Quality Circles: an Exploratory Study of Their Efficacy for Improving School Decision Structures.

The purpose of this study was to examine the application of quality circles in education. The study focused on three areas related to quality circles: (1) job satisfaction, (2) meaningful work attributes, and (3) the decision making process. To explore the efficacy of quality circles in education a study of four schools using this participative decision making process was conducted. Data were collected through a survey questionnaire and by interviewing selected personnel at each of the quality circle buildings. A control group (non-quality circle school) was also identified in three of the four districts, and a similar survey questionnaire was distributed. According to circle member perceptions, quality circle participation had a significant effect on job satisfaction, team building, group cohesiveness and decision making. Generally, it appeared that the longer one belonged to a quality circle the more satisfied he or she was in each of these categories. Conversely, those not involved in quality circles has a lower ranking in job satisfaction and saw little carryover of the quality circle concept into other decision making facets of the organization. In the area of meaningful work there were no statistically significant differences between members and non-members in quality circles or the experimental group (members only) and the control group in the quality circle attributes of autonomy, challenging work and learning opportunities. Significant differences were found between the groups in the category of team building. Members of quality circles expressed more of the traits inherent in team building than non-members of quality circles. There were no differences indicated between quality circle members and employees in the control group in the category of team building. Further, the data did not indicate significant differences between members and non-members in quality circles regarding the amount of actual input that employees have in decision making issues or between the experimental group (members only) and the control group. The small sample size for this study coupled with the fact that the quality circle programs were at the developmental stage in each site suggest that further research would be appropriate. Nevertheless, the results indicate that quality circles have some merit for school systems.PhDEducational administrationUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/161395/1/8712118.pd