The first part of point 12 of W. Edwards Deming’s 14 Points for Management reads: “Remove barriers that rob the hourly worker of his right to pride of workmanship.” The responsibility of supervisors “must be changed from sheer numbers to quality.” The points appear in his book Out of the Crisis. They became popular with American business leaders in the 1980s.
Deming named the barriers. The second part of point 12 covers managers and engineers. For them it means “abolishment of the annual or merit rating and of management by objective.” Point 11 says: “Eliminate work standards (quotas) on the factory floor.” It also says: “Eliminate management by numbers, numerical goals.”