Leadership linked to Deming´s 14 bullets
William Edwards Deming’s 14 points on Quality Management, or the Deming Model of Quality Management, a core concept on implementing total quality management, (TQM), is a set of management practices to help companies increase their quality and productivity Deming’s 14-point list from the 1950s shows a view of leadership based on human values and ideals for democratic societies. Figure 1
Demings 14 points:
- Create constancy of purpose for improving products and services.
- Adopt the new philosophy.
- Cease dependence on inspection to achieve quality.
- End the practice of awarding business on price alone; instead, minimize total cost by working with a single supplier.
- Improve constantly and forever every process for planning, production and service.
- Institute training on the job.
- Adopt and institute leadership.
- Drive out fear.
- Break down barriers between staff areas.
- Eliminate slogans, exhortations and targets for the workforce.
- Eliminate numerical quotas for the workforce and numerical goals for management.
- Remove barriers that rob people of pride of workmanship, and eliminate the annual rating or merit system.
- Institute a vigorous program of education and self-improvement for everyone.
- Put everybody in the company to work accomplishing the transformation.
Today, it is an important task for management to identify the need for personal development and education and to support staff in their development towards becoming good leaders. According to Deming (referenced in Bergman & Klefsjö, 2007), management should focus on the process and the people working in it, and not on supervision and administration. It is the management’s job to constantly work for a better environment, where all employees can feel safe. This also means that all employees should be able to feel involved and understand change processes so as not to be afraid of making mistakes. Deming advocated a holistic approach with communication between all departments in the organization. He stated that as much as 94% of quality problems in organizations are due to the system. If there is ”a lot of talk and a little workshop” within the organization, you lose confidence. One of the management’s tasks is to ensure that all employees feel proud of their work, by creating a positive work environment and encouraging people’s initiatives for continuous development and improvements. Deming also emphasized that “leadership is largely about predictions (ibid.).
