In 1950, what did Japan want that the United States had; simultaneously, what did the United States have and not want? The answer, W. Edward Deming, a statistician, teacher, and founder of Total Quality Management. Ignored by American corporations, Deming went to Japan in 1950 at age 49 and taught Japanese managers, engineers and scientists how to manufacture quality (Dobyns 1990, 75). Thirty years later, after viewing a television documentary on NBC, entitled, "If Japan Can, Why Can’t We?" corporations like Ford, General Motors, and Dow Chemical, to name a few took notice and sought Deming’s advice (Parshall 1991, 65).
Deming’s life became a whirlwind of consultations and lectures. Widely sought after, Deming shared his now famous "14 points" and "7 Deadly Sins" with some of America’s largest corporations. His quality standards became commonplace in management textbooks, and the Deming award, first awarded in Japan but now recognized internationally, is now sought after by some of the world’s largest corporations.
Deming’s early life was characterized by poverty and hard work. He was born on October 14, 1900, in Sioux City, Iowa. His father, a struggling lawyer, staked a land claim in Powell, Wyoming, moving the family there when Deming was seven. They lived in a four-room tar paper shack where worry about their next meal was a part of their daily regimen. Deming went to work when he was eight years old doing menial jobs for a local hotel. With savings in hand, Deming left Powell at age 17 for Laramie and the University of Wyoming where he studied engineering. He received a Ph.D. in mathematical physics at Yale University in 1927 where he was employed as a teacher (Dobyns 1990, 79-80). Deming was offered many positions in private industry but took a job working for the Department of Agriculture in Washington, DC. It was here that Deming met his wife, Lola Sharpe, who he married in 1932, and was introduced to his mentor, Walter Shewhart, a statistician for Bell Labs whose writings impacted his life and became the foundation for his teachings (Dobyns 1990, 80).
During World War II, Deming taught American technicians and engineers statistics that would improve the quality of war materials. It was this job that brought him to the notice of the Japanese. After the war, then, the Union of Japanese Scientists and Engineers sought Deming out. In July, 1950, Deming met with the Union who introduced him to the top managers of Japan’s companies (Dobyns 1990, 80). For the next thirty years, Deming would devote time and effort to teaching the Japanese and "transformed their reputation for manufacturing from laughable to laudable (Nulty 1994, 124)."
Why was Deming a success in Japan and an unknown in America? Deming was invited to Japan when their industry and economy were in a crisis. They listened. They changed the way they thought, their managerial style, their treatment of employees, and they took their time. By following Deming’s philosophy, the Japanese turned their economy and productivity around to become leaders in the world market. So impressed by this turnabout, Emperor Hirohito awarded Deming Japan’s Second Order Medal of the Sacred Treasure. The citation said "the Japanese people attribute the rebirth of Japanese industry and its worldwide success to Ed Deming (Dobyns 1990, 77)".
It was not until the June of 1980 broadcast on NBC of a documentary detailing Japan’s industrial success that American corporations paid attention (Dobyns 1990, 77- 78). Faced with dwindling production outputs and increased costs, corporate CEO’s began consulting with Deming on an ongoing basis. They found that fast, easy solutions typical to corporate America didn’t work. Deming’s principles stated that by using statistical measurements, a company should be able to chart how a particular system is working and then develop ways to improve on that system. Through an ongoing transformation process, and by following Deming’s Fourteen Points and Seven Deadly Sins, companies would be in a position to keep pace with the ever-changing economic environment. Obviously, this was a much longer, more involved process than American corporations were used to; hence, the resistance to Deming’s ideas. Deming’s Fourteen Points and Seven Deadly Sins are as follows:
The Fourteen Points
The Seven Deadly Sins
Deming made himself available to corporate America on a consulting basis and to individuals on the lecture and seminar tour for the next thirteen years of his life. Though he died in 1993, his work lives on. Mission statements, such as Ford’s "Quality is Job 1," are recognized throughout the industry; business courses are taught using his principles as integral parts of curriculum; and the abbreviation TQM (Total Quality Management) is widely known and commonly used throughout corporate America. Is the world a better place because of Deming? Corporations and industries whose products enhance the lives of people everywhere have found the following to be true: if Deming’s principles are in place and functioning within their businesses, "quality goes up, costs go down and the savings can be passed on to the customer (Dobyns 1990, 76)". Customers get quality products, companies get higher revenues and the economy grows. On a material, economic plane, the world is certainly a better place because of the ideas and teachings of Ed Deming.
Cummings, Thomas and Christopher Worley. 1989. Organization Development and Change. Rev. Ed. St. Paul: West, 1993.
Dobyns, Lloyd. 1990. "Ed Deming wants big changes and he wants them fast." Smithsonian 21: 74-80.
Nulty, P. 1994. "The National Business Hall of Fame." Fortune 129: 124
Parshall, G. 1991. "The Man Who Gave Japan the Business." U.S. News & World Report 110:65.
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