W. Edwards Deming was a moral philosopher, prophet, and sage with profound insights into the management of organizations and the art of leadership and living. He also was a composer of liturgical music, a singer, and a musician. Edward Martin Baker, one of Demings most valued associates, shares his deep understanding of Demings System of Profound Knowledge, a set of theories and philosophies that helped reshape the management practices of many large multinational corporations. This included bringing organizations to economic health and individuals to spiritual and psychological health by attaining dignity and joy in work. Baker provides an accurate depiction of the philosophy as a musical score: first movement: theory of knowledge second movement: appreciation for a system third movement: knowledge about variation fourth movement: knowledge of psychology Baker shows how the system can be viewed as a mapa mental representation of the territory that managers and others must navigate as they play their various roles. The Symphony of Profound Knowledge and what Deming taught contradicts whats learned in school and in the management of organizations. His teachings encourage the reevaluation of what is seen as fact. It provides a thorough understanding of the Deming philosophy and how to apply those concepts to life.
The name W. Edwards Deming is synonymous with the most insightful views, ideas, and commentary on management and quality control. Referred to as "the high prophet of quality" by the New York Times, Deming was instrumental in the spectacular rise of Japanese industry after World War II and influenced many of the world's most innovative managers in the ensuing decades. His original ideas led directly to the creation of relationships with suppliers and a plethora of quality initiatives. Now, with The Essential Deming, Fordham University professor and Deming expert Joyce Orsini draws on a wealth of previously unavailable material to present the legendary thinker's most important management principles in one indispensable volume. The book is filled with articles, papers, lectures, and notes touching on a wide range of topics, but which focus on Deming's overriding message: quality and operations are all about systems, not individual performance; the system has to be designed so that the worker can perform well. The Essential Deming reveals Deming's unique insight about: How poor management infects an entire organization The critical importance of management on producing quality products and services Improving management in any company The effective management of people--the manager's single most important task How to educate workers into critical thinkers Ways to preserve statistical integrity while dealing with real-world problems Fully authorized by the Deming estate and published in cooperation with The W. Edwards Deming Institute, The Essential Deming is the first book to distill Deming's life's worth of thinking and writing into a single source. Orsini provides expert commentary throughout, delivering a powerful, practical guide to superior management. With The Essential Deming, you have the rationale, insight, and best practices you need to transform your organization. "To move from the wilderness of news into the paths of history, we must distinguish true turning points from mistaken ones. W. Edwards Deming has seen the future and it works. He is a turning point of business history made flesh." -- U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT "I engaged Dr. Deming to assist Ford in planning, developing, and implementing the plans to accomplish major improvement in the way people worked together and in the quality of our products. . . . Ford achieved major success in this effort, and I consider Ed Deming to have been a key element in our progress." -- DONALD E. PETERSEN, former Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Ford Motor Company "It can be said of very few that they changed the way the world thinks, but Dr. Deming is among them. . . . The legacy of Dr. Deming's genius, already immense, grows even larger with this new collection of his thoughts." -- DONALD M. BERWICK , Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress "Toyota Motor Corporation was awarded a Deming Prize in 1965. This laid the foundations for the present growth of our company. I do believe the ideas and theories of Dr. Deming emphasizing the importance of quality control are very useful for people of all ages." -- TATSURO TOYODA, Senior Advisor, Toyota Motor Corporation "Few rival W. Edwards Deming for impact on management in the twentieth century. Indeed, Deming and Drucker, to my mind, stand apart for the breadth and depth of their vision for management as a profession that truly might help realize the possibility of people working together at their best. . . . The publication of this expansive edition of Deming in Deming's own words is a seminal event." -- PETER M. SENGE, MIT and the Society for Organizational Learning
Winner of the 2007 National Book Critics Circle Award for Criticism A New York Times Book Review Top Ten Book of the Year Time magazine Top Ten Nonfiction Book of 2007 Newsweek Favorite Books of 2007 A Washington Post Book World Best Book of 2007 In this sweeping and dramatic narrative, Alex Ross, music critic for The New Yorker, weaves together the histories of the twentieth century and its music, from Vienna before the First World War to Paris in the twenties; from Hitler's Germany and Stalin's Russia to downtown New York in the sixties and seventies up to the present. Taking readers into the labyrinth of modern style, Ross draws revelatory connections between the century's most influential composers and the wider culture. The Rest Is Noise is an astonishing history of the twentieth century as told through its music.
Ludwig Van Beethoven's nine symphonies stand as towering masterworks at the core of the classical canon. In Beethoven's hands, the symphony expanded dramatically in scope and power in a way that would revolutionise both the form itself and music in general. The impact of Beethoven's nine was such that composers long after him would write their own symphonies in his shadow. In this book, acclaimed Pianist and critic John Bell Young explores each of the nine symphonies, always looking beneath the surface for what makes the music so compelling. He places them in their historical and cultural context, and he describes how the Russian concept of intonatsiia, a way of perceiving relationships "between the notes," can help deepen our appreciation of these pieces. The accompanying CD contains selections from all of the symphonies, each performance conducted by the legendary Wilhelm Furtwangler.
Whether you're the owner of our own small business, a middle manager in a mid-sized company, or the CEO of a multinational, this book can show you how to improve your profits and productivity. How? By following the principles of The Deming Management Method. Middle- and top-echelon managers in particular will find Dr. Deming's method provocative and controversial. He is for a total revamping of the way American managers manage. Some of his pet peeves are: managers who manage by slogans or by setting quotas, managers who don't know what their jobs are and who can't define the responsibilities of the workers under them, managers who tend to blame workers, not realizing that workers want to take pride in their work. Change, Dr. Deming beliees, starts at the top with an informed, quality-conscious management. This book includes excellent advice on how to achieve that level of management expertise in the author's analysis of Dr. Deming's famous 14 Points for Managers and his Deadly diseases of management. Dr. Deming's management techniques are all carefully explained in this detailed, step-by-step treatment of their major points and of their practical applications to everyday business life. A large portion of The Deming Management Method is devoted to practical applications of the method by some of American's most innovative firms, including Honeywell, AT&T and Campbell's Soup.
The classic and deeply influential work on business management, leadership, problem solving, and quality control—based on Denning’s famous 14 Points for Management. Now reissued for the managers and leaders of today! Translated into 12 languages and continuously in print since its original publication in 1982, this highly influential framework presents the foundations for a completely transformational way to lead and manage people, processes, and resources. According to Deming, American company management’s failure to plan for the future brings about loss of market, which brings about loss of jobs. Management must be judged not only by the quarterly dividend, but by innovative plans to: • Stay in business • Protect investment • Ensure future dividends • Provide more jobs through improved product and service In simple, direct language, Deming explains the principles of management transformation and how to apply them. This edition includes a foreword by Deming’s grandson, Kevin Edwards Cahill, and Kelly Allan, business consultant and Deming expert.
A TIME Magazine Top 10 Nonfiction Book of 2012 A New Yorker Best Book of the Year Los Angeles Magazine's #1 Music Book of the Year This revelatory book of music history examines what is perhaps the best known and most-popular symphony ever written—and its famous four-note opening. Reaching back before Beethoven’s time, Matthew Guerrieri uncovers premonitions of the opening notes in the rhythms of ancient Greek poetry and the music of the French Revolution. He discusses the Fifth’s impact when it premiered, tracing the artistic, philosophical, and political reverberations across Europe to China, Russia, and the United States, from Romanticism to ring tones, from propaganda to pop. This fascinating piece of musical detective work is a treat for music lovers of every stripe.
The first edition of A Symphony of Silence: An Enlightened Vision was inspired by the desire to share with humanity, through multiple voices, the ineffable beauty we experience in our lives when the veil of ignorance is pulled back and the wonder of our essential nature is revealed.. The voices emerging from these pages add vitality and validity to our shared experience of the silence of the transcendent. It is not something beyond our reach, but a reality that has always been with us, quietly awaiting an opportunity to unfold. In this second edition of A Symphony of Silence, several new voices are added to the chorus of the first edition. A Catholic priest tells us of using TM as part of his inspired vision of the power of love to transform the lives of abused and destitute children from the streets of South America. The founding director of an orphanage and school in Uganda, who likewise brings TM to children in need, describes to us his compassionate resolve to eradicate suffering within his community. A poet expresses for us in verse the joy of a seeker reaching for the light. A scientist and his colleagues show us the power of TM to reduce stress and alleviate PTSD in the field of law enforcement. An actor, director, producer, and entrepreneur, explores with us his innovative projects for inner city students through “Edutainment.” Women, who for decades dedicated themselves to introducing the TM program to their multicultural community, share with us delightful and very personal stories. A pioneering social activist brings us into the conversation he had with Maharishi in 1968 at a conference in Squaw Valley, California. He talked candidly with Maharishi about the need to introduce TM as a tool to bring inner freedom to the inner cities, helping to fulfill the quest for true civil rights. The voices in A Symphony of Silence create a glimpse into the vast impact that Maharishi has on many lives throughout the world.
A “fascinating overview” of neurofeedback and its potential benefits for treating depression, autism, epilepsy, and other conditions (Discover). Since A Symphony in the Brain was first published, the scientific understanding of our bodies, brains, and minds has taken remarkable leaps. From neurofeedback with functional magnetic resonance imaging equipment, to the use of radio waves, to biofeedback of the heart and breath and coverage of biofeedback by health insurance plans, this expanded and updated edition of the groundbreaking book traces the fascinating untold story of the development of biofeedback. Discovered by a small corps of research scientists, this alternative treatment allows a patient to see real-time measurements of their bodily processes. Its advocates claim biofeedback can treat epilepsy, autism, attention deficit disorder, addictions, and depression with no drugs or side effects; bring patients out of vegetative states; and even improve golf scores or an opera singer’s voice. But biofeedback has faced battles for acceptance in the conservative medical world despite positive signs that it could revolutionize the way a diverse range of medical and psychological problems are treated. Offering case studies, accessible scientific explanations, and dramatic personal accounts, this book explores the possibilities for the future of our health. “Robbins details the fascinating medical history of the therapy, tracing it back to French physician Paul Broca’s discovery of the region in the brain where speech originates. At the heart of this riveting story are the people whose lives have been transformed by neurofeedback, from the doctors and psychologists who employ it to the patients who have undergone treatment.” —Publishers Weekly
