Deming’s Challenge to Us, Part 1

It’s our responsibility to help management ‘get’ quality

While doing some research for my book on W. Edwards Deming’s activities during World War II, I came across some fascinating information, particularly in Nancy R. Mann’s book, The Keys to Excellence (Mercury Business Books, 1989). I wrote this column based on my research notes and excerpts from Mann’s book.

In 1942, Deming was working for the Bureau of the Census and served as a consultant to the Secretary of War. He received a letter from W. Allan Wallis, who was a member of the statistics faculty at Stanford University. Wallis and several other members were seeking ways to contribute to the war effort. Deming responded that, “The only useful function of a statistician is to make predictions, and thus to provide a basis for action.”

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Deming’s Challenge to Us

G'day Tripp, Suggest these two books would be worthwhile on Dr Deming, Sarasohn, Protzman, Juran, Feigenbaum. "Quality of Else" by Dobbins and Crawford from NBC who produced "If Japan can why can't we" doco. Also Dr Ishikawa's last book "Introduction to QC" as it talks about the changeover from Dr Demining and then to Dr Juan and the "three reasons". It points to and supports your QD article about what has gone awry with trying to copy Toyota's TPS without TPS in context with their other 'systems' included the three centred around TQM and the Science of SQC as Shewhart and Deming would love (Prof Amasaka's "New JIT 25 year Toyota research is sobering"). Good read Tripp and we too in Australia struggle and get frustrated as Dr Deming found with management not getting Quality WITH Productivity. HBR's April on the 3 Rules of Successful Businesses from the last 44 years is in support of your book. Michael

Access to quality digest articles

I would like to access the following books or rather have an interest in acquiring them:

Besterfield, D. H. Quality Control. PEARSON Prentice Hall International: 7th Edition, 2004.

Capezio, P. Morehouse, D. Taking The Mystery Out Of TQM. Career Press: 2nd Edition, 1995.

Cooper, D.R. Shindler. P.S. Business Research Methods. New York MacGraw-Hill, 11th Edition, 2011.

Crosby. Quality Is Still Free: Making Quality In Uncertain Times. New York McGraw-Hill, 1996.

Curtis, B. Alden, J. “BPM & Organizational Maturity: The Buisness Process Maturity Model (BPMM): What, Why, and How.” A BPTrends Column, 2007.

Evans, J.R. Quality Management, Organisation, And Strategy. SOUTH-WESTERN CENGAGE Learning: 6th International Edition, 2008.

Foster, T.S; Managing Quality – Integrating the Supply Chain, Pearson Education, 2007

Fox, W. Bayat, M, S. Managing Research: A Guide To. JUTA, 2007.

Gryna, F.M. Quality Planning & Control: From Product Development Through Use. McGraw-Hill Higher Education: International Edition, 2001.

Hand, M. Plowman, B. Quality Management Handbook. Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd, 1993.

Ishikawa, K. Introduction to Quality Control. Productivity Press; 1 edition. 1, 1990

Ishikawa, K. What Is Total Quality Control: The Japanese Way. Prentice-Hall, Inc, 1985.

Ivancevich, Jm. Lorenzi, P. Skinner, S.J, Crosby, P.B. Management: Quality And Competitiveness. Irwin, 1994.

J and LeVasseur, C, & J LeVasseur : TeraQuest Metrics, Gartner Measurement: 2011

Juran, J.M. Godfrey, A.B. Juran's Quality Handbook. McGraw-Hill. 5th Edition, 1998.

Sekeran, U. Bougie, R. Research Methods fo Business. John Wiley & Sons, 2010.

Sinha, M.N Willborn, W.O. The Management of Quality Assurance. Wiley, 1985.

Thomson, A.A, Strickland, A.J, Gamble, J.E. Crafting and Execting Strategy: The Quest For Competitive Adavntage. McGraw-Hill International Edition, 2005.

Underwood, L. Intellegent Manufacturing. Addison- Wesley Publishing Company, 1994.

Vollman, T.E. Berry, W.L. Whybark, D.C. Manufacturing Planning And Control Systems. McGraw Hill, 1997.

Vonderembse, M.A. White, G.P. Operations Management: Concepts, Methods and Strategies. Willey, 2003.

Wallace, T. F. MRP 11: Making It Happening: Implementation Guide to Succcess with Manufacturing Resource Planning. Oliver Wight Publications, 1990.

Welman, Kruger, Mitchell. Research Methodology. OXFORD Southern Africa: 3rd Edition, 2010.

Regards

The Challenge

Thank you Tripp for taking us back to basics and making the point about everyone being involved and it is the responsibility of leadership to make strategic improvement to the system. They need to embrace Peter Scholtes' The New Leadership Competencies. I often ask what is the aim and purpose of an organisation and I get blank looks and little if any responses. When I ask about systems I get blank looks. When I ask about processes I'm taken to QC.

Deploying Lean, Six Sigma or Lean Six Sigma or any other improvement 'methodology' to save money will not provide the transformation that is required. The transformation must start with the leadership, for holistic continuous improvement to take place. It will take time, maybe 5 to 10 years for an organsiation to truly make a difference.

The irony is Lean, Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma are in a sense a reaction to poor leadership over past decades. Putting it simply they are all being deployed becuase leadership got it wrong and now they have to rework their predecessors poor practice.

The 'improvement' people can be the short-term catalyst to transformational change but they should not be the interim containment action that becomes the permanent fix. Neither should they be waiting for the next improvement fad that leadership want.

The reality is that leadership must take action today. Tomorrow is too late.