THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, November 30, 1994 TAG: 9411300035
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: By Larry Bonko, Television Writer
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
IF THIS NEWSPAPER is better today than it was yesterday, it means those of us who work at The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star have embraced the philosphy, heart and soul of the man you will hear about tonight at 10 on PBS and WHRO - W. Edwards Deming.
When it was time to rebuild an economy that had been pulverized by the Allies in 1945, who did the Japanese call? Deming, an American deep-thinker whose philosophy of continuous improvement - getting better bit by bit, step by step - helped the war cause.
As a member of the War Production Board, he showed workers in defense plants how to make bullets better.
Deming's gone now after living robustly into his 90s, but his ideas have been embraced by many companies in the United States, including the one that publishes these newspapers. This column is being brought to you today not by one humble columnist working by his lonesome, but by a team - the Entertainment Team - which is constantly seeking better ways to cover show biz and the arts.
Deming is our patron saint.
All hail W. Edwards Deming!
He'd hate hearing that.
After watching a preview of ``W. Edwards Deming: The Prophet of Quality,'' I got the impression that the tall, stately Deming was a modest man who didn't want to be fussed over.
In tonight's special, you'll see an old familiar face - Lloyd Dobyns.
He helped produce the Deming portrait and does the narration. Dobyns rose from doing the 6 p.m. newscast at WAVY to high places in broadcast journalism - NBC's European bureau chief, host of his own prime time TV magazines.
Now retired and living in North Carolina, he does what he wants.
Dobyns, who had known Deming for years, admits that Deming's ideas sometimes go over better overseas. Why? Because while Americans see how teamwork wins Super Bowls, they need to be shown how it will make their companies better, more competitive places to work.
``He's had less luck convincing Americans of his philosophy,'' said Dobyns. ``We have always been taught to compete against each other, to impress the boss rather than please the customer. Deming tells us that it takes the same amount of time and effort to lay a bad egg as a good one. The difference is that you can't sell the bad egg.''
So, who was this dude Deming, the man who is toasted by the heads of Toyota and Ford, and spoken of almost like a god in Japan?
He emerged on the world stage from a boyhood in Wyoming, where he worked in a hotel hauling coal and ashes for $1.25 a week. Later, Deming worked his way through college, studying physics and mathematics before he served in the wartime position that made his reputation.
After World War II, it was quantity, not quality, that the Americans were interested in. WE WANTED MORE OF EVERYTHING.
In 1950, Deming told the Japanese to do it the other way. Make quality No. 1.
``Start with your customers,'' he said. ``Talk to them. Ask what they want. Ask what they are unhappy about.''
When American business realized that it was Deming who inspired Japan's economic revival, they begged him to show the way to continuous improvement in the U.S. He taught and lectured right up until his death, traveling far and wide, always appearing in the same custom-made suits, fielding questions with the help of hearing aids.
If they ever make a move about W. Edwards Deming, I'd like to see Gregory Peck play the man who hated to see a business using slogans or setting out goals using numbers. Nonsense, he said.
That's no way to convince people who are doing a good job to do an even better job. Change the system. Think teamwork. Improve constantly. by CNB