I recommend this article written by Robert E.Cole in this link bit.ly/jAfs3Q which I think offer a good explanation based on a good research and undertsanding.

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Isn’t Deming’s philosophy and espicially his 14 points about values and leadership? I understand his vision to be “people with sound values have the capacity to produce quality goods or services at a competitive price.” His teachings are more about who a company is, or at least strives to be, than about what they do. I spent thirty years in manufacturing implementing and re-implementing ERP systems, quality systems, etc. These efforts rarely continued past the point where the company had to change their fundamental values. It would be refreshing if “Toyata’s rise from the fall” were a catalyst for a discussion on developing leaders and effective values instead of our current discussion about management and process.

Thanks,
Kevin

I thought it was a very well-written piece (though I’m sure it’s gone through many internal editors). As the head of the company, I’m glad he’s admitting that Toyota’s current system failed instead of passing the buck. I like the fact that he is promising to put in new processes and systems instead of just apologizing without doing anything to prevent future problems. Bret, I’d be glad to hear your thoughts on whether he did the right thing or is not doing enough.