ABSTRACT
Quality is not only right, it is free. And it is not only free, it is the most profitable product we have (Harold S. Geneen, cited by Crosby, 1979)
Introduction
Philip Crosby (1926-2001) graduated from Western Reserve University and had a professional career in quality management. Following military service, he went into quality control in manufacturing, where he worked his way from line inspector to quality director and corporate vice-president of ITT. Based on many years of practical experience, his first book became a best-seller and led him to establish the consulting organization Philip Crosby Associates Incorporated and the Quality College based in Florida. He is described by Bendell (1989) as ‘particularly well marketed and charismatic’, by the Financial Times (26 November 1986) as having ‘the look of a sunbelt Senator rather than a man from the quality department’, and by Bank (1992) as exhorting his message with ‘almost religious fervour’. Clearly, he is a man who acted as he spoke or ‘walked the talk’. His approach has been well received: over 60,000 managers have been trained at the Quality College and his quality books, particularly Quality is Free (1979) and Quality without Tears (1995), continue to sell well.
