SLAAQP to revive interest in Quality Circles

The Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Quality and Productivity is planning a series of events to re-invigorate Quality Circles (QCC), in order to build up an impressive level of activity in time for the International Convention to be hosted by Sri Lanka in 2014.

Currently when especially exporters are experiencing difficult times with the appreciation of the rupee, the only answer is higher productivity. The best method is to use the creativity of all employees to boost productivity in all spheres of work and therefore QCCs are more relevant today than ever before, maintains the Association.

Quality Circles originated in Japan in the early 1960s when Japan was still struggling with post war recovery. Japanese goods were still considered to be of poor quality and unreliable. The quality revolution in Japan was created by the well known American quality experts; Deming and Juran, and the Union of Japanese Scientists and Engineers (JUSE) commenced a programme to teach simple Quality Control techniques to floor level workers in Japanese factories. They also used the group orientation of the Japanese and got them to get together in small groups to systematically analyse quality problems, and use simple statistical and non statistical tools to evolve solutions.  The idea being that the floor level workers who are very familiar with the practical and ground level situation, can contribute immensely if their brains too could be used, but first by educating them.

This was the beginning of the so called “Quality Circles”. It was so successful that the concept spread throughout Japan from factories to offices, to educational establishments, to shops, and covered every sphere of work.  Although first used to improve quality, it was later used for many other initiatives such as productivity improvement, sales improvement, customer service, discipline improvement in schools, cost reduction, improving government services, patient care improvement etc. Thereafter it spread to the neighbouring countries such as South Korea and Taiwan. By the 1980s it became a worldwide phenomenon. At that time almost every journal in management, engineering, accountancy, and marketing had articles on the phenomenon of QCC and case studies of successes and failures.

Many thought that it will die a natural death like most management fads, but QCCs have continued to prosper. Every year an International convention is held in one of the Asian countries, and hundreds of “Quality Circles” consisting of non executive employees of factories, offices, schools, government establishments, military units of the member countries such as Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Thailand make presentations of their case studies. In India the National Annual Convention attracts several thousands of participants.

Sri Lanka’s QCC activity reached a peak in 1993 when over 60 persons participated in the international convention in Bangkok, and Sri Lanka last hosted the convention in 1998 in Colombo. QCC are active in several manufacturing companies, government offices, banks and schools in Sri Lanka. In fact the National QCC convention and awards organised by the National Productivity Secretariat was held on 26 July.  “Quality Circles and Continuous Improvement Teams at Sri Lanka Telecom have contributed immensely to improving service quality and productivity at Sri Lanka Telecom” says Vijitha Ratnayaka, Deputy Chief Corporate Officer, Sri Lanka Telecom. Similar sentiments are echoed by other manufacturing and service establishments that have used QCCs to boost productivity, quality and improve the quality of work life of employees.

This year’s international convention is in Yokohama in September. The series of seminars being organised will be kicked off with an evening introductory seminar on QCC to be held on Friday, 5 August at the Postgraduate Institute of Management. Further information could be had from K. A. I. Kalyanaratana on email at [email protected] or mobile 0776603479 or Sakuntala Durairatnam, Asst. Secretary at [email protected]  or mobile 0777706181.