THE AIM for today’s entry is to share with you a sampling of some remarkable colorized photos of Dr. Deming from his time in Japan in the 1950s and 60s. They were prepared, with the blessing of The Deming Institute, by Niels Pflaeging who has posted a collection of over two dozen pictures you can find on his site here.
I’m usually not a fan of colorizing, but Niels’ choice of palette makes these photos just pop - they make history, for those of us who grew up on color TV and movies, more… relatable and not so distant. What follows are some that stood out to me.
Below, Deming is delivering a lecture in 1955 and you can just make out the notes on the blackboards about the advantages of statistical control of a manufacturing process with respect to uniformity and dependability.
I’ve always liked the original black and white of this one because it shows Deming in action, but with color it makes the lesson come alive. Again, we can just make out the lecture notes about the application of statistical control for improvement of quality, and to his right some interested onlookers who probably couldn’t find a seat as his early lectures were often booked to overflowing.
In this 1955 photo, Deming is pictured with the enigmatic Managing Director of JUSE (Japanese Union of Scientists and Engineers), Mr. Kenichi Koyanagi, on his immediate right. John Willis, in his book, Deming’s Journey to Profound Knowledge, describes Koyanagi as the “Japanese mirror image” of Dr. Shewhart. He was perhaps the most important figure behind the Japanese miracle, having actively sought Deming out to teach his members about statistical control of quality.
It’s often asked whether it was Deming who influenced the Japanese, or the other way around. In this 1955 photo of him and his wife, Lola, on a pearl diving boat at Mikimoto, you get a sense of his keen interest in learning about the Japanese culture. Sure, it’s touristy, but when you put it in context with how well respected he was by his Japanese students, it takes on sincerity. I’m sure there must have been moments where he wondered how a stats nerd from Wyoming could be so fortunate.
And no collection would be complete without this photo of Deming shaking the hand of then-Toyota President, Fukio Nakagawa, after their winning of the Deming Prize in 1965. You can feel the sense of pride Nakagawa must have had then, and the humbleness of Deming as he respectfully bows his 6’+ frame. America was just beginning to feel the pinch of their imports at the time.
This award would be the first of five that would open Toyota’s eligibility for later winning the Japan Quality Medal in 1970.
If you’re a Deming buff or just curious, take a look at Niels’ collection of photos as there are many more that capture him at various moments, posed and candids, that make the man and his legacy less abstract and more recent. And if you can, consider making a donation to The Deming Institute to help them continue to deliver Dr. Deming’s teachings to new generations of leadership-in-waiting.
The only slight question mark about Deming's time in Japan was his shunning of Homer Sarasohn both during and after. I had Homer address the InterCity board on strategy years ago and he admitted to being puzzled.