Editing W. Edwards Deming (section)

==Career==
Deming was a professor of statistics in New York University graduate school of business administration (1946–1993) and taught at [[Columbia University]]'s graduate school of business (1988–1993). He also was a consultant for private business.

In 1927, Deming was introduced to [[Walter A. Shewhart]] of the Bell Telephone Laboratories by C.H. Kunsman of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Deming found great inspiration in the work of Shewhart, the originator of the concepts of statistical control of processes and the related technical tool of the [[control chart]], as Deming began to move toward the application of statistical methods to industrial production and management. Shewhart's idea of common and special causes of variation led directly to Deming's theory of management. Deming saw that these ideas could be applied not only to manufacturing processes, but also to the processes by which enterprises are led and managed. This key insight made possible his enormous influence on the economics of the industrialized world after 1950.<ref name="brief">''A Brief History of Dr. W. Edwards Deming'' British Deming Association SPC Press, Inc. 1992</ref>

In 1936, he studied under Sir [[Ronald Fisher]] and [[Jerzy Spława-Neyman]] at [[University College, London]], England.

Deming edited a series of lectures delivered by Shewhart at USDA, ''Statistical Method from the Viewpoint of Quality Control'', into a book published in 1939. One reason he learned so much from Shewhart, Deming remarked in a videotaped interview, was that, while brilliant, Shewhart had an "uncanny ability to make things difficult." Deming thus spent a great deal of time both copying Shewhart's ideas and devising ways to present them with his own twist.<ref>[http://deming.org/?content=652 The Man: Articles: "The Three Careers of W. Edwards Deming."] W. Edwards Deming Institute. Accessed: 2008-10-15.</ref>

Deming developed the sampling techniques that were used for the first time during the 1940 U.S. Census, formulating the Deming-Stephan algorithm for iterative proportional fitting in the process.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Deming | first1 = WE | last2 = Stephan | first2 = F | year = 1940 | title = On a least squares adjustment of a sampled frequency table when the expected marginal totals are known | url =http://dml.cz/bitstream/handle/10338.dmlcz/135568/Kybernetika_39-2003-6_5.pdf | journal = Annals of Mathematical Statistics | volume = 11 | issue = 4| pages = 427–444 | doi = 10.1214/aoms/1177731829 | doi-access = free }}</ref> During World War II, Deming was a member of the five-man Emergency Technical Committee. He worked with H.F. Dodge, A.G. Ashcroft, Leslie E. Simon, R.E. Wareham, and John Gaillard in the compilation of the American War Standards ([[American Standards Association]] Z1.1–3 published in 1942)<ref>Editor's Preface ''Elementary Principles of Statistical Control Quality'' The Union of Japanese Scientists and Engineers (transcript of Deming's 1950 lectures in Japan)</ref> and taught SPC techniques to workers engaged in wartime production. Statistical methods were widely applied during World War II, but faded into disuse a few years later in the face of huge overseas demand for American mass-produced products.{{citation needed |date=April 2013}}

=== Japan ===
In 1947, Deming was involved in early planning for the 1951 [[Japanese census]]. The [[Allies of World War II|Allied powers]] were [[Occupied Japan|occupying Japan]], and he was asked by the [[United States Department of the Army]] to assist with the census. He was brought over at the behest of General [[Douglas MacArthur]], who grew frustrated at being unable to complete so much as a phone call without the line going dead due to Japan's shattered postwar economy. While in Japan, his expertise in quality-control techniques, combined with his involvement in Japanese society, brought him an invitation from the Union of Japanese Scientists and Engineers (JUSE).<ref name="bio" />

JUSE members had studied Shewhart's techniques, and as part of Japan's reconstruction efforts, they sought an expert to teach statistical control. From June–August 1950, Deming trained hundreds of engineers, managers, and scholars in SPC and concepts of quality. He also conducted at least one session for top management (including top Japanese industrialists of the likes of [[Akio Morita]], the cofounder of [[Sony Corp]].)<ref name="legacy">{{cite journal |last=Noguchi |first=Junji  |title=The Legacy of W. Edwards Deming |journal=Quality Progress |date=October 1995 |volume=28 |issue=12 |pages=35–38}}</ref>  Deming's message to Japan's chief executives was that improving [[Quality (business)|quality]] would reduce expenses, while increasing [[Productivity (economics)|productivity]] and market share.<ref name="lecture" />  Perhaps the best known of these management lectures was delivered at the Mt. Hakone Conference Center in August 1950.

A number of Japanese manufacturers applied his techniques widely and experienced heretofore unheard-of levels of quality and productivity. The improved quality combined with the lowered cost created new international demand for Japanese products.

Deming declined to receive royalties from the transcripts of his 1950 lectures, so JUSE's board of directors established the [[Deming Prize]] (December 1950) to repay him for his friendship and kindness.<ref name="legacy" />  Within Japan, the Deming Prize continues to exert considerable influence on the disciplines of quality control and quality management.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://deming.org/index.cfm?content=511 | title=What is the Deming Prize? | publisher=The W. Edwards Deming Institute. | access-date=2010-05-20 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100629043330/http://deming.org/index.cfm?content=511 | archive-date=June 29, 2010 | url-status=dead | df=mdy-all }}</ref>

In 1960, the Prime Minister of Japan ([[Nobusuke Kishi]]), acting on behalf of Emperor [[Hirohito]], awarded Deming Japan's [[Order of the Sacred Treasure|Order of the Sacred Treasure, Second Class]]. The citation on the medal recognizes Deming's contributions to Japan's industrial rebirth and its worldwide success. The first section of the meritorious service record describes his work in Japan:<ref name="legacy" />
:*1947, Rice Statistics Mission member
:*1950, assistant to the [[Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers]]
:*instructor in sample survey methods in government statistics
The second half of the record lists his service to private enterprise through the introduction of epochal ideas, such as quality control and market survey techniques.

Among his many honors, an exhibit memorializing Deming's contributions and his famous Red Bead Experiment is on display outside the board room of the [[American Society for Quality]].<ref>{{cite journal|date=Spring 2005|title=Red beads on display at ASQ headquarters |journal=Deming Interaction | volume = 9 | issue = 1|page = 2}}</ref>

He was inducted into the [[Automotive Hall of Fame]] in 1991.