Juran Quote

[James Robert Crow <jr1crow@mindspring.com>]

Hello Group:

Many thanks to Rip for putting that attachment on his message.  While we
probably all disagree with Juran's assessment of Deming, there are many
other things in this interview that should ring a positive bell.  His
comments on Six Sigma, and ISO 9000 as an example.

Juran has his assessment of why quality has failed to be sustainable in the
US.  His comments that there has been a lack of buy-in by top management
and a lack of willingness on the part of top management are certainly true
and support what Deming said regarding the fact that quality starts at the
top of the organization.  Quality cannot be deligated down into the
organization.  Perhaps this is why Deming would only work with the top
people in companies he agreed to work with as a consultant.

Other reasons why quality has failed as a concept in the US are:

Lack of conatancy of purpose.  Instead we have a flavor of the month approach.
Turnover in top management.  Many of the people Deming worked with have
retired, or moved to other positions.  I believe the average length of time
a CEO in in place in the US is 18 months.  That's an average which means
that many are in place for only a couple of months.  It takes time for a
CEO to have an impact on a company, to establish him/herself, get people in
place, and begin implementation of process that will result in continual
improvement.  18 months is probably not enough time unless this is a very
focused person.

In reading the Juran interview and the comments about Deming, Juran seems
to throw this comment in as an asside while he is talking about the early
days of ASQ.  He has a lot of other things to say in the interview that are
very good.  I suggest that we not get hung up on this and look at the total
interview.  There is no doubt that the contribution of Juran have been
significant and cannot be ignored.


Robert Crow
Principal
Crow Consulting
165 River North Circle NW
Atlanta, GA 30328 USA
Voice 770-396-2280
FAX 770-396-7010
jr1crow@mindspring.com
www.crowgroup.net