Deming/Sarasohn and Leaders Issues

[FVoehl@aol.com]

In a message dated 7/14/0 1:14:29 AM, march@execpc.com wrote:

<<I find these observations interesting in thinking about the spread of
Deming's ideas. Lou's recollection in particular gives me a different
perspective of the "top management" figures that Deming lectured to. Do the
other historians on our list have the same recollection that Lou does? How
long were "wartime" (experienced) managers officially refrained from
management activities in Japanese industry? Unofficially, were they mentors
behind the scenes? When the restrictions eventually were lifted, what
happened with regard to leadership roles?>>

As usual, March is right on target with her comments.  I had the good fortune 
to spend quite a bit of time with Homer Sarasohn.  We have documented over 
twenty hours of his recollections in a video library series, which included 
some clips of his interview with the Bahamas Quality Council as well.  As 
General Manager of FPL Qualtec Quality Services, we were doing a series on 
the History of Total Quality, and the Japanese Transformation played a key 
part.  (Encyclopedia Britianica and Productivity, Inc. were also interested 
in the series). 

Homer was very knowledgeable and was willing to share this knowledge with us 
in a very deep and exhaustive manner.  We then verified much of what he said 
with many sources, especially with Robert Chapman Wood, who wrote the first 
article on Sarasohn and Protzman for Forbes in 1988 and has an excellent 
reputation in this area (Myron Tribus brought this to my attention in 1988).

Not once, in all of his conversations with us involving many trips to visit 
with us in Florida, did he ever put down Dr. Deming.  It was just the 
opposite.  He even did a chapter, in my Deming book of tributes, called <The 
Return of the Herald Angel> in which he gave high praise to Deming 
throughout, and especially in his conclusion:

*The documentary <If Japan Can...> brought Dr. Deming to national attention.  
Before too long, he was accorded the recognition he was entitled to have 
received quite some years before. To the day of his death, he was in demand
as a teacher and lecturer.  People wanted to hear what he had to say.  They 
listened and they learned.  He responded to their demand, even in later years 
when he was physically incapacitated.  He had a message to give:  Be not 
afraid of change;  seek always to improve.  And most importantly, as 
Churchill once said--never, ever, ever, ever, ever ever give up!*

I will contact Homer Sarasohn on the questions raised by March Jacques in her 
post (see above), and will cover his responses to those <leaders issues> in a 
future post.

Frank Voehl (FVoehl@aol.com)
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