W. Edwards Deming:
The Man and his
Message
Doris Quinn, PhD
Director, Process Improvement and Quality
Office of Performance Improvement
Objectives:
At the end of this session, learners will:
1. Have an appreciation for the kindness and
generosity of Dr. Deming
2. Understand why Dr. Deming’s teachings are
still relevant in today’s economic situation
3. Appreciate the value of his “Profound
Knowledge for quality improvement today.
Why are we here?
• Dr. Deming’s question at the start of
every 4-day seminar.
• TO HAVE FUN!!
• Our job is to make things better, not
compete against each other.
He received the “Second Order Medal of the
Sacred Treasure” in 1960 from the Emperor of
Japan
Dr. Deming discovered!
If Japan can... Why can't we?
• Was an American television episode broadcast by
NBC News as part of the television show "NBC White
Paper" on June 24th, 1980, credited with beginning
the Quality Revolution and introducing the methods
of W. Edwards Deming to American managers
(producer: Clare Crawford-Mason, reporter: Lloyd
Dobyns)
Claire Crawford-Mason
1982:
Diary of my first trip
My first trip was to meet him at his little flat in
New York City. The next morning we were to
fly to California for a consultation session
with Nashua Paper.
After Dr. Deming fell asleep, I wrote these
reflections of my first encounter with the
great master……(readings from my personal
files)
The Man
Qualities of Dr. Deming:
• Generous
• Humble
• Kind
• Driven
Generous
• All proceedings made from the sale of books
and his lectures in Japan were returned to
JUSE.
• I found countless notes in his office of
donations, gifts, and tuitions paid with a
frequent note that he remain anonymous.
• Often mentored doctoral students even
though he had so little time for himself.
Humble
• ALWAYS gave attribution to those who’s
ideas he used (even when he didn’t know the
name).
• Wrote music and was so thrilled when St.
Paul Church and Rivier College performed
his Mass to the Holy Ghost.
• His home was very humble and his office in
the basement was good enough!
Picture of his basement office
His piano and ongoing music he was writing
Kind
• When he worked with auto industry, he always
started by interviewing workers, then supervisors,
managers and evening with Senior leaders. He
always championed the cause of the workers who
often didn’t have the proper training or support for
improvement.
• Once he was particular terse with a worker because
she didn’t understand variation. Later that night, he
wrote a letter of apology—it wasn’t her fault, she
hadn’t been taught.
Driven
• My last trip with him September, 1993
(he died December, 1993)
From his hospital bed, to California and
why he HAD to go…(readings from my
personal files).
The Message
Profound Knowledge
1.
2.
3.
4.
Appreciation for a system
Knowledge about variation
Theory of Knowledge
Psychology
1993
Notes to Managers
The New Economics
“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. …the present style of
management is a modern
invention…Preface, p. xi
Appreciation for a system
• Definition:
– A system is a network of interdependent
components that work together to try to
accomplish the aim of the system.
• It is the responsibility of leaders to determine
the aim.
• We must optimize the whole system even if it
means sub-optimizing parts of the system.
• Deming was probably the first to describe
“Production viewed as a system” p. 60
Appreciation for a system
• Definition:
– A system is a network of interdependent
components that work together to try to
accomplish the aim of the system.
• It is the responsibility of leaders to determine
the aim.
• We must optimize the whole system even if it
means sub-optimizing parts of the system.
• Deming was probably the first to describe
“Production viewed as a system” p. 60
This is an organization chart!
Joy in Work!! (Deming)
React to these statements:
• Goals can often lead to demoralized
employees
• If you reward an individual for
achieving numerical goals, you will ruin
the department/company.
• Performance appraisal are the worst
thing we do to employees.
Knowledge about variation
• “When I went to Western Electric Co in
1925, people there were already talking
about Dr. Shewhart at the Bell
Telephone Laboratories.” p. 176
• Common causes and special causes of
variation, know the difference and take
appropriate action.
• He devotes a chapter to the Funnel
Experiment.
Psychology
• Management of people
– “We must throw overboard the idea that
competition is a necessary way of life. In place of
competition, we need cooperation.” p. 124
• Role of a Manager of People
– “This is the new role of a manger of people after
the transformation.” p. 128
– The Red Bead Game provides all the lessons of
what NOT to do as a manager.
Psychology
• “Psychology helps us to understand people,
interaction between people and
circumstances, interaction between
customer and supplier, interaction between
teacher and pupil, interactions between a
manager and his/her people and any system
of management.” p. 110
• What truly motivates employees?
• How do we manage people during periods of
change?
Theory of Knowledge
• “Without theory there is no knowledge”
• Theory of knowledge teaches us that a
statement, if it conveys knowledge,
predicts future outcomes, with risks of
being wrong, and that it fits without
failure observations of the past.
• The fallacy of cause and effect without
data.
• Information is not knowledge
QI in Healthcare
• Dr. Paul Batalden began writing about quality
in healthcare in 1977.
• Dr. Don Berwick also involved in quality
improvement.
• The two team up and Institute for Healthcare
Improvement (IHI.org) is born.
Kenney, C. (2008), The Best Practice: How the
new quality movement is transforming
medicine.
Notes on Management in a Hospital
• Excerpts from Dr. Deming’s paper
20 Sept. 1989.