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Concern for the quality of undergraduate education and its graduates has been a recurring topic of conversation in the literature and the workplace. Student involvement has been identified as a major factor that contributes to improvement in student learning. Recent emphasis on the need for excellence in higher education has increased the use of assessment as a tool for achieving and measuring the quality of student learning. Quality circles have been used in the workplace as a means of increasing quality and productivity; however, their use in undergraduate classroom has been limited. The purpose of this paper is to report the use of the quality circle technique (student management team) in an undergraduate course. This exploratory pilot study describes the effects of a student management team (four volunteers) on student learning and student satisfaction in a Medical/Surgical nursing course for approximately 40 students. End of semester student evaluations indicated increased student ownership of the course, student satisfaction with both the course and their mastery of course content, and a positive perception of faculty concern with their learning. (Contains 13 references.) (Author/SLD)

This practicum report describes outcomes of a 12-week program to reduce suspensions at an eastern central Florida high school. The program was implemented to reduce the number of suspensions among a target group of 12 10th-grade students. Specifically, the intervention sought to reduce both the misbehavior infractions and school suspensions by two or less, as measured by school discipline records, of 75 percent of the targeted students. The students were required to meet at least 1 hour a week with faculty members who were assigned to two students each. Additionally, the faculty members and student-peer mediators met once a week in a quality-circle format to discuss implementation strategies. Suspensions and misbehavior infractions were reduced by the desired number. Faculty mentors completed a postassessment of the leadership skills of the program's developer, the vice principal, and assigned him a four out of four Likert-type responses. Contains 35 references and numerous appendices. (LMI)

New managerial techniques such as total quality management and similar worker participation programs are an important albeit controversial component of the recent changes in the workplace brought about by increasing globalization of the economy. In addition, organized labor is faced with a changing and increasingly diverse population of new workers who are generally less willing to accept unionization, more accepting of collectivism, and more accustomed to working for lower wages. Unions have traditionally resisted attempts to introduce employee involvement programs with few or no reasonable countermeasures, and management has traditionally failed to rationalize the need for employee involvement programs with organized labor or to provide ample opportunities for negotiation subsequent to implementing employee participation programs. Consequently, the success of employee participation programs has been mixed. Management has generally been unwilling to give up control, and unions have been unwilling to experiment with innovative work methods. Corporate stakeholders, management, and union leaders must all realize that their historic roles of conflict have crippled their ability to succeed and that trust and honesty on the part of management and unions alike is critical to the country's economic future. (Contains 29 references.) (MN)

This paper describes the Duke University Libraries' transition in early 1994 from its traditional hierarchical model to an organization emphasizing Total Quality Management (TQM) concepts such as self-managing teams and continuous improvement. Existing conditions at the libraries that played a role in the decision to switch included: (1) rising costs of library materials leading to less purchasing and more temporary access; (2) the arrival of networked information; (3) a truncation of time and workspace; (4) fiscal distress at other universities; (5) diminishing library share as a percentage of the overall university budget; and (6) expectation among non-MLS support staff for a career ladder in library service. The participatory approach had been getting results in technical services since the late-1980s, but it had yet to be implemented on a wider scale. Library administrators developed and made public a "Library 2000 initiative" to create a more flexible, holistic, and customer-based approach to library services. Three pilot project teams, or "quick start" teams, were assembled to define and investigate three problem areas. At the end of 3 months, the Implementation Planning Team looked at the quick start teams' work to assess the effectiveness of continuous improvement processes and of the team infrastructure. Team members were also surveyed for their comments. Then library administrators solicited proposals on organizational redesign; the 99 responses resulted in the formation of quality circles within "home teams," the new name and less hierarchical arrangement for "departments." Department heads were invited to become home team leaders. Recent team assessment has included performance criteria like inputs, processes, outputs, and outcomes as well as group-dynamics factors like inclusion, elbow room, ease of discussion, approach to conflict, support, clarity of purpose, use of skills, and leadership styles. (BEW)

A primary goal of the quality movement, like the traditional management techniques that preceded it, is to get the most committed effort possible from the members of the organization. This document surveys the literature in order to summarize the substantial debate on how to achieve that goal, and then offers a theoretical context of strategic choices faced by academic libraries. One source of disagreement is the value of performance appraisals that are customarily practiced in many academic libraries. Many proponents of total quality management (TQM) criticize appraisals for creating more anxiety than motivation and for being too general to be productive. Other TQM experts defend performance appraisals, saying that collecting relevant data and giving workers feedback is a vital part of any management scheme, including the quality movement. An administrator choosing between these opinions undertakes an almost Dantean journey: The "Divine Comedy's" literal level of meaning, for example, can be translated to persisting with straightforward appraisals, and the allegorical level to embracing quality-movement concepts such as worker empowerment (kaizen) and partnering. Dante's moral level speaks to the TQM issue of intrinsic motivation, or work for its own sake without promise of reward. His highest level, the anagogical or spiritual, can be compared to the quality movement's goal of an end to bureaucracy and hierarchy, although attachment to job status and to specialization currently present obstacles to that vision. (Contains 43 references.) (BEW)

In 1992, the SouthEastern Regional Vision for Education (SERVE) began a 3-year research-and-development effort to support four schools and two school districts in the southeastern United States in their implementation of Total Quality Management (TQM) processes. This document describes the experiences and perceptions of the participating educators. Following the introduction, chapter 2 introduces the main concepts of Total Quality Management. Chapter 3 describes the experiences of each of the pilot sites and offers a framework for systemic reform, although there is no one correct way to implement TQM. The fourth chapter presents findings of an independent evaluation of the pilot sites' implementation of TQM strategies. Data derived from focus-group and individual interviews suggest that the keys to a total-quality school include: (1) a committed and supportive leader; (2) a faculty that is open to change; (3) time for training; (4) the inclusion of all faculty in an orientation; and (5) the recognition that TQM requires a long-term commitment. Other TQM resources and efforts in the Southeast are listed. The appendix contains descriptions of TQM pilot sites. One figure and one table are included. (Contains 15 references.) (LMI)

This report briefly introduces the ideas of six influential individuals in the field of quality control, and relates these concepts to current educational innovations. Quality is defined by Philip B. Crosby as the result of a culture of relationships within an organization. W. Edwards Deming espouses intrinsic motivation for all employees, consistency of purpose, and consistent quality improvement. Armand V. Feigenbaum proposes integrating quality development, maintenance, and improvement efforts of groups within an organization. Kaoru Ishikawa emphasizes full participatory management. Joseph M. Juran stresses the "project approach" wherein solution schedules are developed as problems are identified. Taiichi Ohno's contribution is to eliminate waste in the deployment of people by developing teams and team leaders. The point is made that systems do not operate in isolation from their host communities. Dr. Deming's PDSA (Plan Do Study Act) cycle is used as an example of a quality process. Seven basic quality control tools and seven management and planning tools are described that help people organize and analyze facts, opinions, and political realities as part of the decision-making process. Total Quality Management is used to examine recent educational initiatives: site-based decision making, effective schools, strategic planning, outcome-based education, and contract schools. The 1993 work "Toward Quality in Education the Leaders' Odyssey," developed by the National LEADership Network study group on restructuring schools, places Deming's 14 points under 8 headings and compares varied educational innovations and initiatives in that context. The total systems approach is urged as the tie used to interface innovations and initiatives that schools and school districts adopt. This paper contains 89 references. (RAH)

Running a university is fast becoming more challenging than managing a large corporation, in part due to greater quality demands by more groups in the face of shrinking resources and budget cuts. This paper argues against universities conducting business as usual in the face of societal change and increasingly greater challenges, and presents ideas on how a multi-campus public university can use Total Quality Management to meet quality goals. It is suggested that the President of the institution must first ask for volunteer faculty and staff to establish a quality think-tank on campus. This group's responsibilities would include: developing a vision statement, articulating a mission, developing procedures, training, providing a forum for groups to report their experience, and being "on call" to answer questions. When using the many tools used for quality measurements (check sheets, control charts Pareto diagrams, etc.) care must be taken to consider the school's special needs and to ensure that the tools are not used inappropriately. Cost and benefit analyses for various projects are also important to control any serious long-term negative consequences for campus and student well-being. Employee empowerment in conducting continuous improvement contributes in making quality a discipline. (GLR)

This paper provides information about the development of a successful quality-assurance process in the New South Wales, Australia, school system. In 1992 the New South Wales (NSW) government announced its commitment to a program of quality-assurance reviews of schools. During that year, approximately 100 meetings were held with principals, school staff, parents, and other key groups to elicit feedback and introduce the new program. This paper summarizes the key issues discussed at the meetings. The quality-assurance review of schools will take place during the first three terms of 1993. The process will involve schools working with review teams to determine the best way to conduct the reviews. The paper defines quality-assurance reviews and provides a brief historical overview of quality assurance in the NSW Department of School Education, a summary of research and literature related to school review and development, and answers to commonly asked questions about quality assurance. It also describes future directions of the program for the rest of 1993. (LMI)

This paper narrates the experiences of a superintendent hired into Montgomery Township School District (New Jersey), an affluent, small school district with a history of labor relations problems. When hired in 1990, the new superintendent was confronted with seven pending grievance cases and the board of education's rejection of the annual school budget for the first time in 20 years. In the face of these problems, the superintendent and the Montgomery Township Education Association initiated school-based decision-making as an intermediate step to site-based management. Following a school climate survey, 25 percent of district staff members received training in communication and decision-making skills. Other efforts included: (1) the establishment of quality circles at each school to encourage staff to generate recommendations and participate in decision-making; (2) the Superintendent's Curriculum Advisory Council, comprised of staff, parents, and students, returned to its original purpose of providing curriculum and instructional recommendations as opposed to being a grievance council; and (3) advisory groups were formed to provide professional and nonprofessional staff opportunities to discuss workplace issues and recommend changes in district procedures. These efforts proved successful, as all pending grievances were settled within the district, follow-up school climate surveys reflected improved staff attitudes, and the board of education and district staff negotiated a 3-year contract. (LP)

A survey provided a description of Internal Labor Market (ILM) practices across a sample of 694 U.S. establishments. An establishment was defined as a business address and was distinct from a company. Interviews were conducted by telephone. Findings indicated that about 35 percent of private sector establishments with 50 or more employees had achieved substantial use of flexible work organization. The adoption of these forms of work organization was correlated with three factors: being in an internationally competitive product market, having a technology that required high levels of skill, and following what could be termed a "high road" strategy that emphasized variety and quality in contrast to low cost. Employer values were also important in determining whether an establishment undertook work reorganization. Evidence was also found that certain human resource practices such as high levels of training and innovative pay systems were associated with adoption of flexible work organization. (Contains 38 references as well as definitions, and 6 data tables.) (YLB)

For the past two decades, Japanese management practices have attracted a great deal of attention in the United States. Quality Circles (QCs) have been considered to be one of the most promising approaches to improving American workers' productivity. QCs are defined as small groups of employees from the same work area who meet to identify, analyze, and solve various work-related problems, and to make recommendations to management. In Japan, QC activity in chemical industries has declined significantly over the years. In the United States, QC programs have failed in more than 60 to 75 percent of the organizations in which they have been tried. This study examined the attributional differences among top management, supporting staff, and QC members. Research data were collected from a structures fabrication and assembly plant in the southwestern United States. A total of 100 employees from a cross-section of the organization completed a survey questionnaire. These participants were selected due to their experience, knowledge, and involvement in QCs. The attributional differences among top-level managers, the supporting staff, and QC members were examined using a multivariate analysis of variance. The results revealed significant differences among the three groups on seven variables. It appears that the participants are making defensive attributions concerning the failure of QCs. (LLL)

Quality circles, a management practice that involves groups of workers from the same work area voluntarily meeting on a regular basis to identify, analyze, and solve various work-related problems, have been used in Japan for over 40 years. In the United States, quality circles have been tried in many organizations during the past 2 decades and more than 60 to 75 percent of the quality circle programs in the U.S. have failed. In this study, employees' perceptions of quality circle failure were investigated. A cross-section of 100 employees of an aerostructures fabrication and assembly plant completed a survey questionnaire concerning the failure of quality circles. Respondents included blue-collar workers who were quality circle members, middle-level supporting staff and supervisors, and top-management personnel. Survey results revealed seven major factors. The most important factor thought by respondents to contribute to quality circle failure was lack of top-management support, followed by lack of quality circle members' commitment, lack of problem-solving skills, quality circle members' turnover, the nature of the task, lack of support from staff members, and lack of data and time, in that order. Furthermore, top-management personnel attributed quality circle failure significantly less to the lack of top-management support than did middle-level supporting staff and quality circle members. (Author/NB)

This paper describes an interactive strategy for the instruction of critical thinking taking place in a middle school in Dade County, Florida. The project involves integration of critical thinking and brainstorming, using the quality circle approach. Based on developmental characteristics, certain principles impact middle school curricula: (1) the learner must be an active participant; (2) strategies for learning should be taught, modeled, and retaught as necessary; and (3) small learning groups should be a regular part of classroom organization. The quality circle process as it relates to critical thinking fits with the objectives of middle school education: students are allowed to move and work with others in the class; brainstorming activities are designed to allow for frequent changes of pace as topics are discussed; the focus of the problem under discussion is narrowed and the student is allowed the experience of an interactive, positive, and supportive classroom environment; and students are able to make decisions and solve problems in an atmosphere that is nonjudgmental and supportive. The process of learning how to think critically is a crucial skill that students must be taught, and which they must practice and master; the use of quality circles has proven helpful in accomplishing this goal. (LL)

Recent educational reforms in Singapore have essentially been motivated by economic and industrial concerns. Six specific training policies and practices are being implemented to respond to the perceived requirements of new work technologies: (1) development of an increasingly flexible training system, including introduction of a dual system; (2) reorganization of the supply of vocational training by reducing the supply of training as more students go to the polytechnics and as workplace apprenticeship replaces training; provision of most training at the postsecondary level, and absorbing excess faculty; (3) retraining of older workers to increase the aggregate level of qualified workers and to avoid unemployment; (4) provision of basic skills training in the workplace; (5) creation and use of vocational training institutions that provide training in the organizational habits, culture, language, and working styles of potential multinational investors; and (6) training for new occupations through multiskilling. Rapid technological change requires more technical education--but a technical education based on a higher, not a lower or watered-down level of academic preparation. The crux of the matter is that no amount of pre-service education or training will suffice to deal with the changing needs of the workplace brought about by technological development. Signs of the merging of education and training are the expanding catalogues of continuing education courses and provision of technical services to industries by training institutions which are discovering that in order to teach they may also have to learn. Firms in Singapore have been recruiting all graduates of the education and training system, but some still invest in training. They have also discovered that organizational learning through participation of all those involved in production is a condition for survival. (Contains 10 references.) (YLB)

Quality circles (QCs) are small volunteer groups of workers who meet weekly with a trained leader operating to a strict code of conduct. They use techniques of brainstorming, cause and effect classification, pareto analysis, and presentation to consider work-related problems and recommend solutions to management. QCs have been tried in educational institutions in North America. Two QC-related experiments in the United Kingdom have distinct differences from the pure model. Accrington and Rossendale College was suffering problems of low morale in a period of rapid change, when QCs offered an opportunity to develop participation. A research project introduced the program to staff at a series of meetings and canvassed their views. Following training of volunteers, four QCs formed among library, technician, administrative, and Business and Management Studies Department teaching staff. Problems considered included overdue library books, insurance, external appearance of the college, and storage space. An evaluation identified a particularly important benefit: the staff development opportunity for support staff. QCs proved valuable in avoiding rushed decision making. The techniques themselves were helpful in other settings. Problems were opposition from middle managers who discouraged staff attendance and opposition from lecturing staff who saw circles as one change too many. (Appendixes include 45 references and a case study of one QC's solution to a problem.) (YLB)

Although there is little literature on the topic, there seems to be no reason why quality circles (QCs) could not be implemented in an educational organization. The most important obstacles are the seeming lack of tangible results in education, the lack of a tradition of group decision making and participative management, and the confusion over formal lines of responsibilities. QCs can be a tool for the whole organization to improve its effectiveness. QCs can improve the effectiveness and efficiency of organizational processes through effects on interpersonal and interdepartmental relationships, such as improved communication, understanding of others, and decreased absenteeism and frustrations. The inherent weakness of QCs is that they need to operate within the social effects they are claimed to produce themselves. More and better research is needed to find the effects QCs can yield under what conditions. Theory-building is needed. Management in training and education should reconsider the QC concept and seriously balance potential benefits and caveats. (Includes 8 pages of references and 11 pages of documents reviewed.) (CML)

External quality audits are now being used in universities across the world to improve quality assurance, accountability for quality education and transparency of public funding of higher education. Some countries such as Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Sweden and Denmark have had external quality audits for more than a decade but there has been limited research as to their impact. This study analyses the extent to which external audits in Australia have improved quality assurance in universities over the past 10 years. The analysis is based on discussions with 40 participants in a workshop on the effectiveness of audits and the review of 60 external quality audit reports between 2001 and December 2010. The research found that while external audits have led to an improvement in systems and processes in Australian universities, they have not necessarily improved the student experience. This lack of impact on the student experience in Australia is similar to other countries, according to the literature review. This study is timely in its analysis on the effectiveness of the current improvement-led audits, as government in Australia is in the process of renewing quality assurance arrangements of higher education institutions with a focus on standards and outcomes.