Hi, this is Mike Negami, Lean Sigma Black Belt. In order to understand a subject well
and deeply, it’s very valuable to study its history.
Therefore, I’ve started a new series, “Kaizen Hero Biography” to introduce great people
who contribute to World Kaizen. The first memorial Kaizen Hero is the Father
of Quality Management in Japan - Edwards Deming. If you’re in the manufacturing industry,
you may have heard of the “Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award”, which was established
in 1988 in the US. There is another similar award, called “The Deming Prize”, which
was established in 1951 in Japan. Dr. Deming was an American statistician and
consultant. In 1947, just after World War II, he came to Japan for the first time to
assist with the Japanese Census at the US Army's request.
At that time, Japanese products were a byword for inferior products. Top Japanese executives
were desperate for any help toward a mile-wide gap from American companies.
Therefore, those executives asked Dr. Deming, who is also an expert in quality control,
for a seminar. It was said that Dr. Deming had a bit of anxiety.
At that time, American products were number one in the world by a longshot. American company
executives were not interested in the importance of quality control, which Dr. Deming was teaching,
at all. Dr. Deming was not well-known. It was not
because his teaching had no value, but because it was too advanced, so it had been ignored.
He was also disappointed by the American companies. In that circumstance, when he was asked to
hold the seminar in Japan, he was anxious that he might be misunderstood and ignored
again. However, that concern was gone very soon.
After the seminar, diligent Japanese company executives came to him. He taught them not
only quality control but also quality management methods. For him, this was the first experience
of group of people who eagerly listened to his teaching.
Another thing that surprised him was that even blue-collar regular Japanese laborers
had high mathematic skills that were needed to do his methodology.
Also it’s been said that he was overwhelmed by the fact that all employees, from executives
to front line workers, had the same goal. He and the Japanese people nurtured their
friendship and he visited Japan almost every year.
Afterward, Japan achieved rapid economic growth and even exceeded the US’s manufacturing
companies. His dramatic story continued. At the late
1970’s, American companies, which fell behind the Japanese companies, visited and studied
Japanese businesses. When they visited factories, also many Japanese
talked about Dr. Deming. They found that an unheard-of statistician from the US had become
the quality control guru of Japan. After that, a documentary TV show about him,
“If Japan Can Why Can’t We”, was broadcast in 1980 in the US and he came into the spotlight.
Dr. Deming started having nation-wide seminars at 80 years old while in a wheelchair. He
continued seminars until the year he passed away, and published his last book that same
year. He was 93 years old. He was amazing. Because of his contribution, statistical quality
control methods have spread in the US. That was the foundation for Six Sigma to be born.
That means because of him, I have a job as a Black Belt in the US.
It’s said that he was always polite and lived modestly. There were quite a lot of
royalties from his book sales in Japan, but he declined to receive the royalties. Then,
the Deming Prize was established funded by those royalties. He was a genuine person.
His teaching can apply to service and non-manufacturing industries too. I hope that the day will come
soon when people who are not in the manufacturing industry also appreciate his contributions.
Today was the first “Kaizen Hero Biography” and I talked about Dr. Edwards Deming. Thank
you very much for viewing. Please click the ‘Subscribe’ button. Also click and watch
my other related videos. Thanks.