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Introduction
William Edwards Deming was an American who lived from October 14, 1900 to December 20, 1993. He is credited with the birth of the Japanese quality movement that brought excellence in the Japanese manufacturing industry (Wikipedia, 2011).
According to Paton (2011), many people have referred to Deming as a radical capitalist who salvaged the Japanese industry. He is also highly regarded as a teacher to various classes of people in the society. His work is celebrated by many across the world and many organizations did their best to implement his recommendations. His rise to fame is closely linked to the great job done in Japan after World War II. Although he was very much celebrated in Japan, Deming only became famous in the United States after efforts of the media to publicize the work he did to save Japan finally bore fruit. Prior to this exposure, he was very little known among the American people (Paton, 2011).
This paper will first present an analysis of the teachings of Deming and will also look at what other authors have to say about Deming’s work. The paper will conclude with a discussion on the relevance of Deming’s philosophy in the operations of present day organizations.
Analysis of the Teachings of Deming and Other Contemporary Authors
Many authors who have written about Deming’s 14 points of transformation give a summary of his points and try to explain their importance or inadequacy in addressing organizational needs.
In his book “Out of the Crisis”, Deming presented 14 points which he strongly believed would transform manufacturing industry in the United States (Cohen, n.d.). According to Cohen, an initial look at Deming’s 14 points of transformation would only reveal a collection of revolutionary ideas by Deming. A clear understanding can only be realized after a critical examination of Deming’s thoughts about the variations that existed in the US manufacturing industry (Cohen, n.d.). The 14 points are considered relevant to all organizations regardless of whether they are small or large (Farooqui and Ahmad, 2009).
In his teachings, Deming endeavored to show that it is very possible for any organization to increase the quality of its products while at the same time ensuring that the costs associated with manufacture of these products are kept at the lowest level. Apparently, this may be achieved by adopting the correct management ethics and making sure that any variations in production are dealt with and reduced accordingly (Wikipedia, 2011). Seemingly, this is the very approach that was taken by the Japanese to advance their manufacturing industry after receiving lessons from Deming (Cohen, n.d.).
A study by Farooqui and Ahmad (2009) showed that the implementation of Deming’s philosophy of transformation was very successful both in the United States as well as in the United Kingdom. This motivated a good number of companies in the construction industry to develop a keen interest to implement the model in areas other than manufacturing. The bulk of the implementation of these 14 points of transformation, however, has been in the manufacturing industry. Very little focus has been directed towards the construction industry (Farooqui and Ahmad, 2009).
A study carried out by Winchip (1996) sought to establish the extent to which Deming’s philosophy could be applied to institutions of higher education. Deming’s philosophy was singled out and used due to the fact that it had been applied in so many organizations and over time, revised. Another main reason for its choice is that it focused on the key requirements of higher educational institutions (Winchip, 1996).
Winchip further found out through his study that out of the 14 points of transformation highlighted by Deming, only five most important themes could be adjusted for use in the higher institutions of education (Winchip, 1996).
The five themes are; ensuring that there was proper leadership at all levels of the organization to facilitate the advancement of the organization’s agenda, the importance of every single individual in the organization to have a clear vision and understanding of the purpose, the importance of everyone visualizing the organization as a system made up of various subunits rather than a collection of distinct operational centers so as to encourage co-operation and support for one another within the organization, the critical need for the organization to keep on advancing and looking ahead and finally, making sure the appropriate methods as well as processes are in place to guarantee the success of these institutions of higher learning (Winchip, 1996).
The survey also revealed that there were varying opinions about the level to which Deming’s philosophy could be adapted to the needs of higher learning institutions. While some people saw the philosophy as being a flexible one that could be used in various situations, there are those who strongly felt that although it was adaptable, this was subject to certain prerequisites that had to be met beforehand (Winchip, 1996).
Despite the fact that Deming’s 14 points of transformation became very popular and proved to be quite useful to numerous organizations critics have shown that there are areas that have to be improved. These detractors have pointed out various shortcomings of the suggestions made by Deming and feel that these could do with some modifications. In the study done by Allen, Bush, Graham, Isham and Hilker (n.d.), some of the 14 points of transformation by Deming indirectly depend on others and it may be quite helpful to consider reducing them. Allen et al. (n.d) also argued that the presence of the interdependency could be a clear demonstration of lack of profound knowledge.
A further recommendation was that the 14 points of transformation needed to be made more specific (Allen et al., n.d.). Critics, however, think that this may have been a deliberate action by Deming so as to trigger a thinking process among his listeners. Deming must have wanted to get people to learn the ideas and then go ahead to develop their own unique approaches to fit their problems. It seems like Deming’s intention was to provide a structure that could be adopted by any organization to bring quality into the production process (Allen et al., n.d.).
Although the study by Winchip (1996) indicated that there are some themes of Deming’s philosophies that could be used flexibly to the benefit of higher institutions of learning, the adaptation of most of them was practically impossible. The difficulty associated with the use of these points could easily be explained by the style of management within these institutions of higher learning. A further reason for the difficulty of encountered has to do with the way that these institutions define their purposes (Winchip, 1996). Methods and the different terminologies used by Deming also posed serious implementation challenges and greatly hindered the adaptability of Deming’s 14 points of transformation (Winchip 1996).
A study done by Carson and Carson (1993), established that there are certain situations where the adoption of Deming’s philosophy has met with hostile opposition from some organizations that would rather maintain the status quo; the use of goal setting, rather than experiment with new ideas. Although there are certain areas where goal setting is in agreement with the philosophies presented by Deming, sharp conflicts are very obvious in others (Carson & Carson, 1993).
Several other people have criticized Deming for failing to provide tools that may be used by managers to meet their goals. Deming on the other hand, however, thought it wise to let managers use the knowledge passed to them to make their own discoveries (Cohen, n.d.).
Relevance of Deming’s Philosophy in Contemporary Organizations
Clearly, the 14 points of transformation highlighted by Deming are still very useful and can be applied quite extensively in the modern day organizations. At the heart of every organization is the desire to be seen as being different from competitors. This is accompanied by the need to provide quality products and services to the often very volatile and highly elusive clientele. On a number of occasions, customers have migrated from one provider to another is search of better quality and satisfaction.
Today, the challenge of ensuring quality is still with us and as such, has to be addressed just as it was several years back. According to Muhammad (2010), Deming’s thoughts have greatly influenced the quality management processes within the present day organizations.
To ensure that customers are well taken care of and happy, organizations have to see to it that the internal work environment is one that can motivate employees to do their jobs without being forced. In coming up with the 14 points, Deming highlighted very key areas that if closely monitored will see the growth of an organization into a very healthy one with a happy work force that may be willing to go an extra mile to meet the organizational needs.
Many organizations that desire to move forward have taken initiatives to follow Deming’s philosophy. Research on the use of Total Quality Management in Pakistan for example has indicated that the adoption of Deming’s philosophy in the manufacturing as well as in the service sectors of the economy. The implementation in the service sector focused mostly on education (Muhammad, 2010).
According to Example Essays (2011), the 14 points of transformation by Deming are very much applicable and quite valuable to modern day organizations. The 14 points clearly show the main areas that managers and indeed organizations must address to distinguish themselves from the rest. Deming’s points provide a very good foundation of what managers or organizations have to do so as to gain a competitive advantage over the rest and move forward (Example Essays, 2011). With a steady purpose in place to guide any improvements that have to be made to products and services offered by an organization, it will be able to provide for its operations, stay in business and make sure that it can survive in the long run.
Given the competitive world we live in today, it is not possible to be content with just doing the bare minimum to survive. Doing so is practically the same as saying that an organization is ready to wind up its operations. Major advancements are taking place daily and organizations are doing their very best to take advantage of these developments so as to position themselves strategically to fight for the available market.
Changes in the technological field for example have forced service providers to ensure that they are able to render their services with very minimal or even no delay at all. There is therefore a big need for organizations to be flexible enough so as to accommodate any new ideas that will lead to growth. Venturing into new unfamiliar grounds is now inevitable (Example Essays, 2011). Change is a must if an organization has to continue doing business.
Daszko and Backaitis (2006) observed that organizations whether small, big or mere start ups are being forced to undergo radical changes if they are to survive. A strong management philosophy is mandatory for organizations to stay on and do business. Daszko and Backaitis (2006) have pointed out that the principles introduced by Deming are very crucial in today’s business world just as they were in the past.
Actually one could easily argue that Deming’s 14 points of transformation are probably much more relevant in today’s competitive world than ever before. Deming’s principles if well utilized may present an organization with amazing opportunities to help it deal with increased competition in the current market that is largely Internet based. The key developments by Deming are considered to have played a very important role in the current development of business setups.
Reference List
Allen, Wade., Bush, Nicole., Graham, Michael., Isham, Dave. & Hilker, Kathryn. n.d. Deming’s 14 Points for Total Quality Management. Web.
Carson, Paula P. & Carson, Kerry D. 1993. Deming versus Traditional Management Theorists on Goal Setting: Can Both Be Right? – Business Quality Management Advocate, W. Edwards Deming – Editorial. San Francisco: CBS Interactive. Web.
Cohen, Phil. n.d. Deming’s 14 Points. Sparta, NJ: HCi Consulting. Web.
Daszko, Marcia & Backaitis, Nida. 2006. Still Ahead of His Time: The Management Philosophy of W. Edwards Deming in the Internet Era. Santa Clara, CA: Marcia Daszko & Asociates. Web.
Example Essays. 2011. Edward Deming. Gainesville, FL: ExampleEssays. Web.
Farooqui, Rizwan U. & Ahmed, Syed M. 2009. Assessment of Deming’s Philosophy for Implementing Total Quality Management in U.S. Construction. San Cristóbal, Venezuela: Seventh LACCEI Latin American and Caribbean Conference for Engineering and Technology (LACCEI’2009) “Energy and Technology for the Americas: Education, Innovation, Technology and Practice”. Web.
Muhammad, Asif K. 2010. Evaluating the Deming Management Model of Total Quality in Telecommunication Industry in Pakistan – An Empirical Study. International Journal of Business and Management Vol. 5, No. 9, 46 – 56. Web.
Paton, Scott M. 2011. Four Days with W. Edwards Deming. Washington, D.C: The W. Edwards Deming Institute. Web.
Wikipedia. 2011. W. Edwards Deming. San Francisco, CA: Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Web.
Winchip, Susan M. 1996. Analysis of the Adaptability of W. Edwards Deming’s Management Philosophy to Institutions of Higher Education. Quality in Higher Education, 2: 3, 219 — 236. Web.
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