Journal of Applied Psychology 1986, Vol. 71, No. 1,61-69 Copyright 1986 by the American Psychological Association, Inc. 0021-9010/B6/S00.75 Employee Participation in a Quality Circle Program: Impact on Quality of Work Life, Productivity, and Absenteeism Mitchell Lee Marks California School of Professional Psychology—Los Angeles Edward J. Hackett Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Philip H. Mirvis Center for Applied Social Science Boston University James F. Grady, Jr. National Board of Medical Examiners, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania The impact of participation in a Quality Circle (QC) program on employee quality of work life (QWL) attitudes and on productivity and absenteeism behaviors was studied among direct labor employees in a manufacturing firm. Participants (n = 46) and nonparticipants (n = 46) were surveyed before and after implementation of the QC program. Multiple regression analysis revealed a positive relation between QC participation and changes in QWL perceptions in areas directly involved in QC activities but not in more general work life areas. Given that participants' QWL scores tended not to change and nonparticipants tended to report decreases in QWL from before to after the QC program imple- mentation, the results suggest QC involvement acted more to provide social support to buffer participants from negative contextual factors than to enhance equality of work life. Organizational records also were assessed from 6 months before to 24 months after adoption of the QC program and showed that QC participation led to improvements in employee productivity and absenteeism rates. While organizations attempt to make better use of their re- sources by demanding increased productivity from employees, many people in the contemporay workforce have their own de- mands for jobs that allow them to make greater use of their skills and knowledge, that meet their expectations that work should be meaningful, and that provide intrinsic rewards (O'Toole, 1977). As an intervention to meet these demands, managers from many American work organizations are giving attention to Quality Circle (QC) programs popularized in Japan. Though some minor modifications do exist across specific applications, most QC programs tend to share a basic format: small groups of people who perform similar work voluntarily meet on a regular basis to discuss, analyze, and propose solutions to work-related problems. Although directed toward solving job-related quality problems and improving methods of production, QC activities are expected to lead also to improved working conditions and greater opportunities for expression and self-development for participating employees—aspects of one's "psychological quality of work life" (Lawler, 1975)—and to increased productivity and cost reductions (Cole, 1980). Despite the frequency with which Quality Circle programs have been adopted in work organizations, there is a paucity of knowledge generated by independent evaluators using rigorous methods as to the impact of participation in a QC on employee attitudes and behaviors. The available reports are limited to tes- timonials from managers and consultants who have implemented We thank the two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments and Ladd Graham and James Stophcl for their efforts in preparing the manuscript. Correspondence concerning this article should be sent to Mitchell Lee Marks, Organizational Psychology Program, California School of Profes- sional Psychology, 2235 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90057. QC programs (e.g., Barra, 1983; Schwartz & Comstock, 1979). Reported results tend to be unsubstantiated statements such as "the QC program raised employee morale" rather than carefully denned or measured changes in work life facets. Some reports, however, cite behavioral data showing that rates of tardiness, absenteeism, and work reductions have been reduced for QC participants (Beardsley & Dewar, 1977; Yeager, 1979). Although there is little evidence regarding how Quality Circle participation might specifically influence employee quality of work life, productivity, and attendance in organizations, much of the logic of the QC technique follows from broader organi- zational behavior knowledge. That is, the claims made by QC proponents—though not scientifically observed within the QC context—are consistent with the findings observed from other participative or job design manipulations in organizations. First, the basic objectives of a Quality Circle program are to generate high-quality solutions to work-related problems and to improve communication channels, both hierarchical and lateral. Quality Circles are claimed to enhance the decision making pro- cess by providing a setting in which the assets of group decision making—greater sum total of knowledge, variety of approaches to a problem, and better comprehension of decision (Maier, 1967)—can be realized. Moreover, QCs are purported to facilitate communication not only of work-related problems within groups, but also of organizational goals, procedures, and problems and opportunities located outside of one's work group. Most studies show that participation contributes to the amount of information employees have about decisions and to their feelings of com- mitment to the successful implementation of decisions (Locke & Schweiger, 1979). Next, Quality Circles are said to improve the job characteristics for those who participate in the technique. The claims of QC proponents parallel the principles of job design theories, such as