Skip to content

Paradigms of Variation: Misunderstanding Quality (Part 7)

11/05/2024 |

In this episode, Bill Bellows and Andrew Stotz explore the intersection of variation and quality through awareness of the “Paradigms of Variation”.

Read Full Article

Myth of Tech Omnipotence: Boosting Lean with Deming (Part 6)

10/30/2024 |

Many companies strive to automate by using more technology and fewer humans. But does their productivity really improve? Does it keep them agile? In this episode, Jacob Stoller and Andrew Stotz share stories of companies that improve productivity because they focus on processes instead of tech alone.

Read Full Article

Myth of Sticks and Carrots: Boosting Lean with Deming (Part 5)

10/22/2024 |

Traditional management uses “carrots,” like bonuses, and “sticks”, like Performance Improvement Plans, to motivate employees. But are humans really built that way? In this episode, Jacob Stoller and Andrew Stotz dive into the myth surrounding that approach and talk about what actually motivates people at work.

Read Full Article

Top-Down Knowledge Myth: Boosting Lean with Deming (Part 4)

10/15/2024 |

In this episode, Jacob Stoller and Andrew Stotz discuss the myth that managers need to know everything in order to manage. What happens when you ask non-managers for feedback?

Read Full Article

Category and Continuum Thinking: Misunderstanding Quality (Part 6)

10/04/2024 |

Is quality simply a matter of two categories: good and bad? But then how do you get to “better”? In this episode, Bill Bellows and Andrew Stotz discuss categories and continuum thinking.

Read Full Article

Myth of the Bottom Line: Boosting Lean with Deming (Part 3)

09/24/2024 |

Is your financial bottom line the true story of your organization? In this episode, Jacob Stoller and Andrew Stotz take on the myth of the bottom line – maybe it doesn’t tell you what you think it does.

Read Full Article

The Myth of Segmented Success: Boosting Lean with Deming (Part 2)

09/17/2024 |

Is the whole simply a sum of its parts? In this episode, Jacob Stoller and Andrew Stotz discuss what happens when you divide a company into pieces and manage them separately – and what to do instead.

Read Full Article

The Red Bead Experiment: Misunderstanding Quality (Part 5)

09/10/2024 |

What can Dr. Deming’s famous Red Bead Experiment teach us about quality? What happens when you only focus on the bad, and ignore the good? In this episode Bill Bellows and Andrew Stotz discuss acceptability vs desirability in the context of the Red Beads and a few of the 14 Points for Management.

Read Full Article

Setting the Challenge: Path for Improvement (Part 2)

08/27/2024 |

In this episode, John Dues and Andrew Stotz discuss the first part of John’s path for improvement model – setting the challenge. Using an example from United Schools Network, John explains their aspirations for cutting chronic absenteeism rates.

Read Full Article

Pay Attention to the Choices: Misunderstanding Quality (Part 4)

08/21/2024 |

Continuing their discussion from part 3 of this series, Bill Bellows and Andrew Stotz talk more about acceptability versus desirability. In this episode, the discussion focuses on how you might choose between the two.

Read Full Article