Although he cannot be credited as the sole creator of continuous improvement or Total Quality Management, W. Edwards Deming certainly popularized the concept. Deming is best known for his work in Japan with the leaders of Japanese industry after World War Two. In an address at the Hakone Convention Center in Tokyo in 1950, Deming introduced the concept of Statistical Product Quality Administration (SPQA). Many credit Deming’s ideas as the driving force that brought Japanese industry out of postwar devastation to world economic power. Deming taught that small incremental changes, many suggested by those on the factory floor, could help an industry develop quality products that would be preferred by consumers. Although I would prefer that we not think of ministry as developing products, many of Deming’s ideas can be applied to transitioning a church to becoming more missional, embracing its role in the missio Dei (mission of God). The cycle of instituti...
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