected in some of the softer skills that are required in establishing and running Quality Circles.
The objectives of Quality Circles are multifaceted but predominantly point towards a change in attitude from “I don’t care” to “I do care” through the continuous improvement in quality of work life through the humanisation of work.
Bringing out the ‘hidden potential’ of people where people get to learn skills not normally associated with their day-to-day operational activities such as leadership, critical thinking, analysis and problem-solving. In addition, the softer side of self-development is team members learning from one another by discussion and the workplace becomes a place where both hands and minds are used to improve the service.
Individuals who often are working alone are melded into teams, with the resultant development of a team spirit which manifests itself in a “we did it, as opposed to I could not do it” attitude. Quality Circle teams record the elimination of internal operational'silos’ and the elimination of interdepartmental conflicts.
It is not always an easy process and teams are challenged and stretched beyond their comfort zone, promoting energy and excitement. Team spirit is enhanced as members feel that they are meaningfully contributing to the bigger picture.
Wider organisation benefits that are gained from an improved organisational culture and a positive working environment, in particular. The steering committee report-back process engages people at all levels of the organisation in a participative process. Visible management support encourages the staff to not only perform better within the Quality Circle but also in their day-to-day roles, fostering greater cooperation across all levels of the organisation.
In many ways, all of the objectives mentioned above are secondary to the overall objective of Quality Circles. Quality Circles are designed to achieve more effective and efficient work processes, making work easier, smarter and faster. Quality Circles are shown to be extremely effective in bringing quantum leaps in service quality, operating efficiency and process effectiveness, along with concomitant levels of savings.
Quality improvement initiatives are often too far removed from where Quality is delivered, which isat the coalface of operations. Quality Circles allow shop floor staff to acquire the skills capability, confidence and creativity to resolve significant work-related problems that had their predecessors and leaders stumped for many years previously.
A Quality Circle needs to have an appropriate organisational structure to ensure effective and efficient performance. It varies from industry to industry, organisation to organisation. However, it is useful to have a basic framework as a model that can be adapted according to your context and circumstances. I have conducted Quality Circles with as few as 4 members and as many as 12.
I have heard excuses for not conducting Quality Circles from facilities managers saying that they are the only person on site. That may be true from their own organisation, but service providers, cleaners, security and reception staff areoften involved in the delivery of services and very effective Quality Circles can be constructed from members outside your organisation but inside your service delivery sphere of influence.
All roles and responsibilities must be clearly defined and understood.
The structure of a Quality Circle consists of the following elements:.
1. Steering Committee
The Steering Committee is at the top of the Quality Circle structure. It is headed by a senior executive, often from outside the immediate operational area under review, to provide additional perspective. Top operational management personnel should also be involved, as should human resources.
The steering committee establishes policy, plans and directs the program and meets usually once in a month.
The Steering committee's role is to:
2. Co-ordinator
He/she may be a personnel or administrative officer who coordinates and supervises the work of the facilitators and administers the program.
3. Facilitator
He/she may be a senior supervisory officer who coordinates the work of several Quality Circles through the circle leaders.
4. Circle Members
Generally, 6 –12 volunteers from the same work area make up a Circle. Anyone can be a Circle member but it is important that they are committed to the process and are involved intimately in the area of work under discussion. WithoutCircle members, the programme cannot exist. They are the lifeblood of Quality Circles.
They should attend all meetings as far as possible, offer suggestions and ideas, participate actively in the group process, and take training seriously with a receptive attitude.
Those members select a name for their Circle in the first meeting and it is the members that must elect a leader to conduct the meetings. It is important to understand that management should not run this process; they must empower the circle members to elect their leader without interference. Lastly;
5. Circle Leader
Leaders may be from the lowest level workers or supervisors. A Circle leader organises and conducts Circle activities. It is important to remember that his/her position conveys no other privileges, compensation, or benefits over that of the circle members. Team leaders;
The major prerequisite for initiating Quality Circles in any organisation is the total understanding of, as well as complete conviction and faith in, the participative philosophy on the part of the top and senior management. In the absence of a commitment from the Chief Executive to support the Quality Circle movement, it would be inadvisable to seriously attempt the starting of Quality Circles.
The launch of Quality Circles involves the following steps:
Appropriate training for different sections of employees needs to be undertaken. Without a proper understanding of the real concept of Quality Circles, both the workers and management might look at this philosophy with suspicion. Each group should know beforehand the commitments and implications involved as well as the benefits that can be obtained from Quality Circles.
Such training should comprise of:
The operation of Quality Circles involves a set of 13 sequential steps set out below, but first, it is advisable to set out the overall objectives by establishing the team, and the team name and align the goals with the company’s strategic priorities and what it is trying to achieve. I would also advise that the team set out a Code of Conduct for all the group members which may include some or all of the following.
1. Area of operation
Agree on the ‘playingfield’. i.e. what particular area of operations is the focus of theQuality Circle i.e. cleaning, reception, catering, etc.
2. Brainstorming
Conduct a brainstorming exercise to list out all of the issues challenges problems associated with the area of operation. Identify and select the problem to be taken up first. Here are some guidelines for achieving this.
3. Problem Selection
Take the suggestions listed in the brainstorming session in no particular order and cluster them into themes. You will often find that on examination the same problem is stated in different ways but do not be tempted to discard anything at this stage.
4. PrioritiseProblems
5. Analyse& Determine Causes
The chosen problem is clarified and analysed by basic problem-solving methods.
6. GenerateAlternative Solutions
Identify and evaluate causes and generate a number of possible alternative solutions. Seek alternatives, weigh up consequences, pros and cons, and analyse alternatives.
7. The Decision Process
Decision-making is a key and critical point in the process; do not feel pressured to make decisions that may have far-reaching consequences without having weighed up all the possibilities and alternatives. The minute you make a decision, you set in motion a new cause, effect, direction and destination. This stage requires logical and creative thinking, which should not be rushed.
This stage can often generate significant disagreement and friction within the group. In-depth discussion and evaluation of alternatives, by comparison, will help enable the selection of the most appropriate solution.
Should the circle find themselves in a stalemate situation, consult with management to provide an ‘in-principle go-ahead’ to break the deadlock.
Commitment to a decision once taken is often easier than the decision itself. Once the decision has been made, stay committed to your decision, but stay flexible in your approach and stay open to alternate routes.
The list below is useful for highlighting different approaches and emphasising that a single style will not always prove to be the most appropriate.
5 Approaches To Decision Making
Factors that influence decision-making
When the decision is taken, remember that you need to prepare a plan of action for converting the solution into reality, which includes the considerations “who, what, when, where, why and how” of solving problems.
8. Test Possible Solution
Test the idea or solution using prototypes, mock-ups, or trial runs where possible to establish initial operating challenges and benefits. Prototyping will provide useful data for a proof of concept when presenting to management. In addition, confer with user groups and customers, but always remain open to new information and or possibilities. Be particularly vigilant that you avoid group thinking and confirmation bias regarding the decisions taken.
9. ManagementPresentation
This phase calls for the presentation of the solution and the test results (where available) to the steering committee for approval. This stage can be particularly daunting for those members of the circle who are not used to presenting, motivating, and debating, particularly with senior levels of management.
Most of all, be confident and do not be discouraged. If you have gone through the process above, you should have faith in your proposed solution. Thorough preparation for the presentation with an agenda will allow you to proceed through your decision-making process in a sequence that will show that you have gone through the process in an intelligent and mature manner.
A suggested structure may look something like this:
Do not be disheartened if management seems less than receptive, remain positive but I understand that you may have to go away and do some more work and think around aspects of the solution.
10. Implement Proposed Solution
Where management has evaluated your proposed solution and has given the go-ahead to implement it.Review the final action plan and implement it. Remember to set up any before versus after data gathering so that analyses and reporting can show improvement metrics.
11. EvaluateResults And Confirm Effects
Following implementation and confirmation of data. Evaluate and report back to management the effects of the solution, both good and bad. Be sure to investigate if other processes have been negatively affected by the implemented solution. Where the data shows that the solution has not adequately solved the problem, report this back to management and immediately revert back to the Quality Circle process to re-analyse the original problem and suggest a solution.
12. Standardise and Prevent Recurrence
In the event that the solution is successful, document the process and submit for configuration. Remember to communicate to management and to the company as a whole your achievements so that these can be implemented elsewhere where appropriate.
13. Review Remaining Problems:
Buoyed by your success and with the root cause or number one priority disposed of, go back to the original list of issues. This may well have changed and may require re-brainstorming, re-analysis, and re-prioritisation of problems. If not, start on the second problem.
It took more than two decades for the quality control concept to get acceptance in South Africa after its introduction in Japan. This may be due to the differences in the industrial context in the two countries. Japan needed it for its survival in a competitive market. South Africa had a reasonably protected, seller’s market, with consequent lethargy towards efforts to improve quality and productivity. However, with the policy of liberalisation of the economy and privatisation of infrastructure development, contexts changed. The concept now needs to be looked upon as a necessity.
Benefits
Limitations
Drop me a line at andrew@workplacefundi.com if you want to improve your workplace and ensure that your team is engaged and dedicated. Don't let your best talent slip away.
PEOPLE I PLACE I PERFORMANCE
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