The ideas of W. Edward Deming received little attention in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Deming then moved to Japan, where his ideas were accepted and implemented almost immediately. As a result, industries in Japan, like automobile production, quickly developed a reputation for producing quality products. In the 1980s, the United States found itself trying to catch up to Japan in the race for quality products. Can you speculate as to why Deming’s ideas were not readily accepted in the United States, yet were quickly adopted in Japan? To answer this question, you may need to recall your world history during the 1940s.