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Dr W Edwards Deming And His 14 Points

Dr W Edwards Deming And His 14 Points Dr. W. Edwards Deming And His 14 Points “We have learned to live in a world of mistakes an defective products as if they were necessary to life. It is time to adopt a new philosophy in America.” ~~Deming Dr. W. Edwards Deming, who believed that improved quality increases productivity and worker morale, revolutionized excellence in the Japanese production process and, thereby, guaranteed Japan a world-class reputation. He gave credence to the philosophy of TQM (Total Quality Management), meaning that defects could be reduced and quality be attained by “getting it right the first time” (Rowen). Deming began his career as a statistician and was recruited during World War II to assist with quality control for U.S. war materials. After the war, he was rejected by corporate America, so he accepted Japan’s invitation to help them change their reputation from one of cheap products to producing innovative quality products (Cohen x). Deming advised the Japanese to maintain high quality control principles, rather than copy from the American system. He believed that American industries had become lazy, and that they had incorrectly surmised that customers wanted cheap prices, rather than quality goods. According to Deming, the Americans failed to realize that by presenting an improved product, customers could attain cheap prices and a durable good at the same time. Currently, the Japanese are focused on and are known for producing excellent products. The car industry is one example. Toyota, Nissan, and other Japanese car companies are producing high quality cars at relatively cheaper prices than the U.S. brand cars. Many times, if a Japanese car is more expensive than a U.S. model, customers will usually pay the higher price, simply for the reliability and safety. Without Deming and his philosophy, the Japanese would not have achieved so quickly this high reputation and had such an incredible post-war industrial revival (Rowen). For this reason, the Japanese have established an award after Deming called the Deming Prize, which is given for industrial achievement for companies who achieve stringent quality criteria. Also, due to his tremendous achievements in business globally, the Los Angeles Times named him one of the “50 people who most influenced business this century” (Magnier). Total quality management (TQM) is one of the cornerstones of Deming’s philosophy, and, therefore, TQM deserved to be a part of the American industrial society. The definition of Total Quality Management is “Management of an entire organization so that it excels in all aspects of products and services that are important to the customer” (Heizer 174). Deming pronounced that improved quality increases productivity, therefore eliminating waste in producing, marketing, and supplying products or services. Deming spouts five benefits to improving quality through TQM, which include rising productivity, customer satisfaction, cost per good decreases, prices can be cut, and finally that worker morale improves, because they are not seen as the problem. Basically, when you stress productivity, there are severe consequences, such as sacrificing quality, decreasing output, lowering employee morale, and rising costs. On the other hand, stressing quality provides less rework of defective products, greater productivity, price flexibility, larger profits, and many more great benefits (Gitlow 14). Deming’s strategy relies on his published 14 points to achieve success. These points have paved the way for significant changes in many companies in the U.S. and worldwide, and, consequently, has allowed them to be competitive in today’s markets. The first of these points is to create a constancy of purpose, which includes writing or revising a mission statement and goals to provide an environment that focuses on continuously improving quality and satisfying customers. This is an extremely important step, because it provides a plan on how to become competitive, keep the business alive, and provide jobs. The next point he makes, is accepting the new philosophy, which means adopting a new quality conciseness, rejecting average levels of defects, poor service, waste, and rework. Every defect and rework that has to be done includes a high price and substantially hurts a business. This leads to point number three, which encourages businesses to end dependence on mass inspection, therefore building quality into the product. Many companies are in a state of defect detection, where they expect defects to be made, and, thus, have an inspection process in order to find the defective products. Plus, an inspection may not always be 100% accurate due to its reliance on statistical calculations. The state of quality that Deming believes in is called defect prevention, where defects are not made to begin with, which helps the company to focus more on continuous improvement rather than inspections (Cohen 21). Another point that Deming emphasizes is to develop long-term relationships with a few suppliers, rather than many suppliers. Many businesses award their suppliers contracts solely based on the price of the lowest bidder, rather than quality. With long-term relationships, quality is promoted and based on customer feedback. The fifth point he introduces is continuously improved service, quality, and products. This responsibility rests primarily on the manager, who controls the entire system, as well as various processes. Managers have to scout for and listen to problems in order to improve on every activity, which can drastically reduce costs. Improvements can be made through the Deming cycle, which is also known as the PDCA cycle (Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle). After noticing an improvement needing to be made, a group develops a plan, implements and tests the plan on a small scale, monitors the plan and checks to see if it works, and last either implements the plan throughout the company or drops it and identifies a new problem (Heizer 174). Using this process, quality improvements are introduced continuously, and, as a result, costs can be lowered. Next, Deming’s sixth point institutes modern methods of training in order to aid employee growth and development. Deming believes that employees are the biggest assets to a company, so the company owes it to them to provide them with proper training. Ultimately, each employee understands their job and is in control of the continuous process of improvement, which provides for better employee relationships. Deming’s next point is to emphasize leadership and how to institute modern methods of supervision. The responsibility of managers should be changed from just numbers to quality, and must guarantee that action is taken when there are reported defects, maintenance required, as well as other conditions that affect quality. Supervisors must be like coaches in a sense, instructing employees on how do a better job while continuously achieving quality. Managers should be open to feedback and establish good communication with employees. The eighth point on Deming list is to drive out fear, which can be a huge problem in business. Fear can be caused by lack of job security, physical harm, and, many times, fear caused by managers who are not equipped in diplomacy or in other ways of getting the job done. This affects the people who work in an organization as well as the organization itself and is counterproductive. Deming states that driving out fear, mainly through management, is significant in creating a quality environment, since employees who are fearful have a more difficult time improving their products and productivity (Gitlow 22). The ninth point Deming stresses is to eliminate barriers, so that everyone can work as a team to identify and solve problems. Breaking down barriers, such as communication and differences of opinion involves unifying goals, whereby, cooperating as a team instead of working for individual gains. Furthermore, Deming’s tenth point discusses the need to eliminate numerical goals, slogans, and posters. These devices do not help improve performance, because they represent the manager’s wishes, instead of action statements for the workers. If posters are to be hung up, they need to be able to motivate employees, such as what progress management is making in continuous improvement. Another of Deming’s points expresses the necessity to eliminate work standards and quotas. Work standards and quotas are completely against the Deming philosophy, because they consider only quantity not quality. Deming’s twelfth point is about restoring pride by removing obstacles that ultimately will allow employees to perform better due to a rise in their self-esteem. Many times there is a loss of pride in workmanship due to the behavior of managers who care too little about the employee and their problems. Gaining back the loss of pride will permit companies an opportunity to reap tremendous benefits by providing a satisfying work environment. Point thirteen discusses the value of instituting a program of education and training where self-improvement is highly encouraged. Education and re-training can help prevent employee burnout by stimulating job interest through the learning of new information and involvement. Deming also testifies that statistical training at all levels in the company should be instituted in order to better implement the prescribed methods. Last, Deming’s fourteenth point involves creating a structure, which will push the other 13 points every day. Often, it takes several years to realize the major benefits of utilizing these methods in an organization, so, in fact, statistical guidance is necessary for success in total quality management. Deming’s fourteen points have been beneficial in many ways to businesses and continue to improve quality in those companies who choose to make the effort. As Deming shows through his work with the Japanese, it is possible to have quality and improve customer satisfaction all at the same time. As the census shows, 86% of American work involves service organizations or service functions (Gitlow 25). Furthermore, improvements in the standard of living are dependent on better quality and service, which can be achieved thanks to the knowledge of Deming and his fourteen points. Bibliography: Works Cited Cohen, Steven, and Ronald Brand. Total Quality Management in Government. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1993. Gitlow, Howard, et al. Tools and Methods for the Improvement Of Quality. Cambridge: MIT, 1989. Heizer, Jay, and Barry Render. Principles of Operations Management. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2001. Magnier, Mark. “The 50: People Who Most Influenced Business This Century.” Los Angeles Times, home ed. : U8. Rowen, Hobart. “Japan’s Secret: W. Edwards Deming.” Washington Post., 2000.

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