Deming Management Theory Key Terms

Understand the key terms used in Deming's total quality management theory

Deming is famous for his work in the US on production quality management during WWII, and also gained fame around the world for his involvement in Japanese industrial development after the war. Deming drew many of his principles from holistic management theories, like total quality management, which he developed while working in Japan. Deming is credited for his humanistic approach to management and the ease of applying his concepts. In order to utilize Deming's management theories, you will need to understand several key terms that illustrate his ideas.

 

Total quality management (TQM)

Total quality management, or TQM, is the term for Deming's overall theory of management, which embraces the need to incorporate perspectives from all levels of industry, particularly workers, in order to improve a process. TQM has been utilized by the Japanese automobile industry in particular and is well known for the productivity increase that results from worker autonomy.
Try: MariosAlexandrou.com offers a concise definition of total quality management as espoused by Deming.

14 points of management

Deming's 14 points of management are an overall guiding framework for managers' roles within an organization as they attempt to achieve total quality management. These points embrace power sharing and the incorporation of multiple perspectives on quality and authority.
Try: Read the 14 points of management available from The W. Edwards Deming Institute.

Deming cycle

The Deming cycle, also known as the Deming wheel, is a management process involving four steps: planning the process, doing the process, studying or checking the process, and acting to improve the process. This cycle repeats so that improvements are continuously made, providing a more productive work environment.
Try: The Balanced Scorecard Institute offers a definition and diagram of the Deming cycle.

Red bead experiment

In his research, Deming conducted the red bead experiment in which workers used paddles to sort colored beads from a container. The experiment was designed to illustrate that performance of workers varies regardless of merit, that workers operate in a system beyond their control, and that it is the role of management to provide effective changes in the system when necessary.
Try: Management and Accounting Web offers a detailed overview of the red bead experiment and its implications for Deming's theory of management.

System of profound knowledge

Deming advocated a system of profound knowledge, which refers to the transformative knowledge allowing individuals to understand their own actions and judgments, and apply this knowledge to interpersonal relationships and system management. Profound knowledge is a holistic view of knowledge and how it is applied to human behavior.
Try: CarbonRational offers a definition of the system of profound knowledge developed by Deming.

Seven deadly diseases

Deming's concept of the seven deadly diseases or seven wastes of management was a list of activities that automatically decrease the effectiveness of management. These issues include an inconsistent purpose, emphasis on short-term profits, merit-based evaluation, high management turnover, managing by visible figures, excessive medical costs and excessive liability.
Try: Read extended definitions of Deming's seven deadly diseases from American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

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