“An Immigrant’s Gift”, a documentary that aired on the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) in the United States in the mid-1990s, told the story of Joseph M. Juran and his contributions to Japan, the United States, and the world. Dr. Juran, along with Dr. W. Edwards Deming, revolutionized our understanding of quality. Dr. Juran’s Quality Control Handbook (1951) remains the classic reference for engineering quality. He died in 2008 at the age of 103. Today the teachings of Dr. Juran are carried forward by the Juran Institute, a consulting and training organization he founded in 1979.
G. Howland Blackiston, grandson-in-law and co-founder of the Juran Institute, was the Executive Producer for “An Immigrant’s Gift.” Central to the project were interviews with major leaders in business and quality who discussed their relationship with Joe Juran and often their views on management and quality. Among those interviewed were Steve Jobs, Robert Galvin, Genichi Taguchi, Takeshi Kayano, W. Edwards Deming, Arturo Onnais, Gerald Hartman, and Bob Scanlon. Additional interviews were conducted with Dr. Juran and family. Jack Schatz was the director and conducted all but one of the interviews. All interviewees granted permissions to use the contents from the interviews. John Butman and Jane Roessner scripted the film, which included excerpts from many of the interviews.
The videotaped interviews are treasure troves of information about Dr. Juran and management insights from great leaders. After completing “An Immigrant’s Gift", Howland Blackiston retained possession of the videos and permissions. As years passed, he grew increasingly aware of the potential value, historical and otherwise, of the taped interviews.
By telephone Blackiston often visited my course in Quality Management at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati. It was usually the highlight of the course as he talked about Dr. Juran, both the person and his work. In late 2010 he told me about the tapes and that he wanted them to “find a good home.” I offered to assist with that task.
At the School of Business, Mount St. Joseph University, we digitized the transcripts of the interviews. With Blackiston’s permission, I occasionally shared excerpts from these transcripts here at my blog.
Thanks to Ken Sadler, J.D. Marhevko, and the Quality Management Division of the American Society for Quality, six of the videos were digitized, including the interview with Steve Jobs. Ron Meier's assistance with this effort is greatly appreciated.
In 2016 the videos and materials of the Dr. Juran AIG Project were transferred to the archives of Nova Southeastern University. Thanks to Regina Greenwood and Michele Gibney of NSU for their efforts in helping to preserve this collection. NSUWorks has made this collection available to the public and researchers online here.
A special thanks to Howland Blackiston. He recognized the historical value of these materials and was the impetus for their preservation.
The image is Dr. Juran and his wife Sadie on their 76th anniversary in 2002. Courtesy of G. Howland Blackiston. Used with permission.
G. Howland Blackiston, grandson-in-law and co-founder of the Juran Institute, was the Executive Producer for “An Immigrant’s Gift.” Central to the project were interviews with major leaders in business and quality who discussed their relationship with Joe Juran and often their views on management and quality. Among those interviewed were Steve Jobs, Robert Galvin, Genichi Taguchi, Takeshi Kayano, W. Edwards Deming, Arturo Onnais, Gerald Hartman, and Bob Scanlon. Additional interviews were conducted with Dr. Juran and family. Jack Schatz was the director and conducted all but one of the interviews. All interviewees granted permissions to use the contents from the interviews. John Butman and Jane Roessner scripted the film, which included excerpts from many of the interviews.
The videotaped interviews are treasure troves of information about Dr. Juran and management insights from great leaders. After completing “An Immigrant’s Gift", Howland Blackiston retained possession of the videos and permissions. As years passed, he grew increasingly aware of the potential value, historical and otherwise, of the taped interviews.
By telephone Blackiston often visited my course in Quality Management at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati. It was usually the highlight of the course as he talked about Dr. Juran, both the person and his work. In late 2010 he told me about the tapes and that he wanted them to “find a good home.” I offered to assist with that task.
At the School of Business, Mount St. Joseph University, we digitized the transcripts of the interviews. With Blackiston’s permission, I occasionally shared excerpts from these transcripts here at my blog.
Thanks to Ken Sadler, J.D. Marhevko, and the Quality Management Division of the American Society for Quality, six of the videos were digitized, including the interview with Steve Jobs. Ron Meier's assistance with this effort is greatly appreciated.
In 2016 the videos and materials of the Dr. Juran AIG Project were transferred to the archives of Nova Southeastern University. Thanks to Regina Greenwood and Michele Gibney of NSU for their efforts in helping to preserve this collection. NSUWorks has made this collection available to the public and researchers online here.
A special thanks to Howland Blackiston. He recognized the historical value of these materials and was the impetus for their preservation.
The image is Dr. Juran and his wife Sadie on their 76th anniversary in 2002. Courtesy of G. Howland Blackiston. Used with permission.