Introducing Quality Circles — Training's Key Role

We now accept that the Japanese success story embraces effectiveness in all facets of the enterprise, but perhaps the crucial factor is their attention to quality and reliability, not only as a policy decision, but also as care in producing. Whenever we are confronted or confounded by success there are those amongst us who seek the single elixir. Because of their success, the Japanese have been subjected to a continuous stream of observers from the West. A significant number of these observers have noticed small groups of operators collecting on the shop‐floor whilst plant has been in operation. Questioning of management has revealed that these groups are known as Quality Circles which detach themselves from the production line as problems occur to attempt to arrive at satisfactory solutions. The observers reasoned that since the Japanese penetration into world markets was in large part due to their new reputation for quality and reliability of product there could well be some correlation with the undoubted presence of Quality Circles in considerable numbers.