Innovative Creative Circle

I attended a workshop on Quality Control Circle (QCC) with my staff last week. The workshop is aimed at coaching us to prepare a QCC project to further improve the quality of management. I was informed that QCC has been renamed to Innovative Creative Circle (ICC) to better reflect the need for innovation and creativity in quality searching. This shows that searching for quality in management has very much to do with innovative and creativity. Quality improvement is possible yet insignificant if it is not done with innovation and creativeness.

Innovation does not mean application of advance technology alone, but to me is more on using appropriate technology to suit circumstances. For example, if a work process to expedite the application can be done with an efficient work force, then it is not necessary to install any computer gestures. Even attempts to use irrelevant methods should be avoided.

I was told that ICC is not applicable to every processes. If a process can be rectified with policies change or if it is related to a directive from Government, then attempts to have an ICC to look into it should be avoided. An identified problem should be SMART and more importantly within the control and influence of the group. No point of having a problem solution that involving others for action.

A successful ICC is the one with top management blessing. The commitment and full support from top management is critical. Having said this, top management's interference in determining the direction or even style of presentation will not help in preparing a good ICC. The ICC group should be given authority and freedom to plan, do, check and act on their problem and solutions.

No matter how, importantly an ICC should be a genuine case solution. It is no point of having a fantastic presentation with wonderful skills but without substance or points to substantial their claim on the project benefits. In other words, do not bluff or doing a fake project for the sake of having ICC.