Using Quality Circles to Raise Productivity and Quality of Work Life
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 118, Issue 1
Abstract
The participative‐creative approach of quality circles, for simultaneous enhancement of productivity and quality of work life, has been introduced in many leading manufacturing and service corporations in the West within the general trend of adopting so‐called Japanese managerial approaches. The construction industry, however, by and large has failed to use the potential of this powerful approach, apparently due to the mismatch commonly seen between the participative, long‐term, people‐building process of quality circles and the “hostile” environment of the construction industry, which features instability, temporary employment, and an ever‐changing work setting. This paper presents a counterintuitive hypothesis arguing that construction also features several unique conditions that impart special merit to the quality‐circle approach: The combination of low initial efficiency and dynamic, multiphase projects guarantees a continuous flow of significant and challenging problems for treatment by the circles, while the authority of site managers to implement significant modifications without further approval can save the frustration observed in many quality‐circle programs. The main part of the paper deals with actual field treatments. Findings are presented in statistical terms as well as in case studies and benefit/cost analyses.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
1.
Barra, R. J. (1983) Putting quality circles to work. McGraw‐Hill, New York, N.Y.
2.
Clark, S. G., and McGee, W. (1988). “Our program is great…Isn't it?” Quality and Participation, 11(4), 50–54.
3.
Dale, B., and Barlow, E. (1987). “Quality circles: The view from within.” Mgmt. Decision, 25(4), 5–9.
4.
Dale, B. G., and Hayward, S. G. (1984). “Quality circles failures in U.K. manufacturing companies.” OMEGA Int. J. Mgmt. Sci., 12(5), 475–484.
5.
Dewar, D. L. (1980). The quality circle guide to participation management. Prentice‐Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.
6.
Gibson, P. (1982). Quality circles: An approach to productivity improvement. Pergamon Press, New York, N.Y.
7.
Gryna, F. M. (1981). Quality circles. AMACOM, New York, N.Y.
8.
Hull, F., and Azumi, K. (1988). “Do they work in Japan?” Quality and Participation, 11(4), 60–64.
9.
King, J. R., and Tan, K. H. (1986). “Quality circles.” OMEGA Int. J. Mgmt. Sci., 14(4), 307–315.
10.
Lawler, E. E., and Mohrman, S. A. (1985). “Quality circles after the fad.” Harvard Business Rev., 63(1), 64–71.
11.
Lawler, E. E., and Mohrman, S. A. (1987). “Quality circles: After the honeymoon.” Organizational Dynamics, 15(1), 42–54.
12.
Lesieur, F. G., ed. (1958). The Scanlon plan: A frontier in labor‐management cooperation. MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass.
13.
Robson, M. (1982). Quality circles: A practical guide. Gower Publishing Co., Hants, U.K.
14.
Rosenfeld, Y., Warszawski, A., and Laufer, A. (1986). “Examination of applicability of quality circles to construction sites.” Technical Report, Building Res. Station, Technion, Haifa, Israel.
15.
Ruffner, E. R., and Etkin, L. P. (1987). “When a circle is not a circle.” SAM Advanced Mgmt. J., 52(2), 9–16.
16.
Turban, E., and Kamin, J. Y. (1984). “Cost‐benefit analysis of quality circles.” Engrg. Costs and Production Economics, 8(3), 199–209.
17.
Van Buskirk, W. R., and Adams, J. (1989). “Personnel policies and project management in Japanese companies: An empirical study.” Project Mgmt. J., 20(4), 31–35.
18.
White, D. D., and Bednar, D. A. (1985). “Locating problems with quality circles.” Nat. Productivity Rev., 4(1), 45–52.
19.
Wood, E., Hull, F., and Azumi, K. (1983). “Evaluating quality circles: The American application.” California Mgmt. Rev., 26(1), 37–53.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
Copyright © 1992 ASCE.
History
Published online: Mar 1, 1992
Published in print: Mar 1992
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.