(Yorkshire Publishing: Tulsa, OK) -- This winter, our view of Japanese automakers as the pinnacle of quality was shattered by the Toyota recall fiasco. For the last 50 years, the Japanese have continuously garnered more and more market share by using a continuous improvement manufacturing philosophy. By utilizing many small and occasionally large improvements to processes and products, Japanese automakers set their companies upon a foundation of success and expansion. By creating inexpensive, well-built vehicles that were attractive to American consumers, they were able to build a reputation for excellence in the marketplace.
This model was brought to light predominantly by quality guru Dr. W. Edwards Deming. His strategies helped Toyota best General Motors as the biggest automotive company in the world. The attention to Deming’s way of thinking, which had worked so well for the Japanese automakers in the past, seems to have been lost. Unfortunately, it may be years or even decades before Toyota is able to rebuild its past reputation.
Fortunately, Dr. Deming’s strategies are alive and well in middle America. The Bama Companies in Tulsa, Oklahoma, continues to use Deming’s approach to excellence in everything they do. Bama’s CEO, Paula Marshall, is making it her mission to “change the way business is done” by utilizing Deming’s approach to excellence in product quality management. America, from one coast to another, is starting to agree that as a country, we must find a better way of doing business, says Marshall. The approach that Japanese automakers used so well, but lost sight of, focused on employee retention, engagement, and a corporate culture based on creating an environment where innovation is rewarded. Marshall’s new book, Finding the Soul of Big Business (Yorkshire Publishing Group, 2009), shares the many lessons that she learned as a student of Dr. Deming. The nation’s attitude toward excessive executive pay, and the cry for business reform are both subjects that Marshall can speak about. By sharing her strategy for bringing the focus of business away from just the bottom line, she hopes to help U.S. business once again thrive and dominate markets across the world.
For more information about Paula Marshall’s book, Finding the Soul of Big Business, please visit her web site: http://findingthesoulofbusiness.com.
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