William Edwards Deming (1900 - 1993) was an American engineer, statistician, professor, author, and management consultant. In his book The New Economics for Industry, Government, and Education Deming championed the work of Walter Shewhart, including statistical process control, operational definitions, and what evolved into the Plan-Do-check-Act (PDCA) cycle, which is now one of the most famous models used in business worldwide.
Deming is best known for his work in
Japan after World War 2 with the leaders of Japanese industry. Many in Japan
credit Deming as one of the inspirations for what has become known as the
Japanese ‘economic miracle’ of 1950 to 1960, when Japan rose from the ashes of
war to become the second largest economy in the world, using processes
developed by Deming.
Deming made a significant contribution
to Japan's reputation for innovative, high-quality products and for its
economic power. He is regarded as having had more impact on Japanese
manufacturing and business than any other individual not of Japanese heritage.
Below are my 20 favourite quotes by Deming:
Below are my 20 favourite quotes by Deming:
“A rule should suit the purpose.”
“All anyone asks for is a chance to
work with pride.”
“Any two people have different ideas of
what is important.”
“A goal without a method is nonsense.”
“If you stay in this world, you will never
learn another one.”
“Improve quality, you automatically
improve productivity.”
“Best efforts will not substitute for
knowledge.”
“Divide responsibility and nobody is
responsible.”
“Does experience help? No! Not if we
are doing the wrong things.”
“Information is not knowledge. Let’s
not confuse the two.”
“Innovation comes from people who take
joy in their work.”
“It does not happen all at once. There
is no instant pudding.”
“It’s management’s job to know.”
“Judging people does not help them.”
“Everyone is a customer for somebody,
or a supplier to somebody.”
“If someone can make a contribution to
the company he feels important.”
“If you do not know how to ask the right
question, you discover nothing.”
“Competition should not be for a share
of the market, but to expand the market.”
“Every theory is correct in its own
world, but the problem is that the theory may not make contact with this world.”