Dr. Deming Is a Legend

Dr. Deming is a legend in the Japanese business sector and has become increasingly renown in the United States and throughout the world. Rafael Aguayo lauds Deming and celebrates his emphasis on quality control in Dr. Deming: The American Who Taught the Japanese About Quality. Almost single-handedly, Deming helped Japanese manufacturers become world leaders with major commands of market share since the Second World War. Japan was, like China is today, poised to participate in a global market economy but ill-prepared to compete with the same standards of quality consumers had come to expect. Proving his theories using statistics and empirical proof, Deming showed Japanese executives how to infuse quality into all stages of the manufacturing process. Doing so ultimately cuts costs, increases overall productivity, and boosts the bottom line. The lessons Deming taught the Japanese during the first half of the twentieth century need to now be relearned. As Aguayo points out in his book on Dr. Deming, the demand for immediate profits has recently outshone the Deming model emphasizing quality and long-term customer satisfaction. Moreover, burgeoning world trade has led many competitors to use cost as a primary factor when instead quality would help most companies thrive. The lessons learned from Deming's work in Japan could well be applied to the American market to improve its position vis-a-vis low-quality Chinese goods.

Deming's impact on the business world extend beyond quality control, though. His methods incorporate leadership and managerial training. The Deming model promotes a vision of leadership and management that uses statistics-based quality control measures to guide decisions and company procedures. However, what makes Deming's methods so important to modern managers is his emphasis on numerical proof. Quality control is not just a feel-good concept or a branding image; quality control is an essential factor in improving productivity and profitability. Deming's successes in Japan also proves that the man's methods were universal and can be applied to a diverse, cross-cultural workplace environment.

Aguayo's book is accessible and easy to read. No knowledge of statistical analysis or of mathematical formulas is necessary. What Aguayo accomplishes in his book Dr. Deming is an introduction to the man and his methods. The author urges managers and especially those specializing in quality control to remember why Deming's methods work and how to implement them on a practical, daily basis in business. Quality control is often viewed as an inconvenience when it should be a core feature of operations in any business.