Quality Revolution
If Japan Can, Why Can't We? How a 1980 Documentary Sparked the Quality Revolution
In 1980, NBC broadcast a documentary that forever changed the course of American manufacturing: “If Japan Can, Why Can’t We?” This landmark program not only exposed the American public to Dr. W. Edwards Deming—a quietly influential statistician and quality management expert—but also sparked a revolution in how organizations around the world think about quality control, continuous improvement, and organizational leadership.
The Context: America at a Crossroads in Quality
By the late 1970s, the United States was facing a crisis in its manufacturing sector. Japanese automakers and electronics companies were rapidly expanding their market share, outpacing their American counterparts with products that boasted both lower prices and higher reliability. Factories in Detroit, Cleveland, and throughout America struggled with frequent recalls, customer dissatisfaction, and a diminishing reputation for quality. Many wondered how Japan, once considered technologically behind, had managed to leapfrog ahead.