Quality circle for a collaborative organisational culture

Almost all the companies face problems every day and those are very different from the problems that occurred in the past.  Some of them may appear on the surface, but most of them are under the water and creates a hidden factory which is responsible for the major part of the operational cost. 

This is one of the major focus areas in any organisation for its survival and success and most effective ways of solving these work base problems are through unused intellect of employees who really work with them and are the most affected party of the worst part of these issues. 

But organisations cannot create such committed workforce within a day, it is a long journey aligned with organisational vision and goals. Along with this, organisations will have fully engaged employees, a collaborative organisational culture, where people have the correct voice to contribute and proper understanding of how their contributions fit into the organisational strategy. 

Quality circles present the risk-free methodology of incorporating the employees in a search for the best solution for the problems in enterprises. It is a tool to develop people especially in grass root level employees and in return to release their collective intelligence or insight towards the organisational development.

Collaboration can be explained as a process with associated behaviours that can be taught and developed. This process governed by a set of norms and behaviours that maximise individual contribution while leveraging the collective intelligence of everyone involved. Here people collectively explore their ideas to generate solutions that extend beyond the limited vision of a single person. 

The important part of this collaboration definition is that those behaviours can be taught and developed. It means that any organisation can start, move and success along this journey. With this context, new quality circle training contents focus more on people development than just educating them on tools and techniques involved in problem-solving. It is basically to unveil underline assumptions of people and organisations and endless effort to fit people into organisation’s strategy and develop quality and productive culture.

In a collaborative culture everyone has a voice and when they have a voice they can contribute. People understand how their contributions fit into organisation development and as a result give them a purpose. But for correct voice, people need correct understanding and sense of belonging, and hence quality circle training focus on continuous learning and development of people. It develops individuals with the vision and purpose of living (mission), through people values, SWOT analysis and finally personal development plans. 

Quality circle first develop individuals (team member) followed by the team. Meaningful contributions towards the organisational objectives offer acceptance, pride, and interest among team members. This will develop their attitude with a sense of belongingness. This pride of ownership improves the trustworthy, each member trust others as all are doing the correct thing. 

As a team, quality circle identifies their common values, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats and finally help to understand members of the team and to develop trust and accountability. Team members know that their obligations are fulfilling without failure. Each trust to do the correct thing and their obligations towards organisational objectives. This meaningful contribution gives employee’s a purpose, and purpose directs beliefs within the organisation. The purpose and beliefs translate into the high level of engagement. 

Like Japan, the society creates through quality circle will strive for Ikiga (a reason for being), through Bonsai (balance, simplicity, and harmony) and Gemeinschaft (social ties through values and beliefs) while achieving organisational goals. The results are Kigyo ikka (family like organisational culture) and Kigyo wa unmei kyodotai de aru (the enterprise and their members share common destiny). This is the fashion of Japanese culture, which can improve through implementing quality circles and essential for the development of any country.

The quality circle will help to break down silos within the organisation, to foster cross-functional activities and for better innovation. This increases employee energy and creativity that leads for the less stressed, happier and more engaged organisational environment. 

For better results quality circle focus needs to develop as part and parcel of the organisational culture, not only on teams and in a single level of the organisation. Quality circle members need to know the big picture and how their tasks fit in the greater scheme of things. All their daily practices must align with company objectives, mission, and vision. 

As indicated above, quality circle engages with education and people development followed by the employee empowerment, they need to know what engagement looks like and be able to model it themselves. In this culture, managers must play a very important role by getting to know their people, align personal and organisational goals, provide coaching, recognition, and feedback and match mission – critical projects with employee skill sets and aspirations.

The culture developed by practicing quality circles within organisations offer more benefits than increase innovative ideas, it will have more engaged employees who are eager to take new projects and challenges that embrace changes for better. All in the organisation respect quality circle members and a friendly relaxed environment will result in high retention rates and less absenteeism. This will improve employee health, wellness, and performance, more productive and energised employees, finally increased top-line revenue and profitability. This can breathe new life into the company and reinvigorate employees. 

Sharing new ideas and knowledge, implement those and winning, lets others see things in different perspective, stimuli others to work in new ways, and move the organisation into a new positive direction. Finally, quality circle team members will be the competitive benefit of the organisation among rivals with the ability to solve their own problems, work in a new way to develop and bring new products faster to the market.

The trend of practicing quality circles in Sri Lanka is increasing rapidly during the last few years. It is necessary to practice and taste the results, then anyone can understand the deliverables. The best example is the MAS group, around 750 quality circles are presently practicing, the total savings during a year is more than Rs. 450 million. 

As correctly expressed by one of the managers in MAS Kreeda cluster at the total employee engagement evening: “It is not the financial value which is important, but the developed people.”

Employees engaged in quality circles are becoming a real asset for the organisation that gives the competitive advantage for the company. Today we live in a highly competitive business environment, the active management of employee engagement is a critical aspect of sustaining competitive advantage and driving organisational effectiveness. 

According to recent research, disengaged employees are one of the top three biggest challenges facing today businesses, the fear of this is more than 70% of employees falling into the category of not-engaged or actively-disengaged. This directly affects organisational success as engaged employees are 43% more productive and outperforming than their peers. 

The Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Quality and Productivity (SLAAQP) plays a vital role in Sri Lanka, not only supporting organisation for developing their employees but providing a national platform to showcase employees’ talents. Presenters award as Gold, Silver or as Bronze based on their performance at the National Convention on Quality and Productivity (NCQP) each year. 

SLAAQP represents the Coordination Committee of International Convention of Quality Control Circles (ICQCC) and Gold award winners of the national convention are eligible to participate for the international convention. 

[The writer is Manager Supply Chain & Production Planning, Gislaved Gummi Lanka Ltd., Vice President – Sri Lanka Association for Advancement of Quality and Productivity, and Visiting Faculty Member – Human Resource Management Institute (HRMI) and European Institute of Professional Studies (EIPEL). Weeratunga is a specialist in supply chain, having more than 20 years of experience in the manufacturing sector. His experience encompasses customer relationship, production management, inventory management, logistics and quality management. He is a product of Royal College, Colombo 7. He graduated from the University of Colombo and has Postgraduate qualifications from the Postgraduate Institute of Management, University of Sri Jayewardenepura. Further he has completed a one-year leadership development program in Malmo, Sweden. His main contribution is for inventory turnover rates in HEXPOL and projects spread out across 43 manufacturing locations in 16 countries. He is also a Certified Lean Practitioner.]