You will now read a short passage and then listen to a talk on the same academic topic. You will then be asked a question about

The book makes it sound as if quality circles were some totally unique innovation. In fact the idea has been around for a long time. Look at the guilds of medieval Europe, communal work gangs in Russia before the Mongols, and more recently, Georg Sorel’s "Syndicalism."
But enough about theory. How do these groups actually work? Look right here in this city. Less than a decade ago, Klunker Car Corporation was almost bankrupt. Under a new CEO and at the union’s urging, they organized all staff into quality circles with self-elected supervisors. The groups were tasked with finding inefficiencies in production and eliminating mistakes. A further mission was to suggest improvements in the car’s design as well.
Improvements? Well, if you ever worked in a car company, you’d face many problems from weak parts like headlights. For instance, after realizing that the brightness wasn’t bright enough, the groups could design a brighter one right away. Many problems didn’t get solved until quality circles were formed. Within three months they had licked the problem! This made the cars more popular, increased sales, and is just one of dozens of little improvements that have helped save the company.