In a recent article on MoreBusiness.com, we talked about the huge impact W. Edward Deming had on global business with his drive for quality.
Normally, I'm skeptical about the latest and greatest practices that come around. Ideas like Total Quality Management (TQM), Management by Objectives (MBO) and Management By Walking Around (MBWA) are all good ideas with marketing acronyms but (I feel) they fall short of real leadership.
Deming was different.
He didn't just talk about managing a business based on numbers, I think he was a visionary for a new and better world: he wanted to see businesses around the world working together in friendly competition (maybe like teammates in a NASCAR race?) to create a world where everybody wins.
Pie-in-the-sky dream? Maybe. But it's exciting to think about the overall benefit when every business works for every business to win. It reminds me of someone who once said that when the tide rises, all the boats rise…
