W. Edwards Deming

The New Economics for Industry, Government, Education - 2nd Edition

This book summarizes the focus of Dr. Deming's teachings in the 1990's. In Chapter 2, he describes why the present style of management is the biggest producer of waste in organizations today. The concept of profound knowledge (which provides a lens, a new map of theory by which to understand and optimize the organization) is the focus of the book. The importance of systems thinking in Dr. Deming's teachings is described in Chapter 3. A clear distinction between leadership and management of people is made in Chapters 5 and 6. There is also a chapter on the red beads and three chapters on variation.

The World of W. Edwards Deming

This book by Dr. Deming's secretary, assistant, and friend since 1954, collects in one place the history of Dr. Deming. The book contains a summary of his trips to Japan and his key teachings there in the 1950s. Part II contains important papers Dr. Deming wrote, including his lecture to Japanese top management. Part III contains a biography of Dr. Deming with some great pictures. The last part of the book describes Dr. Deming's work schedule, his wife, and his interest in music. The appendix contains a list of degrees, positions, honors, and papers Dr. Deming has written.

The Man Who Discovered Quality: How W. Edwards Deming Brought the Quality Revolution to America...

Andrea Gabor, who is senior editor for U.S. News and World Report, spent more than two years interviewing Deming prior to writing this book. This book is significant for having been written by someone outside the "quality" community. Through hundreds of interviews at Ford, Xerox, GM, and Proctor and Gamble, Gabor examines how Deming inspired changes in these organizations.

Deming's Road to Continual Improvement

This is Scherkenbach's second book on the Deming philosophy. The first half of the book contains further depth in understanding Deming's thought processes (including some theory of change). The second half focuses on how to operationalize the Deming philosophy at three levels of change: physical change, logical change, and emotional change.

The Deming Dimension

This book provides an "update" to Out of the Crisis by presenting the materials that Deming covered in his four-day seminars from 1986-90. The book makes extensive references to Out of the Crisis by page number. The first chapter is a paraphrasing of Deming's working paper "Quality in the Western World." Part 3 of the book provides information regarding Deming's thoughts on joy in work, profound knowledge, cooperation, and the role of innovation in quality improvement. The 14 points are introduced in Part 1, but covered in depth in Part 5 of the book. The British Deming Association is described in an Appendix.

Out of the Crisis

This 62-page chapter presents what is probably the best discussion of variation in writing. The name of the chapter is "Common Causes and Special Causes." The chapter starts with "the central problem in management and in leadership is failure to understand the information in variation." The role of statistical theory is described, special and common causes defined, the concept of minimizing the economic loss from the mistakes of over reacting and under reacting, the need for rules, and the concept of statistical control is defined. Numerous examples of applications are given. The funnel experiment and the four funnel rules are presented, as well as the red bead exercise.

The Deming Route to Quality and Productivity

This book is a good introduction to Dr. Deming's 14 Points. Scherkenbach presents the 14 Points in a clear, concise (144 pages), and easy-to-read manner. There are several good illustrations of the 14 Points, and good examples using quality techniques (e.g., control charts, Quality Function Deployment, etc.). This book is a good companion to Out of the Crisis, W. E. Deming, MIT, Cambridge, Mass., 1986.

Keys to Excellence: The Story of the Deming Philosophy

Nancy Mann's book is the story of the Deming philosophy and how it evolved. It contains the story of Deming's experiences in Japan after World War II and the development of the 14 points. This book includes several interviews with Dr. Deming, and discusses his work with Nashua Corporation in the early 1980s and the awakening of American industry to Deming's management philosophy. The last chapter is a short biography of Deming's life.