Management was taking a top-down culture with poorly trained employees,
giving them “micro-waved” problem-solving training, and suddenly expecting
miraculous projects selected by the workers.
Quality Circles have never been a fad at Toyota. They have been an ongoing
management tool for productivity and quality improvement for decades and are
still considered a sign of a highly evolved Toyota Production System (TPS)
organization. In this regard the American Toyota sites are still developing.
Participation in Quality Circles is voluntary, but many people at Toyota choose
to participate because they want to take part in improving the work area. Quality
Circles are a good method to improve quality, and make other improvements,
and are also an excellent activity to promote teamwork and develop the capa-
bilities of individuals. Each member of the circle is responsible for fulfilling each
role on the team, such as taking minutes, keeping the meeting on time, or facil-
itating the meeting. A team leader usually leads the circle, but team members may
elect to lead a circle as a development opportunity. The leader is responsible for
establishing desired outcomes with management, planning each meeting, clearly
setting expectations for the team, and coordinating activities with others, such
as engineering and maintenance.
The circle is responsible for setting goals and meeting schedules, but the group
leader acts in an advisory capacity. The primary role of the group leader is to ensure
that the circle is addressing a meaningful issue (one that will improve the team or
group) and that time is spent wisely and productively. He or she will check in with
the facilitator weekly for an update and to provide any necessary support or guid-
ance. The team is allotted one paid hour (overtime pay) per week (each person) for
meeting and any assignment activity. The team may elect to meet before or after
work, or in some cases during a working lunch. Most circles deal with issues in the
work area so many meetings are conducted at the actual work site (gemba).
At the completion of an activity, the circle group prepares a short presentation
for management explaining the activity and the results. This presentation is
primarily a congratulatory opportunity for management to express gratitude to
the team for their effort and work to improve the operation. Any suggestions
implemented by the circle also qualify for a payment award in the suggestion sys-
tem program (see below). In this case the members are paid for their time during
the meetings and for the improvement ideas. Each year the best Quality Circle
projects are selected for bronze, silver, gold, and platinum awards and make for-
mal presentations to vice presidents of Toyota. The American plants each select a
platinum award winner to present in Japan at Toyota’s international Quality Circle
conference. At Georgetown in 2004 there were about 22 percent of employees in
voluntary circles, compared to a target in the 40 to 50 percent range. Participation
of over 80 percent is not uncommon in Japan. This is a good opportunity to
develop and use abilities and to be rewarded for the effort. Not a bad deal at all.
singke
(singke)
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