Workshop circles

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A workshop circle is a quality circle tailored to the specific needs of German business culture . In comparison to this, the participants of a workshop group are selected depending on the relation to the previously defined topic and it has a specified task and processing time. It is a very project-oriented, all activating and pragmatic instrument ( project group ) of employee participation .

Basics

The conception of the workshop circles goes back to the consulting activities of Metaplan Thomas Schnelle GmbH . They emerged as a further development of the learning center .

The aim of the workshop circles is to:

  • Let those affected participate in the goal setting and solution processes,
  • Better integrate employees into their working environment,
  • To make working conditions and working life more humane, as well
  • To awaken the willingness of working people to commit themselves and to make the most of it.

Organization of workshop circles

In order to achieve these goals of opening up new productivity opportunities, improving the quality of the products and working conditions and a stronger identification of the workers with the company and the work, workshop circles should be structured as follows:

  • small, mixed groups of workers, foremen and foremen with 8 to 12 participants,
  • Moderation of the workshop circle by in-house, previously trained managers (usually foremen or foremen),
  • they usually meet for 5 meetings of 90 minutes each - then they dissolve again,
  • you work close to the workshop: during working hours and close to the workplace,
  • your tasks arise from problems in daily work,
  • their topics must be accepted by management and the works council,
  • Rule of thumb: up to 7 workshop circles for 1000 employees - because coordinators and moderators have to spend around three times the time of a circle for its preparation and processing,
  • their meetings are pre-structured by the moderators as a series of questions and information,
  • they use group discussion methods and bulletin board moderation .

The integration of the workshop circles into the operational structure is formally based on the model of the quality circles . An important part of the workshop circle organization is the position of the coordinator , who acts as a link between management, moderators and participants. He organizes and supervises the circles, is the contact person for all those involved and mediator in the event of problems. Since the workshop circle processes are pre-structured and the topics of the individual circles are specified, the process requires a high level of planning effort, which can be divided into four phases:

  1. The management finds the topics and uses them to develop tasks for the circle.
  2. The process is planned dramatically, the information necessary for the circular work is prepared and the moderators instructed.
  3. The four to five circle sessions are moderated in around 90 minutes each.
  4. The results are presented by the participants and processed by management. The assessment of success is also a management responsibility.

Framework

Voluntary participation, which is often required for the quality circles, is deliberately not sought in the workshop circles. They are also designed as a management and corporate development tool. By specifying a specific topic and then composing the group, depending on the topic, only those people who can also contribute to solutions are addressed directly. Due to its structural characteristics (topic specification, very limited lifespan, constantly changing staffing), a workshop group tends to focus more on specific product and work process-related problem solutions. The active participation of all workshop group participants in jointly developed solutions increases the will to implement ideas in operational practice. This is where workshop circles develop their greatest fertility. To a lesser extent, workshop circles are also used for operational training and personnel development. Based on practical experience, the willingness of middle management to change as a result of the workshop circle suggestions is the greatest bottleneck.

In the meantime, this concept is only being implemented in its original form in individual companies; in most cases it has been further developed in the sense of continuous improvement .

Companies with experience in quality circles

  • Volkswagen AG
  • PFAFF Industrie Maschinen AG
  • Gödecke / Pfizer AG, Freiburg
  • Michelin Reifenwerke SA, Karlsruhe
  • IVECO Magirus AG, Ulm
  • SWF Autoelectric GmbH, Bietigheim
  • Mannesmannröhren-Werke AG, Duisburg

literature

  • Mauch, Hansjörg: workshop circles: like workers u. Masters are involved in solving operational problems. Quickborn: Metaplan , 1981.
  • Drescher, Ulrich M .; Mauch, Hansjörg: Workshop circles based on the Metaplan method . In: Die Mitbestigung 5 (1983), p.

swell

  1. ↑ Mauch, Hansjörg: Werkstattkreis: How workers and foremen are involved in solving operational problems. Quickborn: Metaplan, 1981. pp. 5-35
  2. ↑ Kühlborn, H .; Hondke, M .: Information workshops and workshop groups at Volkswagen AG Wolfsburg. In: Progressive Operations Management and Industrial Engineering (1982) 1, pp. 28–31.
  3. ↑ Zink, Klaus; Schick, Gerhard: Quality Circles: Case Studies, Experiences, Perspectives. Munich: Hanser, 1986, - ISBN 3446146792 .