Quality circles at work in an electrical engineering/electronic environment

The paper presents an analysis of quality circle questionnaire surveys for organisations in the electrical engineering and electronic sector. The findings indicate that there are few major differences on the setting up and operation of circles in this sector when compared to other industries. The main differences centre around a seemingly greater awareness of the contribution of circles as part of the specific long-term company commitment to quality, and a larger number of white collar or staff circles in this industry than in any other studied. It is shown that the introduction of circles must be thorough, enthusiastic with positive commitment from top decision makers, and that rigid rules cannot be applied; the concept must be tailored to suit the philosophy and culture of the respective company. The issues relating to circle failure are also discussed, with the main reasons for failure being labour turnover, redundancies and/or restructuring, lack of co-operation from middle management and circle leaders lacking the time to organise meetings.