Deming, William Edwards

Deming, William Edwards

(dĕm`ĭng), 1900–1993, American statistician and quality-control expert, b. Sioux City, Iowa. Deming used statistics to examine industrial production processes for flaws and believed that improving product quality depended on increased management-labor cooperation as well as improved design and production processes. He greatly influenced Japanese industry as it rebuilt in the years after World War II and was often critical of U.S. corporate management.