Dr. Deming was legendary when I studied business in the 1970's. Several of my econ, business management, and QBA professors regularly lauded him in their lectures. He was the first person of note to quantify quality. Most all modern quality systems are offshoots of his original teachings.

While doing my undergrad work at the University of Louisville, a two-day symposium was offered with Dr. Deming as the main "professor". After the first day, I was in awe of his intelligence, and his absolute mastery of business quality. At the end, I took time to thank him for his time, and his sharing of his knowledge. I only have a few "heroes" in business, and Dr. Deming is one of them.

I also found that manufacturing at Ford, at the time, was strictly hit or miss. I took eagerly took his methods back to our plant, and was firmly told that we didn't have time for a lot of "statistical mumbo-jumbo" (the exact words of our "Quality Control" manager). What I did do, though, was to keep track of things like scrapped parts, and vehicle assembly errors. Even manually done, I could still pinpoint where problems could be.

It took near bankruptcy for the powers at Ford to realize that you could isolate quality problems using quantitative data, and improve the product in quantum terms.

Japan was devastated by WW II, yet it turned into a manufacturing powerhouse. How did they manage that? Simple: Professor W. Edwards Deming.

Professor Deming developed a system of manufacturing that was better, and he presented it to American manufacturers. They were making more money than they knew what to do with, and they practically laughed him out of their offices. Then he went to Japan. Japanese businessmen saw the benefits of his plan and adopted it.

Now, the highest award in Japanese industry is the Deming Medal.

Professor Deming was involved in the improvements in production times for the Liberty ships constructed in the USA for WWll. Having proved the clear benefits of "continuous improvement" and principles of Statistical Process Control (SPC)his methods and advice were rejected by industrialists in his own country. The devastated condition of the Japanese infrastructure meant that Deming was welcomed as part of US aid to rebuild and reconstruct their industrial base. The American management "culture", therefore, not only threw away the opportunity that Deming offered but lost the benefits to what became a major competitor.
I received training in SPC here in the UK along with the rest of his methods which were so refreshing to hear and revealed obvious benefits. My tutor warned me that the main obstacle to implementation would be opposition from my management. Never a truer word was spoken! It started immediately with the very person who had actually sent me for training. I'd guess that management in the USA has developed in the same way as in Britain. Strong-minded, self confident and decisive individuals with ambition thrust themselves forward and demand recognition and advancement within an organisation to become "top dog". Having achieved control they then tend to promote those who they judge to fit their own image and must obviously be of the "right stuff". These people are gung-ho, "let's get this show on the road", "if you aren't with us get out of my way" people. They drive through whatever fits their agenda and "fly by the seat of my pants" based on "experience". What I found is that like gamblers they only talk about their successes and all mistakes are buried with others blamed. They hate the idea of making decisions based on measured evidence as it takes away the thrill they feel from being in complete control. In a Japanese factory an operator of a process maintains records of events and is trained to analyse causes of quality failures and can make decisions to take actions to eliminate them. I have worked in Factories where the operator is under contract to immediately inform a superior for them to make decisions. Deming's only failure was not to show how the old managers needed to be removed. The main problem is the inertia that existing organisations have which tend to be in the interests of those in control. Digital quartz watch mechanisms were developed in a Swiss university but were rejected by the Swiss watchmakers who were invested in mechanical watches (less accurate too). Japanese manufacturers attended an exhibition in Switzerland and immediately bought into the new technology. History can be a cycle of missed opportunities.

Dr Deming, like so many other efficiency experts, is amazing to study. I have bought Japanese cars for years, several made in the US. Interesting facts though. Since 1960 Japan has had 13 years with negative economic growth rates, 12 of those in the last 30 years. In the same period, the United States has had one year with negative growth rates. The average per capita GDP is $40 K in Japan and $65 K in the US. There simply is much more to an economy than automobile, watch and camera production methods. Watching Japanese men walk through the subway at rush hour, I was struck with the notion that possibly the same characteristics, the same national temperament, that made Deming so effective in Japan, are the same features that have led to their national economic malaise.