"A World of Quality: The Timeless Passport" edited by Richard C. Palermo, Sr.
and Gregory H. Watson, published by ASQC Quality Press (P.O. Box 3005,
Milwaukee, WI 53201-3005) 1993, 212 pp, $29.95 (non-ASQC member) or 26.95 for
ASQC member
 
A Book Review by Norman C. Frank, PE, CQE, CQA
CER Corporation, Washington, DC
 
"A World of Quality" tells the complete story of how Xerox brought itself up
>from near corporate death to once again become the leader in the field. 
Their quality efforts were rewarded with a significant gain in market share
against the strongest competition available.  This book condenses ten years
of effort into something that is useful to both managers and quality
professionals.
 
An historical perspective opens the book to set the stage for why Xerox went
into the quality effort (called "Leadership Through Quality").  Loss of
return on assets, low employee morale, and low quality products and service
drove Xerox to realize that it was the quality effort and quality management
of their competitors that was making the difference in the marketplace.  This
crisis was the initial driving force, while application for and winning
various quality awards and prizes provided the continuing driving force
needed to sustain the effort.
 
Xerox stresses the need for a sensitivity to individual needs -- balanced by
the conviction that common language and common tools are powerful quality
enablers.  Thus, the second chapter of the book deals with the tools used
throughout the Xerox organization -- worldwide.  Sprinkled throughout the
book are additional training and tools used/developed by Xerox to help them
succeed.
 
The middle chapters provide details on how Xerox organized to prepare the
application for various quality awards and prizes throughout the world. 
Portions of their Baldrige application has been reproduced for all to use as
an example.  The famous "Xerox Green Book" that set the course and the
milestones for the quality journey is summarized in Chapter 3.
 
The final chapter, by Paul A. Allaire, CEO shows that Xerox has learned that
quality efforts pay.  Allaire states that Leadership Through Quality will
continue to be the focus of management through the future.
 
Quality Press has once again provided an excellent book for the quality
professional and for management.
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Mr. Frank has over 25 years experience in the field of quality, in the areas
of nuclear quality assurance, research and development, and consulting.  He
is currently in Washington, D.C., with CER Corporation out of Las Vegas,
Nevada.