When things go wrong, who gets blamed? When things go right, who gets the credit? Dr. Deming wrote that good managers don’t play the blame/credit game. Instead, they “study results [of feedback] with the aim to improve performance.” In this episode, David Langford and host Andrew Stotz discuss getting honest feedback, how to react, and why it’s important.
Read Full ArticleIn this episode, John Dues and host Andrew Stotz discuss points 2 and 3 of Dr. Deming’s 14 Points for Management – translated for people in education: adopt the new philosophy and cease dependence on inspection to achieve quality.
Read Full ArticleIn this episode, Bill and Andrew discuss the shades of variation: meeting requirements, accuracy, precision, and precision around variety. Is reducing variation to zero a good thing? Plus, Bill and Andrew share stories that offer practical ways to think about these concepts.
Read Full ArticleIn this episode, John and Andrew shift from management myths (don’t do this) to principles for transformation (do this instead) based on Deming’s 14 Points for Management. This episode introduces the principles and the context you need to get started.
Read Full ArticleDavid and Andrew discuss the three types of power that leaders have: authority, knowledge, and persuasion. David also explains where the current style of “command and control” management comes from and what a nearly failed family vacation can tell us about power.
Read Full ArticleLearning Deming is like seeing the world through a different lens. In this episode, Bill Bellows uses various examples to show us how powerful that new vision can be.
Read Full ArticleIf something is “good” is that good enough? Who decides? In this episode, Bill and Andrew discuss how people define “good,” what interchangeability has to do with morale, and the problem with a “merit-based” culture. Bonus: Learn how Americans became the first to use the French idea of interchangeable parts in manufacturing.
Read Full ArticleInformation is data: it’s the what, when, where, and who of something. Knowledge requires looking at the bigger picture and asking why. So how do we go from having information to having knowledge? Bill and Andrew talk about tools, techniques, concepts, and strategies.
Read Full ArticleHow do we motivate employees? Traditionally, we offer merit pay, focus on accountability, and use other extrinsic motivators tied to performance. The ideas sound good on the surface, but John and Andrew discuss the many pitfalls and unintended consequences – and what to do instead.
Read Full ArticleDr. Deming railed against performance appraisals, listing them 3rd in his Seven Deadly Diseases of Management and calling them “Destroyer of People”. In this discussion, John Dues explains our cultural attachment to appraising workers and why it is a myth to assume that appraisals have any impact on performance at all.
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