W. Edwards Deming (1900–1993)

Deming's fourteen points were famous in the 1980s when they were imported in Japan. Deming helped to lead the Japanese in an economic surge that was felt worldwide. The Japanese were outdoing the United States, especially in engineering. Deming's fourteen points were given as a way to elucidate steps to proceed in the U.S.

What strikes me is that pride in one's work is central to the whole gambit. Without the worker taking pride in her/his work, then there is nothing to be gained. This, not economic incentives, is the core of Deming's work. Do not rob the worker of his pride, or you risk causing quality of production to decline. This simple observation - of what one takes pride in - is helpful whenever I analyze how to deal with others' work.

Also prominent within this treatise is the idea of statistical control. When one's work reaches the bounds within the upper limit and lower limit of control, then one can work freely towards decreasing variability and increasing reliability of one's product. This, in essence, is work. This is how to improve one's work each day.

Deming's work was probably revolutionary back in his day (the 1980s). Today, however, most of his lessons have been absorbed by management of enterprises worldwide. They are commonly observed among many product-oriented companies. It is nice to read about them within their historical context. Most of his ideas are still useful in business today.
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