Adapting Deming′s Philosophy: An Evaluative Model
| Date | 01 August 1993 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/02635579310043903 |
| Published date | 01 August 1993 |
| Pages | 3-7 |
| Author | Jaideep G. Motwani,Victor E. Sower,Martin E. Roosenfeldt |
| Subject Matter | Economics,Information & knowledge management,Management science & operations |
ADAPTING DEMING'S PHILOSOPHY:
AN
EVALUATIVE MODEL 3
Adapting
Deming's
Philosophy: An
Evaluative
Model
Jaideep
G.
Motwani, Victor
E.
Sower and
Martin
E.
Roosenfeldt
Industrial Management & Data Systems,
Vol.
93
No.
8,
1993,
pp. 3-7
©
MCB
University Press Limited, 0263-5577
The philosophy of strategic manufacturing goes
far beyond the use of statistical methods.
Introduction
No management issue since the Scientific Management
Movement of Frederick Taylor in
1907
has had
the
impact
of the quality
movement.
It
is
generally agreed among
US
executives that quality in products and services is
essential to maintain and improve competitiveness in
international markets[l]. Quality expert
J.M.
Juran calls
the movement a major phenomenon in this
age[2].
The purpose of this article is to develop a method of
determining a Company Quality Profile (CQP) utilizing
size concepts based on
W.
Edwards Deming's philosophy.
The authors evaluated the CQP in an exploratory field
study in a high technology consumer products
manufacturing plant which is part of a Fortune 500
corporation. This profile may be used by companies to
determine their current quality position, to assign
responsibilities, and to monitor quality and productivity
improvement programmes. The CQP can also be used in
making cross sectional and longitudinal comparisons
when conducting research into quality, productivity, and
competitiveness issues. An earlier version was presented
at the Southern Management Association Meeting in
1989.
Theoretical Framework
W.
Edwards Deming is credited with institutionalizing a
system of strategic manufacturing which is responsible
for
the
formidable Japanese presence in
the
world market.
Deming stressed the necessity of top management
involvement, attention to the customers' needs, the
involvement of all employees in the process of continual
improvement, and the need to pay close attention to the
entire manufacturing process as keys to corporate
success[3,4,5].
He
intimated that
85
per
cent
of
the
causes
for poor quality production rested with management, and
not with workers[6].
The philosophy of strategic manufacturing goes far
beyond the use of statistical methods. The concept
encompasses all parts of the organization as well as
constituencies outside the organization. Deming
advocates creating an outstanding product at lower cost
which will provide real growth for the organization.
President Bush reflects Deming's philosophy when he
says "... competitiveness (does not) mean protectionism
...(but) trying to improve quality and productivity at
home"[7].
This philosophy expands the definition of the
organization's process from the traditional manpower,
methods, materials and machines to include suppliers,
customers, investors and the community
[8,9].
The
customer is the most important part of this extended
process.
The 14 points comprising Deming's philosophy are
designed to improve all aspects of manufacturing. These
points comprise a systems approach to improving the
competitive position of United States manufactured
goods in the world market. The CQP developed in this
study provides the framework for the implementation of
Deming's philosophy.
Establishing a Company Quality Profile
Deming's
14
points are the underlying dimensions of the
six basic concepts which comprised the CQP (see Figure
1).
Profiling the company using six concepts provides a
more convenient and operable means of evaluation than
profiling using the 14 points directly. This is due to the
overlap which exists among the 14 points. The six
concepts comprising the company quality profile exhibit
less overlap and represent more discrete dimensions of
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