What the Automakers Forgot

U.S. automakers are in trouble.  They…and the rest of us…have forgotten the basic principles of a master who taught them the basic principles of continual improvement:I’m talking about W. Edwards Deming.  Deming worked with the Japanese automakers after WW II and caught the eye of Ford Motor Company.  Today, it seems the automakers have forgotten these principles, which are related in his classic book with the appropriate title Out of the Crisis.  Small business owners too can benefit from a review of Deming’s principles.
Deming warned against the Seven Deadly Diseases (also known as the “Seven Wastes”):
1. Lack of constancy of …read more