Join getAbstract to access the summary!

Why Things Go Wrong

Join getAbstract to access the summary!

Why Things Go Wrong

Deming Philosophy in a Dozen Ten-Minute Sessions

Pelican Publishing,

15 min read
10 take-aways
Audio & text

What's inside?

Dr. W. Edwards Deming’s philosophy of management: big ideas now in a tiny book.


Editorial Rating

8

getAbstract Rating

  • Applicable

Recommendation

Dr. W. Edwards Deming was a business professor and consultant who’s probably best known for his role advising post-World War II Japanese companies on manufacturing and quality; many experts give him much of the credit for Japan’s transition to technological preeminence. Beginning in the 1980s and continuing even now, his famous writings, “14 Points for Managers” (a chapter in his book Out of the Crisis) and “7 Deadly Diseases of Management,” and his subsequent books make major corporations like Ford take notice. He spent the latter part of his life writing and consulting on management, quality and productivity. Consultant Gary Fellers’s tidy little manual moves Deming into today with a readable summary of his management philosophy in 10 handy chapters. While Fellers’s summations are no substitute for Deming’s primary texts, the author provides a practical précis of Deming’s salient philosophical points. getAbstract recommends Fellers’s guide to any manager, experienced or new. You’ll read it again and again, and it handily fits in your pocket.

Summary

The Debut of Deming in the US

In the 1980s, W. Edwards Deming presented a management philosophy contrary to everything American supervisors at that time had learned in business school. His methods embraced employee creativity and teamwork. Deming believed that managers fail when they don’t understand the sources of “variations,” or “things that go wrong.” Variations spring from two roots: either “common causes” over which employees have little control or “local faults” that staff members can identify and fix.

Most corporate problems stem from common causes, so managers can address and resolve them. Company leaders must understand that most business patterns develop over time. Supervisors should never mistake exceptional variations for the norm. They should empower “interdepartmental teams” to identify whether a company’s problems are due to “system problems,” which require long-term solutions, or local faults, which can be resolved by action implemented at the point of customer interaction. Never hold your workers responsible for difficulties over which they have no influence.

“Seven Global Problems”

Deming enumerated seven “deadly diseases” that managers...

About the Author

Dr. Gary Fellers, who is a management trainer and Deming expert, also wrote Creativity for Leaders.


Comment on this summary

More on this topic

Related Skills

Be Creative
Be Emotionally Intelligent
Become More Adaptable
Develop Team Members
Develop the Organization
Digital Transformation
Ensure Production Quality
Execute Digital Operations
Human Resources
Lead Ethically
Lead Operational Planning
Lead Strategically
Live Well
Manage Change
Manage Learning and Development
Master Collaboration
Navigate Leadership Challenges
Optimize Production
Personal Growth
Production and Logistics
Promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Soft Skills
Workplace Skills
Use Lean Methods
Improve Team Performance
Drive Employee Engagement
Pursue Excellence
Become More Productive
Ensure Quality Control
Understand Motivation
Apply Kaizen
Implement Agility
Develop Self-Awareness
Manage Teams and Departments
Streamline Your Workflow
Leverage Employee Resource Groups
Drive Change Without Authority
Shape Organizational Culture
Promote Generational Inclusion
Find Meaning
Innovation
Be Authentic
Navigate Office Politics
Master Interpersonal Skills
Support Team Members’ Careers
Management
Foster Collaboration
Develop Leaders
Manage Employee Relations
Foster Open Communication
Encourage Experimentation
Motivate Your Team
Lead through Change
Drive Organizational Performance
Promote a Learning Culture
Gain People's Trust
Coach People
Drive Continuous Improvement
Lead Inclusively
Foster a Culture of Innovation
Manage Your Leadership Impact
Enhance Employee Experience
Delegate Effectively
Practice Humility
Facilitate Group Ideation
Lead Yourself
Strengthen Team Collaboration
Build Team Cohesion
Mentor Employees
Cultivate a Growth Mindset
Create a Sense of Belonging
Foster Team Culture
Drive Team Performance
Executive Leadership
Dare to be Vulnerable
Foster Ownership in Others
Manage People and Talent
Leadership
Practice Transformational Leadership
Build Psychological Safety
Practice Servant Leadership