18.25.
Quality Control Circle concept, which had its birth in Japan 25 years ago, has made its impact the World Over. In order to go into the values encompassed in the Quality Circles, it is necessary to briefly recapitulate as to WHY and HOW quality Circles come into being.
Today, it is well known that the Quality Circles came into being in Japan after the World War-II. It was necessary for Japan to put their shattered economy on its rails. To do so, they had to wipe out their poor image in Quality. It was a question of survival of a nation. Therefore, with the help of American Quality Management experts. Dr. Deming and Dr. Juran, the
Japanese managers learnt the Quality Control Techniques, and broadly all the aspects of Quality Management. It was at this point that Dr. K. Ishikawas of MUSHASHI Institute of Technology. Tokyo, added a new dimension to this customer effort by involving task performers at the grass roots level also to work towards the improvement of the quality. He was a visionary and he envisaged the advantages of small group working and asked the workers through his writings to form small voluntary groups and to undergo training in Quality related subjects to solve themselves their work related problems. He christened those small groups as Quality Control Circles.
According to the formal definition given by the Union of Japanese Scientists and Engineers (JUSE) “Quality Circle is a small group formed to perform voluntarily Quality Control activities leading to self development within the work place/workshop utilising Quality Control techniques with all members participation.
The focus naturally is on Quality and the QC Circles function as an integral part of Company Wide Quality Control. Training is an important component of the Quality Circle.
18.25.2.
How Much of the Quality Problems could be Solved by Quality Circles.
The mere introduction of Quality Circles does not mean that we can find solutions to all Quality problems. The Japanese made a top to bottom approach first and then bottom-up. As Dr. Juran has pointed out, actions for the improvement of Quality and solving Quality problems lie in the domain of the management to the tune of 80-85%. Dr. Juran says that upto 1981 the Japanese QC Circles had solved 15 million problems and out of these only one third related to Quality and the rest related to productivity, cost reduction, safety etc. To put in his words, “the QC Circles have at best accounted for 10% of the overall Japanese revolution in Quality”. For the major problems of Quality it is in management cadres who have to take the bull by the horn. One example in this context is the lead taken by the Chief Executives of the Japanese Companies in heading the Quality Audit teams for their Annual Quality Audit.
18.25.3.
The Impact of Quality Circles on other Aspects of the Organizational Activities.
The impact of Quality Circles on the organization has to be examined on its totality to understand its values. One is from the stand point of the workmen, who would be directly involved in them ans second is from the stand point of the managers, who are expected to support them. In this context, according to Dr. Juran. “Many perhaps most of the projects of QC “Circles are now oriented to productivity and cost. From the employee view point, such studies help to improve the company’s health, in turn, healthier the company more secure the employees since most Japanese join a company for life”.
“From the company’s view point, the time spent on such projects is cost effective and the efforts to carry out projects yield a by-product in the form of constructive team work between workers and managers. Some managers feel that this by-product is more important than the subject matter of the projects”.
It transpires from Dr. Juran’s observation that though QC Circles function as an integral part of company wide quality circle (CWQC) or total quality, the by-products or the spin off benefits of quality Circles in enhancing the organisation’s group culture, team work, harmonious human relations etc. should not be lost sight of.
18.25.4.
The Right Approach to Installing Quality Circles.
In most cases the reasons for failure of Quality Circles could be found in the very first stage of the installation of Quality Circles. Here again the value systems come into focus.
Dr. Ishikawa in one of his papers on CWQC has listed 14 differences in the western and Japanese approach to management. A few of these are very relevant to us also.
Japanese Quality Circles are still going strong because they are built on sound foundations and principles.
18.25.5.
Quality Circles in Japan.
Some of the values which the Japanese cherish religiously uphold and meticulously practice, explain for their value based approach to Quality Circle, anchoring it into their cultural moorings.
(a) Respect for the human individual is very evident in all walks of their lives. For instance, bowing three times in solution to one another, irrespective of one’s status in life is demonstrative of this principle.
(b) WAAH: Buddhism has taught them what is called the WAAH culture, which means “being at peace” : with oneself. When one does a good deed, a good job treating work itself as an activity of producing something of value to other, there is immense satisfaction—joy the of doing a thing right the first time. Could there be a better way of being at peace then working as a small team to do a good job ?
(c) KAIZEN : This is another nature of the Japanese which had brought about their economic miracle through improvements. Quality year after KAIZEN means “changing for the better”. When Dr. Juran taught them to have annual Quality improvement plans as one of the three mantras for Quality improvement, the Japanese have put it into practice in letter and spirit.
(d) ICHIGAI : This is yet another term and a unique Quality characteristics of the Japanese. This simply means “being Worthwhile”. Every Japanese wants to be worth while to his country, company and society. He wants to be worthy in the estimate of the others. Nothing can be more insulting to the self respect of the Japanese to than be called a worthless person. So, every Japanese generally, gives of his best; wherever he goes, no matter whether his job is a president or a janitor. The Quality Circles give the workmen opportunity to demonstrate their self-worthiness in ample measure.
(e) SEIRI, SEITON, SEIKSTA: These three S’s extoll the virtues of tidiness, orderliness and cleanliness at all times and at every place. These account for the clinically clean shop floors, road and also in their personal habits.
(f) SEMPAI-KOHAI: These two words explain in a nutshell the senior-junior relationship and accounts for the harmonious relationship between workers, supervisors and managers. The senior looks upon his junior like a younger brother and develops him. The senior earns his respect from the junior through his role as a teacher and guide. The senior does not view his junior as a threat to his future when he develops him. It is this spirit that pervades the working of Quality Circles also, where the Circles get full support of the manager.
(g) TATEMAE-HONNE : The Japanese always believe in consensus decision making and consensus forms the basic principle of respect for the human individual. However a leader does not absolve himself of his responsibility to lead, the team. The world TATEMAE-HONNE means “leader always in front”. While taking the responsibility to lead, the leader gives the credit to the team for its success. This is yet another principle on Quality Circles it may seem that, though the Quality Circle concept was started to focus mainly on Quality first, the concept itself is spun around sound value systems without which the concept itself would have fallen on the way side like many other concepts.
The value based approach even in business could be seen in the company’s policies and objectives laid down by them. For example, one of the Japanese industrial grants has listed seven spiritual objectives as a part of their company’s basic business principles, beliefs and values.
