Reflection on My Role in Quality circles

Reflection on My Role in Quality circles

During my previous Degree (Masters in Computer applications), There was an issue of  technically competent students not getting proper jobs due to lack of communication and other transferable skills.  This was an opportunity to influence the department to bring a change in the way, placement preparation was done. To bring practical transferable skills in students, I introduced the concept of Quality circles, where student teams analyse an issue and suggest changes to the management and work alongside of the management in implementing the plans.

I proposed this concept to the Department head and convinced them by quoting my own previous success in previous projects and other similar cases, as it was a new approach it took about year to get approved.

Now I had the next challenge to get my peers on board, coincidentally on the same week we had a series of competition organised by the Association of MCA. I got first Prizes in, Paper presentation contest and software development contest and also a prize in Quiz contest. These achievements all though not directly related to Quality circles, had a great indirect impact to Influence my peers. Then I formed the first Quality circle focusing on the issue of developing soft skills among students. My enthusiasm was reflected in our team and also motivated two other teams from my class to take part in the project.

As a part of this process we formed a team of 6 members and identified the various issues that are to be address and chose the most vital issue by ranking. Then we used the cause and Effect diagram to identify the various sub-factors involved in this issue related to Staff, Student, system and society by brain storming within the group. To ensure further accuracy, we collected the views of other by means informal interviews and a questionnaire. Based on the data collected we made the Pareto chart which showed the 20% cause which a lead to the 80% effect. With all these well analysed information we made our implementation to tackle the issue in a well-focused manner. Few implementations include  formation Special interest groups to share knowledge , introduction of student led seminar, Regular guest lectures, Proposal of Annual student conference, Annual Team development works shops etc.

As these projects created a significant impact in our department I was by invited the Quality assurance officer to introduce the project other departments, following this I made a presentation to one more department and five other Quality circle project were initiated later it was spread across different department with 13 Projects across the institution and I was coordinating all the 13. In the following year 53 out of 60 students were placed in good companies and I was offered a consultant role in the college.
This was well appreciated by the department and the systems continued even after I left the organisation and the case study of the project received second prize in a National level conference.

I had a very good practical learning throughout the process as trying something new involved a great risk but having a clear plan and proper implementation made it successful.

 Continuation in University of Leicester, UK.

With the above experience I shared this concept with Careers advisers, Pro Vice Chancellors for Research, Head School of Management and International Strategic Director and piloted a few projects based on their suggestion and rolled out the plan for Global partnership with few Universities in India and now it is to be initiated at School of Management.In Future I am planing to suggest this to be a Part of in Leicester Award Sheme as student would gain practical skill whist getting in involved organisation development leading to a mutual benefit

Watch this space for more updates about the development Quality Circle Projects in Leicester and about the projects impletmened durign this summer.

Ram kumar - About me in 2 mins

Management Lessons in Cooking (My Special Innovative Cooking) http://www.qlock.com/time/gmaps.php?map=1

Management Lessons in Cooking (My Special Innovative Cooking)

Some thigh that adds fun and learning to my life is innovative cooking..Yes it  is INNOVATIVE…because every time a new dish invented because there is neither a fixed recipe nor a name to the dish to be cooked…It is done with hope using available ingredients..To my surprise most of the occasions it turns be delicious and importantly a lot management lessons are learnt in process here are a few

Taking Risk: More risk – More return... This is the first courageous step to start cooking understanding the risk in it, but I always realize that the result is not at the end but at every step on our progress. Yet eating my food myself would be a high risk so I have my sister usually or some friends to test it…before I taste I to take risk yet I give much importance to calculative risk

Resource Management: It is still under the category of students’ cooking hence even if I don’t have any particular facility or appropriate dish or even if we don’t have the main ingredient we don’t up we still make it..Successful with the available resource…

Strategic Planning: Cooking usually happens during a break after which we have to again return back to our activities.20 minutes. 3 items to be make 4 people to be fed. Just 5 minutes to plan. This is where our creative brain starts functioning and works goes with serious strategic planning coming out with an innovative recipe.

Understanding our competitive advantage,

I know for sure there is no better cook than me at that point of time, at least the one who make the dish I wish in the flat I cook. This will give a great confidence that, I have a positive competitive advantage as long as nobody else takes this courageous step

Most of all

.

Disaster Management,

                                             Yes sometimes the whole process becomes a disaster. This is when We should have a cool head and be a detached observer and think on further solutions and just tell ourselves

If I Succeed I become a winner

If loose I become wiser and learn the lesson out of it..

A Management lesson or learnt not only in Class rooms or libraries but also in Kitchens...hope you enjoyed reading

Confluence of Ideas and Process,

Confluence of Ideas and Process,

Some were in June 2012 I attended a workshop called Techprenuers… During the work shop each participant was asked come with an idea and a model to implement it. Now it was the right time to think of action plan which I can do at my level towards UN MDGS. I proposed a social enterprise Model for people to get involved in UN MDGS. The concept is to have a platform for all those who want to something good to the society in general …MDGs in Particular. After 3 days of Preparation I made a basic presentation on the fourth day and found that if was well received and in fact some the attendees of the works shop wanted to get involved the in project

Ideas is fine...what about action,

With this idea I had meeting with Mr. Balsunder who is my friend and mentor for all good causes and after few hours of discussion we came out with a name UniGloW (Uniting Initiators for Glorious World).Now we wanted make the first pilot implementations. We had small core group meeting with some youth who already involved in some environmental activities with us and then we formed sub teams.

Enterprising Project Support in Leicester,

Mean while there was a great support at University of Leicester for student who has an idea and wish to take forward. I discussed my Ideas with Rajinder at Career and followed by that I was suggested to attend the Bootstrap camp. The camp was three full days of workshops which conveyed everything we wanted to know about. Now I was even more clear and was ready to take up the project to a next level and with further action Plans I had few more guidance on action plans started putting my thought in to actions and found the below result

Result in the pilot

A new initiative to educate the children in Orphanage was made and a team of about 7 volunteers visited an orphanage on weekly basis and thought then basic math’s and English

Another team took up the imitative at Abode Precious home...and handled English. The teams also visited old age home and provide moral support to the elderly and also helped children affected with HIV by sponsoring Nutrition Drink and providing them with dress

Having the taste of such social activities all though were not directly reported to UN we had a satisfaction that we are doing something towards MDGs and we took a courageous step to organize a Conference on MDGs to bring further interested people together. And first official Conference of UniGloW was successfully organized on 24 September 2012... and now as team we wanted to take it forward as an internal project  relating to United Nations MDGs….and this was the inspiration for me to get involved in projects related to social enterprising in University of Leicester

 What happened after that…look for f updates in the blog …Thanks of giving you valuable time reading

The Motivation to take Extra Curricular Activities

Inspiration to for a Social Enterprise and United Nations society

One of the great enjoyments and learning during my time in Leicester is though the United Nations Society and social enterprise projects I am involved. During the year I got various Awards Such as “Most Media Appreciated Delegate” in the very first International   Model United Nations conference at Nottingham University  and  “Best Delegate” in the latest  Kingston Model United Nations Conference  at London. This is what is seen outside the tip of the iceberg … as achievement, but the most interesting bit what is lying inside and   how I got the passion toward United Nations..

Well it all started with a random face book post saying “Applications open for the Youth Conference on United Nations Millennium Development Goals”. As usual it took me the applications link with the form capturing the basic details as last came a crucial part was I have to write a short essay on motivation to attend it… Gosh….It took me 15 days to write a short essay not exceeding 500 words… Well the effort paid off...

I got reply saying “Dear Ramkumar, Congratulation  ...You are selected among the 200  talented youths internationally to attend the conference on United Nation Millennium Development Goals (UN MDGs)

All though this was moment to celebrate it made me serious as now I have responsibility for the trust entitled on me.

Visa- Rejected Boon or Bane,

At last ..those day when I didn’t have any experience of Travel outside the country…find the right procedure to apply for visa took around   1 week with just 7 days left for the conference ..Somehow visa was processed few days before the conference and reply was a rejection message due to lack of funds in my bank account. Now this should be a moment to feel sad …but I did not want to cloud my eyes which may lead to missing further opportunities.. .Now I have already done a good amount of research about UN MDGs all though could not attend the conference the preparation made was worth it. And kept a little feeling that something should be done…I would say this feeling was programming the subconscious mind. As the opportunity in the plate was missed It derived further to go deeper and dig all the other opportunities in similar lines. No wonder I found that every thigh happens for something good.

When I heard about Leicester Award and societies these previous activities triggered at the back of my mind I wanted to take the maximum benefit from it …This was the motivations behind to take up that extra mile on top my course to get involved in United Nations Society. We had may simulations of real UN on real issues. Well we made debates drafter resolutions but something was lacking …yes the there were actions coming out after our Debates and discussion. Then looked back at my previous initiative toward a project to have a platform to link the UN objectives and actions at the grass root level  this led to a project with social enterprising model…Thanks to career guided tailored to enterprising that cleared some of the blocks which were in plan… What did this really do ?.. …yes made me effective…want to know more about it…read the next blog…