Thinking About Quality: Progress, Wisdom, and the Deming Philosophy [Hardcover]

Lloyd Dobyns (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 12, 1994

An end to the misunderstandings of W. Edwards Deming's work--the book that finally provides a relationship between his ideas and the way businesses should be run.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

On balance, this book succeeds in condensing a fair amount of contemporary thinking on quality. The words of the authors, a former journalist and a producer at NBC News, are telling: "Originally, we had intended this book to be more about the Baldrige Award and less about the Deming method, but the more we tried to explain Baldrige, the more we wrote about Deming." Deming, however, is neither the first nor last word on the subject of quality. This work has two flaws. First, it adds little that is substantive to William W. Scherkenback's The Deming Route to Quality and Productivity (1960). Second, it is preceded by Vice President Al Gore's "Creating a Government That Works Better and Costs Less," a government document dated September 7, 1993, which addresses some key issues raised here. Thus, while the book is a good introduction to quality, it is an "also ran" for quality practitioners.
- Steven Silkunas, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority, Philadelphia
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Dobyns may be best remembered for teaming with Linda Ellerbee a decade ago to coanchor the classy, irreverent NBC News Overnight and Weekend. Crawford-Mason has worked for NBC News and People as well as several Washington, D.C., newspapers. The two have collaborated with quality guru W. Edwards Deming on a 20-volume Deming Video Library. They also wrote Quality or Else (1991), which served as the companion book to IBM's public broadcasting series on quality. This latest work takes up where their earlier one left off, and it has the same feel of television about it, with chapters seemingly put together as video-newsmagazine segments. Dobyns and Crawford-Mason outline Deming's 14 points and profile the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award and its seven categories. They also contrast Zytec Corporation and the Wallace Company, two winners of the Baldridge Award, and analyze why Zytec has seen continued success, whereas Wallace has filed for bankruptcy protection. The authors also look at efforts to apply Deming and Baldridge quality concepts in education, health care, and the U.S. Navy and at the New York Times. Recommended for public-library business collections. David Rouse

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 280 pages
• Publisher: Crown; 1 edition (April 12, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081292133X
• ISBN-13: 978-0812921335
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #866,116 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Book on Deming and Baldridge Award, January 6, 2007

By 

Kraig Schultz "Kraig" (Michigan) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Thinking About Quality: Progress, Wisdom, and the Deming Philosophy (Hardcover)

This is an awesome book on Deming Philosophy and gives a great comparison between Deming and the Malcolm Baldridge award.

I have studied Deming for 16 years (I've read his two books and over 14 others written about his philosophy). I also own the Deming libary volume 1-9 and the Deming 4 day seminar on DVD.

What's great about the book is that authors spent time with Deming over many years of his life getting to know him and trying to distill his teachings into something that common people could understand. The result is a book that is weak on statistics but gives a great introduction and summary of Demings philosophy for someone new to or experienced with Deming. It's Deming philosophy for the masses.

5.0 out of 5 stars An Easy Read & Good Orientation to the Topic, February 15, 2002

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Mr Engr "RP" (Alpharetta, GA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Thinking About Quality: Progress, Wisdom, and the Deming Philosophy (Hardcover)

This book or one similar should be a required first reading for those interested in more than keeping quality records. It orients the reader to the true driving force behind quality movements--burning desire for customer satisfaction. Have a copy or two in your facility library and make sure your new employees read at least the first 4-5 chapters.

4.0 out of 5 stars A further description of the Deming Management Method, June 12, 1998

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moneyblows books (Lee, NH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Thinking About Quality: Progress, Wisdom, and the Deming Philosophy (Hardcover)

Dr. Deming called Dobyns and Crawford-Mason "the broadcasters and clarifiers of [his] message for a larger audience." Their book and PBS series Quality or Else introduced the general public to the Deming Management Method.