Since others have started mentioning W. Edward Deming's work, I thought I 
would also with some quotes from:
Some thoughts from W. Edwards Deming's "The New Economics for
Industry, Government, Education"
 
"This book is for people who are living under the tyranny of the
prevailing style of management. The huge, long-range losses
caused by this style of management have led us into decline. Most
people imagine that the present style of management has always
existed, and is a fixture. Actually, it is a modern invention--a
prison created by the way in which people interact. This
interaction afflicts all aspects of our lives--government,
industry, education, healthcare.
 
We have grown up in a climate of competition between people,
teams, departments, divisions, pupils, schools, universities. We
have been taught by economists that competition will solve our
problems. Actually, competition, we see now, is destructive. It
would be better if everyone would work together as a system, with
the aim for everybody to win. What we need is cooperation and
transformation to a new style of management.
 
The route to transformation is what I call PROFOUND KNOWLEDGE.
The system of profound knowledge is composed of four parts, all
related to each other.
 
     Appreciation for a system
     Knowledge about variation
     Theory of knowledge
     Psychology
 
The aim of this book is to start the reader on the road to
knowledge, and to create a yearning for more knowledge." pg xi
--- Maximus 2.02
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