The Dolphins Are Back: A Successful Quality Model for Healing the Environment [Hardcover]

Phillip M. Scanlan (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1563271834 | ISBN-13: 978-1563271830 | Publication Date: June 1998

By the end of the 1980s, the New Jersey shoreline had become one of the most polluted in the United States. Beach closings were at an all-time high, wildlife was diminishing, and in one dramatic example, over 1,000 dolphins washed ashore along the Atlantic coast from Florida to New Jersey.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Praise for The Dolphins are Back "Once every few years a book comes along that not only has some remarkable content, but it is also fun to read. Phil Scanlan has provided us a real treat. He skillfully weaves a story of restoring the quality of New Jersey's beaches with lessons learned during one of the nation's most successful quality journeys at AT&T. This is a book that should be read by people in government, business, education, health care or in any other area where it is important to get actual results and not just keep busy. The lessons learned in New Jersey have wide applicability all over the world in industry as well as government." A. Blanton Godfrey, Chairman & CEO, Juran Institute, Inc

"The Programs found in The Dolphins Are Back helped the Center for Marine Conservation make the International Coastal Cleanup an even more powerful volunteer program. I can't think of an organization that would not benefit from Phil Scanlan's insightful and helpful book. Roger E. McManus, President Center for Marine Conservation

"The Dolphins Are Back is an excellent and thorough study of what drastic improvements can be made when government, business and citizens work together to clean up the environment. Cooperative effort is essential if we are to protect one of our national treasures: our ocean waters. As Mayor of Avalon, New Jersey - winner of five of six Quality New Jersey Shore Quality Awards, I am proud that our community has been a leader and a partner in New Jersey's successful effort to restore clean waters to our shores." Martin L. Pagliughi, Mayor Avalon, New Jersey

"Phil Scanlan's story is a perfect example of how partnerships between government and business can restore America's most precious resources. As someone who has had the pleasure of working with Phil as he transformed AT&T's quality processes, I recommend you follow all of the lessons this master of quality so carefully describes in The Dolphins are Back." Morley Winograd, former Regional Sales Vice President AT&T

"The Dolphins are Back is an important book. It is important, first, because it chronicles the New Jersey shore cleanup project, an extremely ambitious undertaking and a wonderful success story for the state and the region. It is also an important work because it provides a textbook example of how collaborative problem-solving between the private and public sector can work. The book stands as testimony to the value of the quality approach and its applicability to a wide range of today's most pressing cross-sector challenges." Brent Ruben, Professor and Executive Director University Program for Organizational Quality and Communication, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

"Phil Scanlan has made a very important contribution in his work as well as in the writing of this book. The Dolphins Are Back is a fascinating case study of the application of quality tools and principles to a tremendously important problem. The book provides a glimpse on how to solve many of the most important problems of our society. Applying quality concepts to environmental problems poses exciting possibilities. A landmark case study on how quality methodology really works." David A. Nadler, Chairman Delta Consulting Group, Inc.

About the Author

Phillip Scanlan began his career with AT&T in 1966 and currently serves as Quality Office Vice President providing support for AT&T's senior leadership team, he has been instrumental in developing an AT&T Total Quality Approach supported by a quality library and core curriculum of more than a dozen quality courses. AT&T is the only company to have more than one unit win the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (1992 and 1994). Mr Scanlan's interest in quality has led him to serve as a founding member and the current chair of Quality New Jersey. He has served on the support team for the Baldrige Foundation, and currently serves as a member of a Center for Marine Conservation advisory board. Mr. Scanlan has a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering and an master's degree in Engineering Management, both from Northeastern University.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 308 pages
• Publisher: Productivity Press (June 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563271834
• ISBN-13: 978-1563271830
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,229,825 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The Dolphins are Back, July 5, 2010

By 

Phillip M. Scanlan (Amelia Island, FL, US) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Dolphins Are Back: A Successful Quality Model for Healing the Environment (Hardcover)

This is a must read for anyone concerned with preventing pollution on our shores.

This book explains how to prevent pollution and uses a real experiece to share how to deal with many roadblocks.

5.0 out of 5 stars The Dolphins Are Back is a book to have, June 30, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Dolphins Are Back: A Successful Quality Model for Healing the Environment (Hardcover)

As a child I was intrigued by a set of nested building blocks received as a gift. When I opened the box, I first saw a single large cube with colorful images of animals on all sides. As I examined it further (bringing an array of quality tools to the situation), I realized that the cube contained a number of progressively smaller blocks. The gift, it turned out, was not just one cube, but a complete set of building blocks, each with its own theme and brilliant images.

Phil Scanlan's new book, "The Dolphins Are Back (Productivity Press 1998)", is very much like those blocks. It is at first look a book about a remarkable environmental cleanup project. In 1987-88, problems of water pollution had reached a critical point, as unprecedented numbers of dead and dying bottle-nosed dolphins washed ashore along the Atlantic coast from New Jersey to Florida. During this 12-month period, 740 animals were swept ashore and died, whereas in the course of a normal beach season, about three or four dead dolphins wash up. In New Jersey, the discovery of waste, debris and pollution also led to beach closings that destroyed vacation plans and threatened shore tourism. Ten years later, the dolphins are back, and New Jersey's shore ranks as one of the cleanest in the country. How was this feat accomplished? Phil Scanlan's book presents a detailed chronology and explanation of the steps through which the quality approach was utilized to bring about this most impressive outcome.

A closer look reveals that the The Dolphins Are Back is also an excellent textbook on the quality approach. It presents a comprehensive overview and detailed case study that illustrates the theory, concepts, strategies and tools of the continuous quality improvement approach.

Beyond this, the book is a tribute -- a tribute to AT&T and the leadership role the corporation has played nationally in advancing the cause of quality, and in generously contributing expertise and insight for the public good. It is also a trib! ute to the skilled and dedicated professionals from AT&T, and colleagues from Quality New Jersey, the QNJ Environment Focus Group and New Jersey state government who contributed their time and talent to the project.

Looking still further, The Dolphins is a testament to the power of teamwork and collaborative problem solving, and an inspirational reminder of what is possible when resources and expertise from the private and public sectors are brought together to address complex and critical issues of the day.

At its core, this is also a book about a teacher, Phil Scanlan. Between the lines it tells the story of a man whose insight, dedication and generosity have made a difference -- to the ecology of the Atlantic coast, New Jersey tourism, the quality movement nationally, and to the many people and organizations he has touched through his work.

So, The Dolphins Are Back is a book to have. It's a set of building blocks, each with its own theme and brilliance.