Podcast: Why Dr. Deming and Why Today
“A bad system will beat a good person every time.”
Does that quote ring a bell? How about: “It is not enough to do your best; you must know what to do, and then do your best” or “Without data, you're just another person with an opinion.”
These quotes are some of the wise words of management guru and statistician Dr. W. Edwards Deming, often referred to as the father of the quality movement. He is credited with transforming the Japanese management style after World War II, and his management theories have been widely shared.
In this episode of Behind the Curtain: Adventures in Continuous Improvement, cohosts Dr. Mohamed Saleh and John Dyer launch a multi-episode series on the teachings of Deming, specifically his 14 points of management transformation.
They discuss Deming’s impact on quality and continuous improvement, and make note of his influence on the Toyota Production System.
“A lot of companies are talking about the Toyota Way, the Toyota Production System, the House of Toyota,” Dyer says. “But people fail to remember that the house of Toyota, when you look at that diagram, is built on a foundation of culture, of people, of engagement, of servant leadership…. And that's what Dr Deming was all about.”
The cohosts also weigh in on why the teachings of Deming remain relevant today.
“I'm very big on human centered work and people systems, and he was very much—at least from my research—the biggest fan of that,” Saleh says. He also points to Deming’s warning against fads and flavor-of-the-month improvement initiatives.
Not only are Deming's 14 points still relevant in the present, Saleh says, but “They are actually more needed today than they were maybe back then.”
Read more about Dr. W. Edwards Deming on IndustryWeek.com including:
Dr. Deming: 'Management Today Does Not Know What Its Job Is': In his last interview, Dr. W. Edwards Deming shared his thoughts on quality, management, innovation, and more.
Would Dr. Deming Have Been a Black Belt? Several clues in Deming's teachings may help shape opinions on the answer to this question.