Deming’s Principle of Management n. 13 full statement is as follows:

“Institute a vigorous programme of education, and encourage self-improvement for everyone. What an organization needs is not just good people; it needs people that are improving with education. Advances in competitive position will have their roots in knowledge.”

It is not enough to have good people in your organization. They must be continually acquiring the new knowledge and the new skills that are required to deal with new materials and new methods of production. This point is all about joy in learning, and in developing people’s ability to take on new knowledge and skills, to “learn to learn“.

Education is the antidote to boredom. Someone who does the same tasks year after year without change can get bored and stale. Providing regular and varied education keeps a person’s mindsharp. When it comes time for someone to come up with a new idea the person who you trained will most likely be the one to come up with the answer. Encourage education for both your employees and yourself to reap long term benefits.

Education is a way to make everyone speak the same language of quality, reliability and productivity and to jump-start plans aimed at achieving better products and processes. Education and training must fit people into new jobs and responsibilities.

Summing-up: A person must grow after joining a company, and letting them learn new technology and techniques will increase employee longevity. Encourage people to learn new skills to prepare for future changes and challenges.