Curious Cat: Deming on Management

Deming on Government

Deming believed that the United States government was not designed to be as efficient as possible. From page 198 of Out of the Crisis
Government service is to be judged on equity as well as on efficiency.
He then quotes Oscar Ornati:
We have forgotten that the function of government is more equity oriented than efficiency oriented.

Deming did not focus on the nature of government extensively, but he acknowledged the wisdom of the American style of government (with checks and balances and fairly complex process for creating legislation) even though parts of that system intentionally makes change difficult. He understood the wisdom in designing the system in this way to optimize long term benefits to the whole society, even though that creates sub optimization of certain aspects of the system.

Page 123 of the New Economics for industry, Government, Education:
The function of government should be to work with business, not to harass business.

Deming worked for the government with the Department of War (during World War II), Department of Census and- Department of Agriculture and Interstate Commerce Commission.

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Deming on Management