Quality circles and employee withdrawal behaviors: a cross-organizational study
Article Abstract:
This article proposes a new theoretical approach to quality circles (QCs) and reports the results of a cross-organizational test of that theory. Improved attendance and retention were predicted as a result of the boundary-tightening effect of quality circles on employee work units. Study participants were 675 employees from five diverse organizations: a bank, a utility, a manufacturing plant, a hospital, and a university. Results supported the hypotheses, in that turnover was reduced following the circle interventions and absenteeism for circle members remained stable, whereas it rose substantially for noncircle employees. The QC intervention, by tightening the boundary around employees' immediate work units, counteracts the effects of a fragmenting system (the organization) in relation to its suprasystem (the environment). It is proposed that this systems perspective offers a more parsimonious interpretation of quality circle effects than existing QC models. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)
Publication Name: Journal of Applied Behavioral Science
Subject: Social sciences
ISSN: 0021-8863
Year: 1992
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Quality circle problem solving and common cents: evaluation study findings from a United States mint
Article Abstract:
A study was conducted to determine the outcomes of quality circles (QCs) established in seven departments in a United States federal mint. The sample consisted of 260 mint employees, and comprised QC members and a comparison group of employees in the 19 departments that did not participate in the QC process. Survey and performance appraisal data were collected in three waves over a 14-month period. Data for behavioral measures - submitting suggestions, filing grievances, disciplinary actions, accidents, and sick leave used - were collected over a period of 34 months. The data were analyzed using repeated measures analyses of variance. The QC process had little demonstrable effect on the study's criterion measures for key organizational outcomes. The study did find, however, isolated significant effects on suggestion, grievance, and sick leave statistics. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)
Publication Name: Journal of Applied Behavioral Science
Subject: Social sciences
ISSN: 0021-8863
Year: 1990
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Cognitive, affective, and behavioral outcomes of participation in quality circles: conceptual and empirical findings
Article Abstract:
Little reliable longitudinal research has investigated the outcomes of participating in quality circles (QCs). This article reports the results of such a study whose evaluation criteria were developed according to a heuristic model of key cognitive, affective, and behavioral results of the QC process. A sample of 225 military and civilian employees of a U.S. Air Force base was evaluated using survey and performance appraisal measures administered within the framework of a non-equivalent control design. Analyses of covariance yielded evidence that QC participation significantly affected the study's criterion variables. The authors discuss the limitations and implications of their study and offer suggestions for future research. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)
Publication Name: Journal of Applied Behavioral Science
Subject: Social sciences
ISSN: 0021-8863
Year: 1988
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