When W. Edwards Deming was working in Japan in the 1950’s, he traveled around with a box of beads and a paddle, conducting what is called The Red Bead  Game. The purpose of the game was to communicate the importance of process control, and the fact that the vast majority of defects in a process are the result of the design of the process itself, and not the person doing the work.

The Red Bead Game is has been available as a kit on the Internet, but we haven’t been impressed with the quality of either the materials or the instructions. We are now proud to offer a high-quality kit along with detailed instructions. The paddle is CNC-machined out of scrap hardwoods, the beads come in a beautiful wooden box, and we provide a detailed booklet that walks you through the how-to of running a training session.

Flow Publishing is dedicated to providing books, tools and materials for Process Excellence, including the subjects of Business Management, Sales and Marketing, Continuous Improvement, Lean and Flow Manufacturing and Six Sigma. Our objective is to help companies reduce risks and and improve business performance by applying Best Practices using the ideas and tools developed by our authors.

Continuous Improvement is a competitive necessity for any company in order to survive and thrive in the 21st Century. We welcome your comments regarding our current offerings, and also invite suggestions for future books and tools. Flow Publishing looks forward to being a trusted partner in your journey to excellence!

Think Like a CEO swept to two wins in the 2008 Book Awards, as both top Sales book (Axiom Awards) and top Business book (IPPY Awards.) Two more gold medals for Flow Publishing books!

For more information on the Axiom Business Book Award, go to http://www.independentpublisher.com/article.php?page=1211.

The following book review appeared in the October 2003 edition of the APICS magazine.