A quality circle system would be a small cost for Low and Bonar to incorporate as the system can easily be financed from department budgets. By incorporating this system they may be able to cut costs of other TQM systems. If quality circles where to be implemented into Low and Bonars operations they could use the following techniques to ensure they achieve the best results in their operations.
- Flow diagrams
- Data Collection
- Graphs
- Control charts
These tools are used to search for and display weak areas in which Low and Bonar could improve. They may help workers understand and present their work. Also they are involved in ICT and learn new skills.
The advantages of a quality circles system would be beneficial to Low and Bonar as productivity would be increased. This means that Low and Bonar can produce a larger quantity of products for the same price. Productivity would be increased as workers become aware of potential problems that may occur and work around them. Also it is in the interest of the workers to ensure that faulty products are kept to a minimum therefor there are less problems with production.
As workers take more care in producing products the quality of the products Low and Bonar produce will be increased. This may mean Low and Bonar can charge a higher price for the goods as the consumer may be willing to pay the extra cost for a quality product. If the quality is increased there is less chance of the consumer being unhappy with the products they have received and the number of after sales services will be reduced. This may also cut the costs of the businesses operations and give them a larger profit.
Workers will feel more involved in Low and Bonar. Employee moral will be boosted as workers feel part of the business as their opinion is counted for and there is a good ambience to succeed. This will be beneficial to Low and Bonar as there employees will be more productive and work harder. Workers will work better as a team rather than a individual as they will gain experience in working together to achieve targets.
The disadvantages of a quality circles system are that quality circles are not really empowered to make decisions. This may mean if employees decide upon a key decision other management may have to pass the scheme first. This may cause upset between employees and create a bad working environment.
If employees who are members of quality circles do not receive the correct training, don’t really want to be apart of the circle or are unsure of the purpose the quality circles system wont work. This could be a problem if the system was put into place as it would create large problems for production and after sales services. This may also mean budgets of departments are wasted on inadequate sources.
Another problem may occur if management are not interested in the system. Without management interest employees would make slow progress and be distracted from their objectives. No decisions would be made and the system would be a waste of time. This problem would also occur from workers as they may be expected to join the circles system and not want to be apart of it. This may lead to the previous problems as again the workers would not be committed.
In my judgement I believe a quality circles system would bring some large benefits to Low and Bonar. Low and Bonar would need to encourage staff to take part in this scheme and in return it would bring more employee decision making and the hierarchy and employees working closely together. This would reduce competition between workers and bring a better level of teamwork. If the system was set up correctly and their was a high level of interest from employees the system would be largely beneficial and it is hard to see how any major problems could arise.
Without more research it would be difficult to decide if quality circles could replace the other styles of TQM. Quality circles can be as effective as quality assurance and quality management however the reliability of the system may be a problem. If numbers of the circle don’t attend the system will fail and it relies completely on joint decision making. If workers don’t agree then some sessions may not be productive.
Overall I believe a quality circles system would be a good alternative approach to quality assurance and quality control for Low and Bonar to incorporate. A small amount of research by Low and Bonar to determine if the system would be effective could ensure that issues from employees are dealt with immediately. The alternative approach to quality assurance and quality control could prove to be more efficient than the current TQM styles. This may lead to Low and Bonar to meet objectives more efficiently as resources would be allocated more effectively.
