Abstract
The search for methods of improving the efficiency and competitiveness of manufacturing industry in the UK has been intensified during the present recession and has led many managers to look to Japan as a model for economic prosperity. A prominent feature of the Japanese model is a form of employee involvement known in the West as Quality Circles. These are small groups who meet on a regular basis to select, analyse and solve problems in their work area. As they are obviously experts at the jobs they do, their knowledge and expertise can greatly enhance the running of their departments and they can at first hand suggest improvements to the quality of their working life. Hutchins claims that in Japan, quality circles are responsible for around 16 per cent of the profits in their manufacturing companies.
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