Ikegami N, Goldsmith S B
Health Care Manage Rev. 1985 Summer;10(3):45-53.
Although quality circles have been successfully introduced into U.S. hospitals, they have not fared well in Japan. In light of the fact that Japanese hospitals have within their organizational structures many elements considered a precondition for the success of quality circles, their hesitance in adopting this innovation deserves attention. It is useful to examine the reasons quality circles may be more feasible in the United States than in Japan.