VOICE ONE:
This is Steve Ember.
VOICE TWO:
And this is Shirley Griffith with the VOA Special Englishprogram, EXPLORATIONS. Today we tell about an American who wasbetter known in Japan than in the United States. W. Edwards Demingwas responsible for shaping the industrial rebirth of Japanfollowing World War Two.
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VOICE ONE:
W. Edwards Deming was born in the state of Iowa innineteen-hundred. His family soon moved to a small town in Wyoming.His family was very poor. As a child, he earned money for his familyby working after school carrying wood and coal to a nearby hotel.
This early experience had alasting effect. It reportedly gave Mister Deming a deep sympathy forpoor people and a bitter hatred of waste.
Mister Deming said that his parents believed in the importance ofeducation, although his family did not have very much money. He wasable to attend the University of Wyoming where he studiedengineering. He earned a Masters’ degree in mathematics and physicsfrom the University of Colorado. He received a doctorate in physicsfrom Yale University in nineteen-twenty-eight.
VOICE TWO:
After he graduated from Yale, Mister Deming worked as a federalgovernment employee in Washington for several years. He later joinedthe Census Bureau as its chief mathmetician. He developed many newmethods for collecting information about the population of theUnited States.
In nineteen-forty-seven, he was sent to Japan to help withpopulation studies there. Japan was governed by an occupying forceled by American General Douglas MacArthur in the first years afterWorld War Two. One of General MacArthur’s goals was to rebuildJapanese industry.
VOICE ONE:
Mister Deming already was recognized for his knowledge about theoperation of companies. During the war, he had developed a plan totrain American engineers in ideas needed to improve production.
Japanese industrial leaders were especially interested inlearning his ideas. They knew that Japan lacked many naturalresources. They believed that their country would be successful onlyif Japanese companies could sell goods on world markets. So, theyinvited Mister Deming to teach them his methods to produce thebest-made goods possible.
In nineteen-fifty, Mister Deming taught for eight days in Japan.Eighty percent of Japan’s top business and industrial leadersattended the classes. He told them that they could do a better jobthan American companies if they would try to fill the demands ofpeople who buy their products. He discussed ways to produce goodsthat would not break or wear out easily. His main ideas became knownas methods of quality control.
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VOICE TWO:
In general, W Edwards Deming believed that managers whosupervised workers — and not the workers — were responsible formost production problems. He said effective managers should spendmost of their time setting goals for the company. He said managersshould communicate with their workers. And he said cooperation, notcompetition, was important in a company.
Mister Deming rejected the idea of using inspectors to judge thework of company employees. He denounced company rules that setproduction limits for workers. He also criticized the system ofgiving workers money awards.
Mister Deming argued that the real secret to producing bettergoods is to depend on workers to do the job correctly the firsttime. He often said people have the right to enjoy their work andfeel that they have control over their job. He believed that peopledo their best work when they are urged to use their minds and theirskills on the job.
VOICE ONE:
Mister Deming believed that another important goal for anycompany is to work to reduce waste. Motions by a worker that do notadd value to the final product are waste, he said. So are suppliesthat companies do not use for long periods of time.
Mister Deming also was known for his money-saving methods in hispersonal life. One of his daughters says he would write dates oneggs in the refrigerator. He was sure then that the oldest egg wouldbe eaten first. No egg would be wasted!
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VOICE TWO:
Japanese companies closely followed Mister Deming’s advice aboutindustrial management. In about twenty years, products made byJapanese companies easily beat their competition in internationalmarkets. For example, Japanese companies, like Sony and Panasonic,almost forced American television and radio industries out ofbusiness. At about the same time, Japanese car companies capturedhuge markets once led by the American automobile industry.
VOICE ONE:
After Mister Deming’s first trip to Japan, the Japanese Union ofScientists and Engineers collected his notes. They published theideas as a book named, “Elementary Principles of the StatisticalControl of Quality.”
Mister Deming refused to accept any money earned from the book.Instead, he suggested that the money be used to support effortsaimed at improving production. So the Japanese Union of Scientistsand Engineers created the Deming Prize. It rewards companies thatproduce some of the best designed goods. The award became one of themost highly sought prizes by Japanese companies. Yet, the manrecognized for leading Japan’s industrial revolution remained almostunknown in the United States.
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VOICE TWO:
By nineteen-eighty, American industries were in trouble. Japaneseproducts continued to be leading sellers in all major markets.
American managers sought to find ways to compete with Japanesecompanies. They finally began to notice W. Edwards Deming.
VOICE ONE:
The Ford Motor Company was one of the first large Americancompanies to seek help from Mister Deming. Ford officials asked himto visit their headquarters in Michigan in nineteen-eighty-one. Thecompany’s sales were falling. Ford was losing hundreds of millionsof dollars.
Ford officials were expecting to learn quick new ways to improvetheir cars. Mister Deming, instead, began questioning the company’sculture and the way its managers operated. He told the officialsthat management actions are responsible for eighty-five percent ofall problems in developing better cars.
Ford officials followed his advice. In a few years, Ford MotorCompany led the American automobile industry in improvements.
VOICE TWO:
As the success of Ford Motor Company grew, demand for MisterDeming’s services increased. He worked only with a small number ofcompanies. He also refused to provide advice for companies that didnot let him meet with their top officials. He said that the only wayto bring about change was to have direct meetings with top-levelcompany managers.
Companies that followed Mister Deming’s methods often found thatthey had to change the way they operated. For example, separateparking spaces and dining rooms for company officials were takenaway. Factory workers thought that special treatment for managerswas unfair. The move helped show workers that managers really didwant to work with them as equals.
VOICE ONE:
W. Edwards Deming continued to give educational speeches tomanagers until shortly before his death In Nineteen-Ninety-Three. Hewas ninety-three years old.
In recent years, many American businessmen and managers wereinfluenced by Mister Deming’s theories. Former President BillClinton said the theories of W. Edwards Deming led to the effort toreinvent government in the nineteen-nineties.
Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich said Mister Deming’s adviceresulted not just in better goods and services, but in better livesfor millions of people.
Business experts say W. Edwards Deming’s ideas about businessshould continue to find new life in companies throughout the world.
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VOICE TWO:
This Special English program was written by Gayle Shiraki anddirected by Cynthia Kirk. This is Shirley Griffith.
VOICE ONE:
And this is Steve Ember. Join us again next week for anotherEXPLORATIONS program on the Voice of America.