Improving Quality of Work Life through Effective Organizational Design and Management

Certain evolutionary changes are occuring within American industry which contain many implications for the ways in which organizations are managed and operated. The use of alternative management systems is one way to cope with these changes. The solution to human resources problems has become just as important as the introduction of new technologies and the generation of capital. A growing body of evidence seems to suggest that quality of work life (QWL) programs are appropriate interventions to enhance both organizational performance and quality of work life for the individual. Quality of work life programs are a key element in human resource management strategies of many major corporations. QWL as a concept will be defined, trends will be identified, and issues for the future will be raised. Case examples where quality and QWL are valued elements of organizational culture will be given where quality and QWL are treated as significant outcomes. Developmental and implementation aspects of a quality circle program will be presented along with lessons learned. A large scale joint union-management QWL effort will be discussed and significant features of this program will be identified. Empirically derived guidelines for implementation of QWL programs and the integration of QWL programs with supervisory training will also be addressed.