W. Edwards Deming

W. Edwards Deming, the father of modern quality control, had a knack for numbers that few could match. He took his statistical wizardry to Japan after World War II, where he helped them rebuild their industries with an almost religious fervor for efficiency and process improvement. He was practically a rock star there, while back home, his fellow Americans largely ignored his wisdom for decades. Talk about a prophet being without honor in his own country.

His "14 Points for Management" and "System of Profound Knowledge" became the bible for companies striving for continuous improvement, proving that sometimes, you just need a really good flowchart to save the world, or at least a car company.

Deming’s impact was so profound that Japan created the annual Deming Prize for quality. Meanwhile, American executives continued to make cars that broke down until they finally caught on, proving that eventually, even stubborn capitalists will listen to a good statistician.