Quality in Action: Ninety-three Lessons in Leadership, Participation and Measurement

Quality Praise for Quality in Action "An important book—and one that’s just plain fun to read.… This book is a gem!" —from the Foreword by Tom Peters, author of In Search of Excellence and Thriving on Chaos "Townsend and Gebhardt’s essay on our foremost problem of staying competitive in a world market in which more and more little people are learning how to do it better and better is not only penetrating and revealing; it is also entertaining, which probably fractures both rules and records for this kind of literature." —Howard K. Smith "With power and style, Quality in Action redefines competitive advantage for our march into the next century. The trail is tricky and tortuous—make sure this guidebook is in your knapsack." —Allan Cox, author of Straight Talk for Monday Morning "Quality in Action is not only exhortation, it is a road map. Townsend and Gebhardt have taken much of the fear and mystery out of total quality management." —Ann McLaughlin, former Secretary of Labor and Founder of the Workforce Quality Commission "There is a lot of pompous posturing in the quality biz today. Quality in Action puts a greased skid under much of it. Townsend and Gebhardt’s book will quickly become known as the rational person’s guide to BS-less quality improvement. It’s a must read." —Ron Zemke President, Performance Research Associates Coauthor, Service America and Delivering Knock Your Socks Off Service "Quality must become a national issue. Quality in Action enables you not only to see the truth of that statement, but also to feel it. Long after you have forgotten the points (or the titles) of other business books, you will remember and use the lessons contained in this one." —Congressman Don Ritter (Pa.) Subcommittee on Technology and Competitiveness "Quality Champion on Capitol Hill" "Quality in Action is a superb tool for teaching and learning the nuts and bolts of quality management. Townsend and Gebhardt have successfully translated W. Edwards Deming’s ‘profound knowledge’ from theory into practice in a style that is both entertaining and enlightening. Pick up the book and start reading—anywhere,on any page. I dare you to put it down before you’ve read it all at least once; then expect to read and ponder the 93 lessons again and again." —Vice Admiral James A. Zimble, M.D. former Surgeon General, U.S. Navy President, Department of Defense Medical School

About the authors PATRICK L. TOWNSEND is a noted speaker and consultant on quality. From 1983–1987 he directed and coordinated the most active employee participation quality process in the country: In just three years, the 250 Quality Teams at the Paul Revere Insurance Group implemented over 20,000 Quality Ideas, saving the company $16 million dollars and boosting the company’s position to number one. He is the author of the bestselling book Commit to Quality and has written hundreds of articles. He is President of Townsend & Gebhardt—Advisers on Quality, a quality management and training company. Mr. Townsend lives and works in Holden, Massachusetts. JOAN E. GEBHARDT collaborated with Patrick Townsend on Commit to Quality and is his partner at Avatar. She honed her opinions on quality in a number of settings, including elementary school teaching, public relations, electric motor sales, administrative assistant, dorm mother, and professional entertainer.