Dr.Ishikawa A to Z.
Dr. Kaoru Ishikawa (1915-1989) insisted on the need for Quality activities to be initiated and managed by all departments in a company-wide effort, not restricted to the quality department. He is one of the pioneers who led the dissemination and promotion of quality activities throughout each stage of the post-war reconstruction of Japan in the 1950s, during its high economic growth in the 1960s and 70s, and as Japan completed a full economic recovery to become one of the world’s leading economies and a member of the G-7 community of advanced nations during the 1970s and 80s. He was a steadfast leader in the establishment and development of Japanese way of Total Quality Management (TQM). His personal contribution included the invention and development of methods such as the Cause & Effect Diagram (which is also known as the Fishbone Diagram or the Ishikawa Diagram), Bulk Material Sampling, and the systematic application of control charts.
Throughout this time, he was a professor at the University of Tokyo, and paid particular attention to the development of human resources, graduating many outstanding disciples in the quality field among academics as well as quality practitioners in industry.
Dr. Ishikawa invented Quality Control (QC) circles to promote humanity-centric management and popularized this approach both in Japan and throughout the world. The First International Convention on QC Circles (ICQCC) in Japan, took place in Tokyo in 1978, and this conference still continues to date and is held annually. For these reasons Dr. Ishikawa is called “the father of QC Circles.”
He led an acceleration in the global exchange of quality methods, tools, and operating philosophies by founding the International Academy for Quality (IAQ), the International Conference on Quality Control (ICQC, today called the ICQ), and also by opening the door for overseas enterprises to challenge the Deming Prize. He was invited to many countries to advance their quality efforts, including the United States, Taiwan, China, the United Kingdom, India and many others, where he introduced and instructed in the holistic way to apply Japanese TQM methods.
After he retired from the University of Tokyo, Dr. Ishikawa was invited to become the President of the Musashi Institute of Technology (currently Tokyo City University). He set an active example of Jishusei (self-initiative) and global outreach among the faculty members and students for eleven years until he passed away in 1989. This was the key contribution to the development of outstanding students produced from the Musashi Institute of Technology.
Dr.Ishikawa A to Z.
Throughout this time, he was a professor at the University of Tokyo, and paid particular attention to the development of human resources, graduating many outstanding disciples in the quality field among academics as well as quality practitioners in industry.
Dr. Ishikawa invented Quality Control (QC) circles to promote humanity-centric management and popularized this approach both in Japan and throughout the world. The First International Convention on QC Circles (ICQCC) in Japan, took place in Tokyo in 1978, and this conference still continues to date and is held annually. For these reasons Dr. Ishikawa is called “the father of QC Circles.”
He led an acceleration in the global exchange of quality methods, tools, and operating philosophies by founding the International Academy for Quality (IAQ), the International Conference on Quality Control (ICQC, today called the ICQ), and also by opening the door for overseas enterprises to challenge the Deming Prize. He was invited to many countries to advance their quality efforts, including the United States, Taiwan, China, the United Kingdom, India and many others, where he introduced and instructed in the holistic way to apply Japanese TQM methods.
After he retired from the University of Tokyo, Dr. Ishikawa was invited to become the President of the Musashi Institute of Technology (currently Tokyo City University). He set an active example of Jishusei (self-initiative) and global outreach among the faculty members and students for eleven years until he passed away in 1989. This was the key contribution to the development of outstanding students produced from the Musashi Institute of Technology.
Dr.Ishikawa A to Z.
