Few management philosophies have influenced the business world as widely as quality management. Quality management is designed to tap the potential, abilities, skills, and knowledge of the workforce. Furthermore, it serves to systemize every aspect of an organization, forcing a laser-like focus on exceptional customer satisfaction. The quality revolution claimed many names in its heyday, including Total Quality Management (TQM) and Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI). The most widely-known quality expert at the time was Dr. W. Edwards Deming. At the end of World War II, Deming worked for the U.S. government and traveled to Japan to help rebuild its economy with his unique style of management. For years, Dr. Deming was more widely-known in Japan than in his home country. That all changed in 1980 when news reporter and TV producer Claire Crawford-Mason pushed Dr. Deming to iconic status by producing a documentary called "If Japan Can, Why Can't We?" for NBC. The rest is history.

Bob Tenney, President and CEO of Mid-York Press, firmly believed in Dr. Deming's quality management philosophy when he set out to further evolve his company. The key characteristics forming the foundation of this philosophy include:

Tenney feels strongly that managers must take personal responsibility for change. The fundamentals of Deming's approach to Total Quality Management (TQM) serve as the core operating principles at Mid-York. Tenney deployed these principles when he decided to move into the realm of digital packaging.