An American quality legend

Quick! Name an American company that was practicing Total Quality Management a full century before the term TQM had even been invented. A company whose name has been synonymous with dependability, product longevity, and customer satisfaction ever since its earliest days as a small, struggling manufacturer of farm machinery. A company with valuable lessons and insights to offer all modern organizations seeking to instill employee commitment, preserve quality through technological change, and promote the kind of enduring values and vision that can be enthusiastically embraced at every level of the corporate hierarchy. That company is Maytag. And if you're not familiar with its immensely colorful, surprising, forward-looking, and constantly evolving 100-year history, you're missing out not only on one of the greatest business success stories of all time, but also on an unparalleled quality guide that you can put to work in your own organization. Now, on the occasion of this venerable company's 100th anniversary, comes the first full account of how Maytag, in the authors' words, "saved our Moms, vexed the competition, and presaged America's quality revolution." Discover the qualities that made E L. Maytag, the company's founder, one of the most brilliant entrepreneurs of all time; why more than half the Maytag washers ever produced are still in use today; the strategy behind one of the greatest advertising campaigns ever devised - and why consumers believed it; how Maytag cultivated a quality-committed culture; the evolution of the company's "hands-off" management style, and the lessons to be learned from it; how Maytag has met every competitive challenge over the years - from automation ... to society's special needs during World War II ... to today's global economy, without ever compromising quality; and much more! At once a remarkable business success story, a practical TQM manual, and a nostalgic look at a popular national institution, here's a book that no individual or organization with a stake in keeping the current quality movement alive and evolving can afford to miss.