Although it is many years since I first read "Out of the Crisis" and I have read management books voraciously, it remains for me the one which 'hits the button' most accurately. In a way it is an easy read, and in a way it is not. Dr Deming's approach is characterised by a combination of an unusual degree of rigour for a management book with an unusual degree of humanity. It is precisely this combination which makes it so uniquely valuable. Although many of the principles he puts forward are now accepted almost universally, the way they are put into practice is often lamentable and a re-reading of his penetrating work remains important. Other principles are still regarded as counter-intuitive. It is these which I find the most illuminating. The most useful role of this book is that it should provoke thought and study. So much popular management literature seems to advocate a quick simplistic 'fix'. Dr Deming specifically encourages us to study profoundly. Management simply IS difficult, which is why great managers are so rare. Dr Deming will not lead you astray.
