History of the Ishikawa Medal
The Ishikawa Medal
Week 3 Quality Award – GM588
1/24/2010
Purpose
“In management, the first concern of the company is the happiness of the people connected with it. If the people do not feel happy and cannot be made happy, that company does not deserve to exist” (Ishikawa. K., 1985). This is the message that Kaoru Ishikawa stood for throughout his life-long efforts of improving quality. It would be almost impossible to tell you the importance of the Ishikawa Medal without first acknowledging the man behind the medal.
“Kaoru Ishikawa was born in 1915 and graduated in 1939 from the Engineering Department of Tokyo University having majored in applied chemistry. In 1947 he was made an assistant professor at the university. He obtained his Doctorate of Engineering and was promoted to professor in 1960” (DLSU, 2009). Ishikawa wanted to change the way people think about work. He urged managers to resist becoming content with merely improving a product 's quality, insisting that quality improvement can always go one step further. “His notion of company-wide quality control called for continued customer service. This meant that a customer would continue receiving service even after receiving the product. This service would extend across the company itself in all levels of management, and even beyond the company to the everyday lives of those involved. According to Ishikawa, quality improvement is a continuous process, and it can always be taken one step further” (SkyMark Corp. (2009).
Throughout Ishikawa’s career he went on to influence quality with the uses of several well known tools such as the fishbone diagram, and the quality circle. He was an unassuming man who saw a link between workplace quality and prosperity. High-quality products would sell, and their makers would prosper. If work was thus made a joyful and human experience, such prosperity and joy would lead to world peace.
In recognition of his life-long efforts the American Society for Quality
Week 3 Quality Award – GM588
1/24/2010
Purpose
“In management, the first concern of the company is the happiness of the people connected with it. If the people do not feel happy and cannot be made happy, that company does not deserve to exist” (Ishikawa. K., 1985). This is the message that Kaoru Ishikawa stood for throughout his life-long efforts of improving quality. It would be almost impossible to tell you the importance of the Ishikawa Medal without first acknowledging the man behind the medal.
“Kaoru Ishikawa was born in 1915 and graduated in 1939 from the Engineering Department of Tokyo University having majored in applied chemistry. In 1947 he was made an assistant professor at the university. He obtained his Doctorate of Engineering and was promoted to professor in 1960” (DLSU, 2009). Ishikawa wanted to change the way people think about work. He urged managers to resist becoming content with merely improving a product 's quality, insisting that quality improvement can always go one step further. “His notion of company-wide quality control called for continued customer service. This meant that a customer would continue receiving service even after receiving the product. This service would extend across the company itself in all levels of management, and even beyond the company to the everyday lives of those involved. According to Ishikawa, quality improvement is a continuous process, and it can always be taken one step further” (SkyMark Corp. (2009).
Throughout Ishikawa’s career he went on to influence quality with the uses of several well known tools such as the fishbone diagram, and the quality circle. He was an unassuming man who saw a link between workplace quality and prosperity. High-quality products would sell, and their makers would prosper. If work was thus made a joyful and human experience, such prosperity and joy would lead to world peace.
In recognition of his life-long efforts the American Society for Quality
References: 2. ASQ (2006-2007) Kaoru Ishikawa retrieved January 18, 2010 from http://www.asq.org/about-asq/who-we-are/bio_ishikawa.html 3. ASQ (2009) Ishikawa Medalist/ Application, retrieved January 18, 2010 from http://www.asq.org/about-asq/awards/ishikawa.html 4