Deming Management Method by Mary Walton

Author:Mary Walton [Walton, Mary]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 1988-10-31T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 23

Spreading the Deming Word:

Growth Opportunity Alliance of Greater Lawrence, Lawrence, Massachusetts

One day in October 1980, four months after NBC had broadcast its White Paper, the telephone rang in Dr. Deming’s basement office. Dr. Deming himself took the call.

The caller was Bob King, manager of industrial relations for a Lawrence, Massachusetts, textile firm named Malden Mills. Lately, he had been involved in a coalition of labor and management to rescue the aging industrial city of 65,000 from high unemployment and low productivity.

“Dr. Deming,” King said, surprised to find himself reaching his target on the first call and slightly at a loss for words, “I saw the NBC White Paper, and I understand you’ve done some work in Japan.”

“What do you mean, some work?” Dr. Deming replied.

King experienced a moment of trepidation but forged ahead, explaining that the city of Lawrence had formed a coalition of companies to improve quality and productivity and that the coalition had decided to seek out Dr. Deming for help.

Dr. Deming, King would later recall, said he would help “if you’re serious.”

King by now realized that Dr. Deming would not look favorably on anyone who wasted his time. “I think we’re serious,” King replied, “but I’ll speak again to the people who are involved.”

Several weeks later, King was back on the phone, and the first Deming seminar was arranged for the group known as GOAL, the Growth Opportunity Alliance of Greater Lawrence. Although no one could have foreseen it at that time, Lawrence and its environs would become a hotbed of Deming activity as a result of that phone call and would be a resource for others here and abroad.

Lawrence, Massachusetts, was a worn-out former textile town, most of whose mills had come to a halt. Located thirty-five miles north of Boston, the greater Lawrence area, and to some extent the city itself, had attracted a few high-tech firms. But back in 1979, when the city had elected a new mayor, Lawrence P. LeFebre, unemployment was still widespread.

LeFebre immediately sought to change the economic climate. He had heard that in Jamestown, New York, a coalition of government, industry, and labor leaders had worked together to turn labor strife into labor harmony. As a consequence, new companies were sufficiently encouraged to move into the Jamestown area. That was the sort of thing LeFebre would like to accomplish in Lawrence.

The new mayor approached Malden Mills, a family-owned textile firm that was the city’s largest employer. Malden had managed to survive the decline of the textile industry because of its strong customer orientation and diversified manufacturing processes. Moreover, the company had foreseen the decline of the U.S. apparel industry and had switched much of its production to upholstery materials.

Malden’s industrial relations director, Bob King, was immediately intrigued by LeFebre’s proposal. He had been thinking of starting an Employee Involvement program for the company’s 1,800 workers, and LeFebre’s ideas seemed to be in sync with his.

The price of enthusiasm is involvement. King became cochairman of the group that took the

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