Craftsmanship for Living

In his book ‘The Craftsman’, Richard Sennett traces the history of the craftsman in society, from the earliest days of weaving to the present.  


One of his arguments is that in the current business world, our pre-occupation with production, process and performance targets diminishes not only our working lives but also our individual growth and our happiness. He argues it would benefit us all if we looked on our work more from the perspective of the craftsman, and sought to do a job well, for its own sake, not just the commercial value. 

Put simply, we would all benefit from the pursuit of excellence by making things well and continuing to develop our skills through repetition of quality. Craftsmanship should be a template for living. Those who take this approach to their life and their work are better placed to produce work of quality and significance. 

It reminds me of what Edwards Deming said in his book ‘Out of Crisis’.  In his ‘14 Points for Management’ he said “remove barriers that rob people of pride of workmanship”.  How well do you reward craftsmanship in your business? 

Thanks to Richard Allen for this Weekly Minute. 

For more information on Deming’s 14 Points for Management, send an email to bizplan@brightwater.com.au with DEMING in the subject line.