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Adventures in Quality: Part 3


After digesting Deming's two main works I decided to buy further books to help develop a further understanding of how to actually apply the principles he describes, as this is the aspect which is largly ignored in his teachings. I was soon to discover that the reason Deming didn't describe how to apply his methods is that this is something that can't be learned from a book or TV programme - it's something that you have to work out for yourself by doing it day to day in your work, and it is not easy. The specific methods that work for one company will not work for another. The principles Deming describes are universal, but require a lot of effort to work out how they apply to you, your work and your company. However, you more than get out what you put in.

The legacy of Deming's belated fame in 1980s Japan-obsessed America are a lot of 'snake oil' books that promise a easy, quick way to increase quality in your company. The problem is that there is no such thing - it's just not that simple. As Deming put it - "there is no instant pudding". Bearing this in mind, I chose the following books carefully and tried to stick to authors that had worked closely with Deming himself.

The Deming Management Method is an excellent Deming-endorsed companion to Out Of The Crisis - it usefully expands on Deming's core principles, gives some insights into the four-day seminars he held to teach managers his methods and - most interestingly for me - the second half is packed with case studies of compnies who have applied Deming's management philosophy and the problems (and huge subsquent rewards, both financial and in terms of staff morale) that they met in doing so. Highly recommended, especially if Out Of The Crisis seems too daunting or abstract.

Four Days with Dr. Deming: A Strategy for Modern Methods of Management is an illustrated, multi-faceted description of Deming's four-day seminar, detailing the content of the seminar, accompanying diagrams and common reactions of those who attended (usually high-ranking managers). A useful account of how Deming taught his methods in person, and lots of insight is provided into how these ideas are likely to be received should you try to explain them to others (usually, not very well).

The Leader's Handbook: Making Things Happen, Getting Things Done is an excellent guide to how to approach others with Deming's ideas once you've got a grip on them. Because so much of what Deming taught is so counter-intuitive, most will dismiss it as soon as they are exposed to it. Also includes some interesting insights into the early development of 'standard' military-derived old-school (and vastly inefficient in the modern business world) management practises used today that were created in the latter years of the 19th century.

The World of W. Edwards Deming is a biography of sorts of Deming, put together by his secretary of 40 years, Cecelia Kilian. I'll admit, I bought this for the same reasons that I've also read so many Hendrix biographies - I just wanted to know more about the man behind such an amazing body of work. It turns out Deming was a keen musician and composer, as well as a scientiic and mathematical genius (term not used lightly) earlier in his career. It amazes me how someone who has had such a profound effect on the modern industrial world is so little known, a fact that was not lost on Deming himself. He was 'discovered' in America in 1980 after a TV programme called 'If Japan can... why can't we?' featured his work and made him an instant celebrity. He then spent the last 13 years of his life working non-stop with (largely non-comprehending) American and European companies atempting to make up for lost time, though the impact he ultimately had in the West was miniscule compared to the influence he had in Japan, and still has to this day some 14 years after his passing.

After reading so much about Deming's teachings, I reflected on how lucky those who got to attend his seminars in person were, and how I would never be able to experience anything similar.

Or would I?