Prison riots and politics: NPP’s biggest challenge and Sri Lanka’s biggest opportunity

My confidence in the Quality Circle concept continued to grow. I became increasingly convinced that, if properly adapted to our culture, it could make a significant contribution to improving both organizational performance and the quality of employees’ working lives in Sri Lanka. Around this time, the Asian Productivity Organization (APO) organized a multi-country study mission on Quality Circles. It was an excellent opportunity to learn directly from countries that had successfully implemented the concept. Naturally, I submitted my application. To my disappointment, I was not selected. Ironically, the authorities nominated another individual who, as far as I knew, had never previously encountered the concept of Quality Circles. Such disappointments are part of life, and one learns to accept them with good grace. When he returned from the study mission, I approached him with genuine enthusiasm. I suggested that we join forces with a few like-minded colleagues to promote Quality Circles throughout Sri Lanka.His response was immediate. “This will never work in Sri Lanka.” I smiled politely but remained unconvinced. Time has an interesting way of proving people either right or wrong. In this instance, the prediction could not have been more mistaken. Today, the National Convention on Quality and Productivity attracts well over 500 Quality Circles from companies and government institutions across the country, with participation continuing to grow year after year. That experience reinforced an important lesson I have observed repeatedly throughout my career. Truly new ideas are often dismissed as impractical until they become accepted practice. Had every innovator accepted the verdict that “it will never work”, much of the world’s progress would never have occurred. My first international conference paper Not long afterwards, while attending another conference in Kuala Lumpur, chance intervened once again. As I wandered through the exhibition area during a break, I noticed a collection of brochures and leaflets displayed on a table. One immediately caught my attention. It was a call for papers for the forthcoming International Convention on Quality Circles. I picked it up almost absent-mindedly. By the time I returned to Sri Lanka, however, I had made up my mind. Why not share our experience with the international community? I prepared an abstract describing how I had modified the Japanese Quality Circle model to suit Sri Lankan organizational culture while preserving its fundamental principles. To my great delight, the organizers accepted the abstract and invited me to submit the full paper for presentation. For a relatively young professional, this represented a tremendous honour. The organizers also offered a substantial concession on the conference registration fee for paper presenters. That solved one problem, but another remained. How was I going to pay for the airfare? As fortune would have it, I noticed an advertisement by Pilgrimways Tours promoting a group package to Bangkok. Better still, the travel dates coincided almost perfectly with the conference schedule. Problem solved. I joined the tour group and travelled to Bangkok. The contrast between the priorities of my fellow travellers and my own still makes me smile. After checking into the hotel on the first evening, most members of the tour disappeared into Bangkok’s famous nightlife. While they were enjoying themselves, I remained in my room rehearsing my presentation repeatedly, determined not to waste the opportunity that had come my way. The following morning presented another challenge. The conference was being held at the Dusit Thani Hotel—or so my memory tells me—but I simply could not afford taxi fares. Instead, dressed in a full business suit, I walked all the way from my modest hotel to the conference venue. The journey took nearly 45 minutes. I can still remember walking along the dusty streets of Bangkok, perspiring heavily in the tropical heat and wondering whether people thought I was rather eccentric. Nevertheless, every step was worthwhile. The convention itself was outstanding. Researchers and practitioners from many countries exchanged ideas, demonstrated successful projects and discussed the future of Quality Circles. For me, it was an invaluable learning experience. When my turn came to present, everything went remarkably well. The audience responded positively to the paper, particularly to the way the Japanese model had been adapted rather than merely copied. That experience strengthened my belief that management practices cannot simply be transplanted from one country to another. They must first be understood, then carefully adapted to local culture while preserving their essential philosophy. Looking back today, I sometimes reflect that those 45 minutes of walking through Bangkok probably became one of the best investments I ever made in my professional life. Building lasting friendships with the Quality Circle Forum of India One of the greatest benefits of attending international conferences is not merely listening to presentations but meeting people who share the same passion. During the convention, I became acquainted with several of the senior office-bearers of the Quality Circle Forum of India (QCFI). These gentlemen had already built one of the strongest Quality Circle movements outside Japan and possessed a wealth of practical experience. Despite my relative inexperience, they received me warmly. They willingly shared their constitution, organizational structure, operational procedures and numerous publications. Their generosity saved us years of trial and error. More importantly, these professional relationships gradually developed into lifelong friendships. Even today, the links between the Quality Circle movements of Sri Lanka and India remain exceptionally close. Over the years, both countries have learned much from one another, and I remain deeply grateful to our Indian colleagues for the encouragement and assistance they extended during those formative years. Sometimes, the greatest contribution one organization can make to another is simply to share its experience openly and generously. Sri Lanka joins the international movement Following the establishment of the Quality Circle Association of Sri Lanka, another important opportunity arose. An International Convention on Quality Control Circles (ICQCC) was scheduled to be held in New Delhi. During the discussions, the QCFI proposed that Sri Lanka should be admitted to the ICQCC Coordinating Committee. We were honoured. However, not everyone shared the same enthusiasm. Some representatives from other member countries felt that Sri Lanka’s Quality Circle movement was still too young. In their view, we had not yet earned a place among the more established nations. I therefore found myself answering numerous questions about our activities, our achievements and our future plans. It was, in effect, an oral examination. Fortunately, I had accumulated sufficient practical experience to answer every question confidently. After considerable discussion—and with the vigorous support for which our Indian friends are well known—Sri Lanka was finally admitted. Not everyone appeared pleased with the decision, but we had earned our place. Many years later, when the ICQCC was held in Colombo, I had the privilege of proposing Bangladesh for membership. The proposal was accepted unanimously. Perhaps that was one small example of the spirit of regional cooperation that organizations such as SAARC sought to promote. Establishing the Quality Circle Association of Sri Lanka By this time, it had become increasingly clear that Sri Lanka needed a national body to promote, coordinate and support Quality Circle activities. Drawing extensively upon the successful experience of the Quality Circle Forum of India, we drafted our own constitution and formally established the Quality Circle Association of Sri Lanka (QCASL). I was privileged to be elected as its first President. Those early years were both exciting and demanding. We organized seminars, workshops, demonstrations, practical clinics and, eventually, our own National Quality Circle Convention. Since the concept was still unfamiliar to many organizations, education became one of our principal objectives. Our newsletter also played an important role. Under the guidance of an energetic editor, it carried articles, case studies, reports on successful projects and news of Quality Circle activities both locally and overseas. Gradually, a growing community of practitioners began sharing ideas and learning from one another. One of the most memorable milestones was our first National Convention, held at the Colombo Hilton Hotel. It proved to be a landmark event. Among the many presentations, one remains especially vivid in my memory. A young female Quality Circle leader from a factory was describing the intangible benefits her team had gained through participation. Towards the end of her presentation, she made a simple but deeply moving remark. “I never imagined that someone like me would one day have the opportunity to make a presentation in a five-star hotel.” Those few words captured the true spirit of Quality Circles. The greatest achievement was not merely solving production problems or improving quality. It was giving ordinary employees the confidence to analyze problems, communicate effectively and present their ideas before senior managers with pride and dignity. Interestingly, the Hilton management had initially expressed some concern about hosting large numbers of factory workers. They wondered how comfortable these visitors would be in a luxury hotel environment. By the conclusion of the convention, however, they told us that ours had been one of the most disciplined, courteous and well-behaved groups ever to use their facilities. That compliment pleased me enormously, because it demonstrated once again that people invariably rise to the level of trust and respect shown to them. Spreading the message further At about the same time, another opportunity arose to spread the Quality Circle philosophy even more widely. I was serving on the Executive Committee of the Japan–Sri Lanka Technical and Cultural Association, an organization that had done much to strengthen ties between the two countries. During one of our committee meetings, someone suggested organizing a seminar on Quality Circles to introduce the concept to a wider audience. I readily accepted the challenge. The response exceeded all our expectations. The first seminar attracted an overwhelming number of participants. In fact, so many organizations wished to attend that we were compelled to organize two further seminars within the following three months simply to accommodate the demand. It became increasingly clear that Sri Lankan managers were searching for practical ways of involving employees more meaningfully in improving quality, productivity and organizational performance. Quality Circles appeared to offer precisely that opportunity. As word spread, more organizations began experimenting with the concept. Some succeeded immediately, while others required more time and guidance. Nevertheless, the movement had begun to gather momentum. An unfortunate setback Unfortunately, organizations, like individuals, sometimes lose sight of the very ideals upon which they were founded. Following my departure from the Quality Circle Association of Sri Lanka, disagreements gradually emerged among some of the office-bearers. What began as differences of opinion eventually developed into personal accusations and internal disputes. The harmony and unity that had characterized the Association during its formative years slowly disappeared. Eventually, the Association ceased to function. I watched these developments with considerable sadness. Years of hard work appeared to have been undone, not because the Quality Circle concept had failed, but because people had allowed personal differences to overshadow the larger mission. It was another valuable lesson in management. Building an organization is difficult. Sustaining it is even more difficult. No matter how noble its objectives, an organization can survive only if its members continue to place the common good above individual interests. A new beginning As the years passed, many colleagues and friends repeatedly approached me with the same request.”Why don’t you restart the Association?” Others suggested forming an entirely new organization. They believed, as I did, that Sri Lanka still needed a national institution dedicated to promoting Quality Circles, productivity improvement and continuous improvement practices. Initially, I hesitated. Starting an organisation from scratch requires enormous commitment, and I had many other professional responsibilities. Yet the requests continued. Eventually, I agreed. A small group of committed enthusiasts came together to establish a new organization—the Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Quality and Productivity (SLAAQP). None of us imagined that our inaugural meeting would coincide with one of the darkest days in Sri Lanka’s history. On the very morning scheduled for the inauguration, terrorists launched the devastating attack on the Central Bank in Colombo. Many innocent people lost their lives, hundreds were injured, and the city was plunged into fear and confusion. Shattered glass, damaged buildings and scenes of devastation confronted everyone who ventured into the city that day. Several colleagues suggested postponing the inauguration. Their concerns were perfectly understandable. After giving the matter careful thought, however, I decided that we should proceed.If we abandoned our plans at the first sign of adversity, what message would that send about our own commitment? In the end, only four or five people managed to attend. Yet, with that tiny gathering, we formally inaugurated the Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Quality and Productivity. Looking back today, I believe that one of the Association’s greatest strengths lay not in the size of its inaugural meeting but in the determination of the few who refused to allow fear to overcome purpose. Many successful organizations have had surprisingly modest beginnings. Remaining connected to the international movement Throughout both the QCASL and SLAAQP years, I made it a point to attend every International Convention on Quality Control Circles. People sometimes asked how our relatively modest Association managed to finance such regular overseas participation. The answer was simple. It did not. I was careful never to burden the Association financially. Whenever possible, I arranged my business commitments so that I could combine visits to our principals and associates in Japan with attendance at the annual convention. By carefully planning my itinerary, I was able to use the same airline ticket to stop over in cities such as Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Bali or Seoul, where the conventions were often held. This approach enabled me to remain closely connected with developments around the world while ensuring that the Association’s limited resources could be devoted to supporting activities within Sri Lanka. It was a small personal contribution, but one that I was happy to make. The International Convention on Quality Control Circles rotates annually among its 13 member countries. Attending these conventions not only exposed me to the latest developments in participative management but also enabled me to establish friendships with practitioners from many parts of the world—friendships that have endured to this day. Looking back with gratitude Over the years, many people began referring to me as “Mr Quality Circles” or even “the Father of Quality Circles in Sri Lanka.” Although I always regarded such descriptions as generous exaggerations, one incident associated with the title has remained firmly in my memory. On one occasion, I was introduced at a public meeting as “the Father of Quality Circles in Sri Lanka.” Among those present was the distinguished Toastmaster, Mr Haleem Ghouse. When the programme ended, he came up to me with a broad smile and offered a piece of advice that only a seasoned humourist could have delivered. “Sunil,” he said, “never allow anyone to introduce you as the father of Quality Circles.” I looked at him rather puzzled. He continued, with impeccable comic timing: “Because paternity is only an opinion—only maternity is a fact!” We both burst into laughter. His witty remark has remained with me ever since, and whenever anyone attempts to bestow that title upon me, I cannot help recalling Haleem’s delightful observation. A journey worth taking As I reflect upon this remarkable journey, I experience a deep sense of gratitude. What began as a single factory visit in Japan in 1980 eventually evolved into a lifelong mission to promote participative management in Sri Lanka. I had no grand master plan. I simply encountered an idea that inspired me and felt compelled to share it with others. The journey was far from smooth. There were disappointments, sceptics who dismissed the concept as impractical, failed experiments, organisational setbacks and moments when the future seemed uncertain. Yet there were also extraordinary rewards. I had the privilege of watching thousands of ordinary employees discover talents they never realized they possessed. Factory workers became confident presenters. Supervisors became facilitators rather than controllers. Managers learned to listen. Organizations discovered that those closest to the work often possessed the best ideas for improving it. Perhaps that, more than anything else, is the enduring lesson of Quality Circles. Every employee deserves not only the opportunity to work but also the opportunity to think, contribute and grow. Last year, I experienced one of the proudest moments of my professional life when the Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Quality and Productivity decided to name its highest recognition for Quality Circle achievement the Sunil G. Wijesinha Award for Quality Circles Excellence.For someone who simply wished to introduce an inspiring Japanese management practice to Sri Lanka nearly half a century ago, that honour was both deeply humbling and profoundly gratifying. Awards eventually fade into history, but seeing an idea continue to benefit future generations is a reward beyond measure. In my next episode, I shall describe another fascinating chapter of this journey—the introduction of the Japanese 5S workplace management system to Sri Lanka, a movement that would eventually spread to hundreds of organisations across the country and become one of the most widely practiced Japanese management techniques in Sri Lankan industry. by Sunil G. Wijesinha