Dissertation Research: Quality Control Circles in Japanese Manufacturing: A Cultural Analysis of Worker's Motivation and Participation

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The goal of this research is to gain an understanding of the social nature of Japanese quality control circles by examining the objectives, motivations, and attitudes of workers who participate in these circles. Such circles group workers who are responsible for the manufacture of a variety of items in a factory setting. Their purpose is to provide management with suggestions to improve the quality and efficiency of production. Previous studies have focused on how management organized such circles and the goals they established. However, this study looks at such circles from the point of view of the workers and therefore seeks to determine whether worker goal's are in conflict with management and how management and workers negotiate mutually beneficial relationships in the pursuit of commons goals. The research will provide valuable training in developing ethnographic research skills in Japan.