Quality circlesQuality circles invo

Quality circles
Quality circles involve a group of four to twelve people from
the same work area or department voluntarily meeting to
solve their work-related problems.
For quality circles to flourish they need:
• Top management commitment
• Members to voluntarily participate
• Members to be trained in teamwork
• Members to have a shared work background
• To be solution orientated
• Recognition and support from top management.
The main reason quality circles fail is because of lack of
support from management. A commitment to provide
training and resources on a long-term basis should come
from all levels of management.
CHECKLIST FOR THE GENERATION OF IDEAS
• Is there an internal market for innovative ideas?
• Do teams allocate time to consider ideas?
• Do you and your teams spend time away from the
office to review performance and plans?
• Are customers/suppliers involved in innovation in
your business?
• Do you have successfully innovative teams and/or
individuals and can you identify reasons for their
success?
• Do you have a suggestion scheme that works?
• Are new ideas properly rewarded?
CHECKLIST FOR THE GENERATION OF IDEAS continued
• Do you help ensure ideas are not lost through poor
presentation?
• Do you know of an alternative route to profitability
and growth other than through innovation?
Dealing with change and overcoming
obstacles to innovation
It is human nature to resist the unknown. Change, if it is very
great or very sudden, can be alarming. We are more likely
to respond to change in a positive way if it is gradual and
expected. Innovation tends to mean a series of small
changes over a period of time, a form of evolution within
an organisation. This evolution needs to be carefully guided
by leaders with personal and professional skills as well as
enthusiasm.
Managers must ensure that creativity and innovation are
not killed off by:
1 an initial response of outright condemnation, ridicule,
rejection, damning criticism or faint praise
2 the vested interest of a particular person or department
3 too early an evaluation/judgement – sometimes
suspending judgement early on can see an idea grow
and reach a strong stage where it will work.

Criticism
Criticism has its place but should not be introduced too early
in the creative process. All relevant criticism should be
handled with tact and diplomacy, and explanations given
where necessary. Sometimes, challenging accepted views
and persisting in criticism, despite group pressures to
conform, may penetrate fixed ideas and create new ones.
Exercise: Overcoming obstacles
• Consider what obstacles exist in your organisation
that may prevent individuals from
putting ideas forward.
• Can you think of examples of when potentially
good ideas have come to nothing because of
these obstacles?
Exercise: Overcoming obstacles continued
• Make a list of ideas for best practice which
would allow the organisation to overcome
these obstacles.
• Circulate your list to the managers in your
organisation and discuss them further, and
hopefully put them into action!