Tough Quality Control - The MYTH of China Executing 'Non-performing' People

While rummaging through some records this weekend, I happened across this article. It was presented to me by our resident DCAS Rep. You oldsters will remember them. Before they became DPRO’s? It was in a wire form to some Gov’t Agencies, quoting an excerpt from the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, October 17, 1989. I guess it can be substantiated with the technology available today. Anyway, I liked it then and I still do. It’s called

Tough Quality Control:

Bejing.....Eighteen factory managers were executed for poor product quality at Chien Bien Refrigerator Factory on the outskirts of the Chinese capital. The managers-12 men and 6 women-were taken to a rice paddy outside the factory and were unceremoniously shot to death as 500 plant workers looked on.

Ministry of Economic Reform spokesman, Xi Ten Haun, said the action was required for committing unpardonable crimes against the people of China. He blamed the managers for ignoring quality and forcing shoddy work, saying the factory’s output of refrigerators had a reputation for failure. For years factory workers complained that many component parts did not meet specification and the end product did not function as required. Compressors were cracked, leaked freon and the electrical sub-components were sub-standard. Complaining workers quoted the Plant Manager as saying, “Ship it”.

Customers, who waited up to five years for their appliances, were outraged, he says. “It is understandable our citizens would express shock and outrage when managers are careless in their attitudes toward the welfare of others”. Refrigerators are among the most sought after consumer items in Communist China. “Managers in charge of production and engineering failed to perform any useful corrections to the quality problems for the last 20 years”, Haun said. “Our soldiers are justified in wishing to bring proper justice to these errant managers.” The executed included the Plant Manager, the Quality Control Manager , the Engineering Managers and their top staff.

[Claes Gefvenberg]

Ouch! Well, I guess that's one way to motivate people... ... not counting the ones who got knocked off, ofcourse.

I have another one:

During WW2 in the Soviet union, the production start for the Il-2 Shturmovik was very slow and with the Germans deep into Russia the demand for a powerful ground attack aircraft was urgent. Finally Stalin lost his patience and sent the following telegram to two production plant managers to "encourage" them to do their utmost:

YOU HAVE LET DOWN OUR COUNTRY AND OUR RED ARMY. YOU HAVE NOT MANUFACTURED IL-2S UNTIL NOW. THE IL-2 AIRCRAFT ARE NECESSARY FOR OUR RED ARMY NOW, LIKE AIR, LIKE BREAD. SHENKMAN BUILDS PRODUCES ONE IL-2 A DAY AND TRETIAKOV BUILDS ONE OR TWO MIG-3S DAILY. IT A MOCKERY OF OUR COUNTRY AND THE RED ARMY. I ASK YOU NOT TO TRY THE GOVERNMENT'S PATIENCE, AND DEMAND THAT YOU MANUFACTURE MORE ILS. I WARN YOU FOR THE LAST TIME. STALIN

That is what I call management by fear. I wonder if it's more motivating than a Baldridge reward? Anyway, I suppose I'd better point out that this is *not* my prefered way to motivate the troops...

/Claes

[M Greenaway]

Great approach energy !!

No wonder China has such a great reputation throughout the world for their high quality these days.

erm yes, speaks for itself really.

[David Mullins]

and here
http://lambda.nic.fi/~pjt/pink/tqm.html

and here
http://faculty.washington.edu/sandeep/mktg/quality.htm

and here
http://www.mcs.drexel.edu/~uminger/pentium.html
(pentium humour - item 41)

HEY, I don't believe it, but I don't disbelieve it. Remember, this is a country that still tests its missiles by launching them over land, not sea (as is the convention), because if the missile falls on a few chinese peasants, it's hardly going to impact a population of nearly 1.3 billion.

Excellent David. I did allude to possible verification in the post. You did your homework and I tend to lean toward another urban legend. But, verification from China is next to impossible. I wonder if the article were sent to China if they would authenticate it!
Great post and good reference sites!

[Marc]

I've been hearing different versions of this 'story' for over 10 years. Never have seen evidence.