In a high performance work organization (HPWO), employee basic skills are just one of many components. HPWOs feature the following: they have flatter organizational structures, have work done by teams of highly skilled workers, and have a focus on quality, customer service, and continuous improvement. The collaborative approach to workplace…

Quality Circles (QC's) consist of small groups of people who perform the same work and who voluntarily meet on a regular basis to discuss problems, seek solutions, and cooperate with management in the implementation of those solutions. QC's operate on the premise that employee participation in decision making and problem solving improves the…

Quality work teams that are based on W. Edwards Deming's business-management theories have proliferated at the school and district levels to handle problem solving and decision making. Teams are said to build stronger relationships among those involved in education and, ultimately, to benefit students because more people with broader perspectives…