In Their Own Words

In our May 2018 interview podcast, his 4th session with Tripp, Kevin Cahill, Executive Director, reflects on the 25th anniversary of The Deming Institute.. Highlights include: Latest news from The Deming Institute Creating the future of the Institute Use of ED software, from Acquate 2018 Deming Institute Conference at Bryce Canyon National Park Southern Utah University's W. Edwards Deming Incubator for Public Affairs (WEDIPA), under the direction of Professor Ravi Roy, has become the Quality, Innovation & Leadership Incubator Recent visit to Ingenium Schools The Deming Institute's 25th Anniversary Conference, October 5-6, 2018, Manhattan Beach, California (4 miles south of LAX) 3rd Edition of The New Economics, including a new chapter (#11), set for release in the fall of 2018 Ongoing partnership with Aileron A new initiative to create greater access to the Deming philosophy

In our November 2017 podcast, his 3rd session with Tripp, Kevin Cahill, Executive Director, reflects on the first 24 years of operation of The Deming Institute, founded by Dr. Deming before his passing in 1993. Highlights include: A brief history of The Deming Institute The restated aim, "Enriching society through the Deming philosophy" 46 interview podcasts and an ever-growing reach Plans ahead for The Deming Institute Resource development Moving from an internal focus to better serving constituents Partnerships and engagements Presentation at TEDxSUN New workshop - Shifting from "Me" to "We" Thinking and Action Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale and Hurricane Harvey Moving from crisis to cooperation Future of The Deming Institute Biggest challenges Expanding reach 25th Anniversary - 2018 Operating as a 501(c)(3) non-profit, not a foundation Amazon Smiles New website - expanded capability How to donate Legacy

In our October 2017 podcast, his first session with Tripp, Joshua Macht, Executive Vice President, Product Innovation, and Group Publisher of the Harvard Business Review (HBR) Group, shares his goal of how to recast management ideas to those new to management, with a focus on innovation, strategy, and core principles of leadership. Long before he traveled to Gothenberg, Sweden in 2016 to attend an international healthcare conference, Josh was aware of Dr. Deming as an "old friend" of management, much the same as he assessed Peter Drucker. Yet, upon witnessing Dr. Don Berwick conduct the classic "red bead experiment," he quickly joined the ranks of those deeply struck by the revelation that the performance of willing workers in any organization is largely governed by the system itself, far more than the performance of the workers taken separately. So began his desire to review a series of videos and books about Dr. Deming, leading to his HBR article in 2016, a 6-page tribute to Dr. Deming, "The management thinker we should never have forgotten." In parallel, he also wrote about Dr. Deming in a 2016 article for the Boston Globe. Interview highlights include: What's happening at the HBR – expansion, podcasts, innovation, new and expanded audience Thinking systemically Needs of young professionals New HBR product launched in India, ASCEND Lasting impressions of the red bead experiment, including whimsical measures of quality Now, more than ever, the need for a refresher on Dr. Deming Layoffs and the erosion of trust How good people fall prey to a bad system Dr. Deming's world of human nature Efforts that obliterate trust Barriers to success How workers treat each other in ways that are counter-productive Taylorism vs. Deming management HBR and the Watertown (Massachusetts) Arsenal, an early site of Taylorism Organizational undercurrents of "Us" vs "Them" Passion for innovation and a role as a digital renegade The need to be useful and feel valued The joy of learning

In our September 2017 podcast, her first session with Tripp, Lori Fry, a business management consultant from Columbus, Ohio, shares her inspiration for launching her "Dignity (at work) Project." Through a partnership with The Deming Institute, every month, beginning in June, Lori will share posts from her website, www.dignityatworkproject.com. From her website, Lori is "on a mission to bring dignity back to work in the American workforce. To transform our economy, we first must transform ourselves and our companies. Our aim is to bring dignity and joy back to work. The work of Dr. Deming and others who have contributed to expanding his body of work over the years provide the basis for what's to come." Lori adds "Our dysfunction with skilled labor is the tip of the iceberg. Below the surface are the symptoms of a workforce that's been robbed of dignity in the name of greater productivity and short-term profits. More than 30 years ago, W. Edwards Deming foresaw our current condition, and in 1982 he published Out of the Crisis, a theory of management declaring American companies require nothing less than a transformation of management. American management failed to listen. The economy was expanding; business was booming – until it wasn't – and we know what has happened since." As a 20+ year student of Dr. Deming's theory of management, Lori brings a passionate voice for the possibilities of teamwork and collaboration available to all organizations. Interview highlights include: her experience in "human capital management" her corporate training background and the lingering questions, notably "What if we train our people and they leave the company?" and "What if we don't (train them) and they stay?" taking a break from business management consulting to support her family's farming business her introduction to Deming management as she learned more and more about Deming management, what stood out to her where change begins feedback on her first post, Don't Gamble with Your Company's Future reflections on her post about her son's education system, Tree climbing or life-long learning – what's the real AIM of our education system? her blog audience general blog feedback

In our August 2017 podcast, Francis Petit, Associate Dean for Global Initiatives and Partnerships for Fordham University's Gabelli School of Business in New York City, shares highlights of a recent visit to Japan with Executive MBA students. Of particular interest is his feedback on the students' exposure to the influence of Deming management during their travels. Having presented lectures in Fordham's Deming Scholar's MBA program, Francis thought to include a visit to the offices of Japan's Union of Scientists and Engineers, also known as JUSE, and use this opportunity for the MBA students to learn about Dr. Deming's influence on Japan through the eyes of JUSE members. He was delighted to be hosted by JUSE's Secretary General, Ichiro Kotsuka, who provided an explanation of the origins of the Deming Prize, his experience in collaborating with Dr. Deming, as well as insights on the selection process for the Deming Prize. Interview highlights include: an explanation of the role of this trip to Japan in a "capstone" course for the MBA students demographics of the students first impressions on arriving in Japan and the systems awareness experienced within Narita Airport how the students prepared for visiting JUSE the impact of Dr. Deming's theory of management on Secretary General Kotsuka's personal and professional life the contrast the students found between a longer term approach for business growth in Japan, with the shorter term focus in their respective organizations, including pressure for quantum growth the students' experience with variable compensation systems, including bonuses and commissions training received by the students to maximize their personal performance during performance appraisals why sales managers are less likely to be amongst the students in Fordham's MBA programs impressions of the commitment of Japanese companies towards their employees

In our July 2017 podcast, his first session with Tripp, Bill Cooper shares stories on his 11-year relationship with Dr. Deming, starting with being one of 22 attendees in a 1982 Four Day seminar with Dr. Deming. At the time, Bill was serving as the Senior Executive at the North Island Naval Air Station, with Phil Monroe serving as the senior naval officer. A few years later, Phil, as Commanding Officer of North Island, approved funding for Bill to attend an intensive, year-long, "quality management for executives" seminar, led by Myron Tribus and held at MIT. Guest lectures were provided by Kosaku Yoshida, a doctoral student of Dr. Deming, and Yoshikazu Tsuda, former counsellor at the Union of Japanese Scientists & Engineers (JUSE). As a student of management and leadership theories, ranging from Ken Blanchard to Peter Drucker, Bill met Dr. Deming at a time when he (Bill) was providing in-house leadership classes at North Island, as well as for the National Graduate School, a local private university. Inspired by Dr. Deming, all the while trying to get his mind around his theory of management, Bill partnered with Laurie Broedling to launch the first "Deming User Group" in the US, based in San Diego. Bill's motor home served as a convenient dinner venue when Dr. Deming was in southern California and Bill would drive to the latest site of Dr. Deming's ever popular Four Day seminar. He has warm memories of Dr. Deming's fondness for clam chowder, martini's, and ice cream. Interview highlights include: Leading a staff of 4400+ employees, who worked "with" Bill, not "for" him The difference between parenting with 1 kid and 2 or more kids Can you teach an old dog new tricks? His role with the launch of the TQM movement, including Dr. Deming's views on TQM Why Bill was intrigued by Dr. Deming's focus on continuous improvement Dr. Deming's response to an invitation from Lee Iacocca to consult for Chrysler Hosting "Round Table" interviews with Dr. Deming and his role as "the perfect foil," as well as "straight man," for Dr. Deming Dr. Deming's Socratic style in his 1-on-1 meetings with Bill, including his introduction to the Law of Extreme Values Myron Tribus' 85/15 rule and the difference between "working in" and "working on" a system Improving organizations by improving systems Struggling with the question of "Who owns the system?" The vital need to share a vision Fear vs. anxiety Answers to his favorite question, "What is the improvement strategy that your management team is articulating?" Bill's thoughts on the difference between management and leadership Retiring from North Island in 1988 to form a "Deming" consultancy, with Phil Monroe as his partner

In our June 2017 podcast, his first session with Tripp, Phil Monroe shares stories on his introduction to Dr. Deming, leading to his personal transformation as a naval officer and later a post-Navy career as a quality management consultant, city council member, and, currently, board member of a hospital in Coronado, California. Beginning with meeting Dr. Deming in 1983, while serving as the Commanding Officer of the Naval Air Rework Facility at North Island Naval Air Station, Coronado, Phil reminisces about his first exposure to Deming management. The meeting was arranged by Bill Cooper, Tripp's next podcast guest (our July 2017 edition), and the senior civilian at this 6,000+ person Navy operation. Highlights include: What caused Dr. Deming to "look down his nose" at Phil, in front of 350 supervisors Phil's transformation moment, captured on film, including which of the 14 Points Phil was in violation of, according to Dr. Deming Being challenged by Dr. Deming on his MBO style of management Applying Deming management to an incident involving a Metropolitan Transit Service (MTS) bus carrying school children. Phil was serving as an MTS Board member and thought the wrong people received disciplinary punishment; i.e. time off without pay. What is top management's responsibility? The influence of Phil's academic background at Cornell University Shifting his thinking on problems from "Who did it?" to "What in the process caused this to happen?" World-wide Quality Management consulting with Bill Cooper Numerical illiteracy Impressions of the status of the practice of SPC today What is a statistician's job? The theory of variation of as the cornerstone of Dr. Deming's System of Profound Knowledge The "Phil Monroe" change

In our May 2017 podcast, his sixth session with Tripp (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th), David Langford, author, consultant, President, Ingenium Schools, and, 2017 ASQ Deming Medal Recipient, offers insights on his efforts to lead a Deming transformation within Ingenium Schools. In his latest podcast, David reflects on 31 years of learning and applying the Deming philosophy to enrich society, with a focus on advancing education systems. Beginning with his first conversation with Dr. Deming in 1986, when he personally answered David's phone call from Sitka, Alaska, he has been on a personal learning journey, including mentored from Dr. Deming. With encouragement from Dr. Deming, David reached out to Myron Tribus, who traveled to Sitka to learn more about David's efforts to bring Dr. Deming's theory of management to his high school education system. Soon thereafter, David and Myron were speaking together at conferences about their efforts to improve education systems, using a Deming lens. Fast forward to 2016, when David was selected to serve as president of Ingenium Schools and shift from "living vicariously as a consultant" (with Langford Learning) to "get back to the laboratory" of an education system in a full-time capacity. In this month's podcast, David goes down memory lane with Tripp to explore topics such as: His first phone call with Dr. Deming Collaborating with his mentor, Myron Tribus A 25+ year career as a consultant with Langford Learning An offer from founder and previous president, Glenn Noreen, to join Ingenium Schools Daily Innovation at Ingenium Schools, with 160+ employees Have the fundamentals in education changed? Finding meaning in the Pythagorean Theorem Profound Learning Experiences Looking for the smallest things which can have the biggest impact Making decisions in a school system, both with and without the System of Profound Knowledge Running meetings with "our" agenda vs. "the boss's" agenda What teachers can do in a class room, in the absence of pre-determined answers to their questions When teachers shift roles from managing behaviors to mentoring Shifting from 1-way to 2-way conversations "Ingenium Huddles" Receiving the 2017 Deming Medal from the American Society for Quality For more information about David's current work with Ingenium Schools, please visit ingeniumfoundation.org

In our second podcast in April 2017, Ed Baker, author, consultant, and former corporate director, Quality Strategy and Operations Support for the Ford Motor Company, offers insights on his latest book, The Symphony of Profound Knowledge (W. Edwards Deming's Score for Leading, Performing, and Living in Concert). Nearing 20 years with Ford, including the last 10+ years guiding the tactical and strategic influence of Dr. Deming's theory of management across Ford, Ed was asked by Dr. Deming to write a book to offer his own understanding of his System of Profound Knowledge. For those who have heard Dr. Deming say "You can learn a lot about ice and know nothing about water," he credited Ed with this point of enlightenment. Ed met recently with Tripp Babbitt to share highlights from his book (in one of Tripp's longest interviews to date), as well as inspirations from Dr. Deming, covering topics including: Ed's first contact with Dr. Deming Dr. Deming's first visits to Ford Ed's role in choreographing Dr. Deming's visits across Ford Dr. Deming's early impact on Ford The pace of change within Ford under Dr. Deming's influence Ed's book, Scoring a Whole in One Deming management, TQM, Six Sigma, and Lean Tom Johnson's influence on his thinking Mechanistic and random sampling Is the map the territory? Joy in work Strong support for The Symphony of Profound Knowledge from Clay Mathile and the entire staff of Aileron In addition to this podcast, link here to watch a recent interview with Ed (and here for a full-length interview), also with a focus on his book, The Symphony of Profound Knowledge. Link here to listen to a radio interview.

In our first podcast in April 2017, Doug Hall, Eureka! Ranch CEO and Founder, shares ruminations on leadership from his wide-ranging conversations with business leaders, as he stretches his imagination to ask "What is the new talk track to engage a leadership person who is feeling chaotic?" With a 30+ year background in Deming management, Doug well appreciates the potential for "joy in work," yet asks "Where's the joy (to be found today)?. In his meetings with senior executives, he finds tell-tale signs of broken interactions, systems likely to fail slow and expensively rather than "fast and cheap." Upon probing them, he learned "they have no idea" what to do when the existing platforms (systems) are not working. Worse yet, he finds executives overwhelmed by the speed of change in the world today, often consumed by chaos. On the bright side, he hears of a need for systems that enable workers, not control them, as executives ponder "What the new type of leadership needs to be?" and the need, now more than ever, for openness to change, with women leading the way, per Doug's experience. For those having similar thoughts on helping leadership and change in a rapidly changing world, with ample opportunities for infusing Deming management, Tripp's latest podcast offers serious food for thought from a master innovator.

In our January 2017 podcast, Tim Higgins, President of the In2:InThinking Network, www.in2in.org, and Quality Engineer for NASA, based in Los Angeles, California, shares insights from his 30+ years of studying, applying, and illuminating The Deming System of Profound Knowledge®. Following a brief career as an educator in a public school system, Tim shifted careers and joined the rocket engine industry, employed by "Rocketdyne" (a division of Rockwell, then Boeing, followed by Pratt & Whitney, and now integrated with Aerojet). Along the way, Tim was introduced to Dr. Deming's theory of management and, upon reflection, realized his inclinations against grades in school, while serving as a teacher, could be explained through his appreciation of Profound Knowledge. For a short time, Tim was a member of Rocketdyne's TQM Office, where he was introduced to the thinking of Genichi Taguchi and partnered with peers to create Rocketdyne's pioneering "InThinking Roadmap" curriculum. The subsequent focus on thinking modes led to his contributions as a co-founder of the In2:InThinking Network, a non-profit for which he now serves as president. In 2009, Tim crossed the employment bridge from the contractor side ("Rocketdyne") to the customer side (NASA), inspired the proposition of assuming a role that would help Rocketdyne become a better contractor. Guided by his extraordinary experiences as a quality advisor, Tim has led study sessions for Dr. Deming's The New Economics for the past 12+ years, under the sponsorship of "Rocketdyne". Beginning in 2017, these sessions, comprised of six 90-minute conference calls, are being sponsored by The Deming Institute. Led by Tim, participants share their interpretations and questions of The New Economics, chapter-by-chapter, covering 2 chapters in each 2-hour session. A few highlights from Tim's musings with Tripp on the study sessions follow below: Why he believes Deming (management) is about learning The popularity of the question "Why doesn't everyone get "Deming management"?" Why being conscious of context is essential Why, when dealing with a difficulty in perception, using logic is no help is helping others see things differently Issues associated with extrinsic motivation – punishment and rewards Some challenges of letting go of "patting others" on the head The widespread similarity of organizations What would happen if "rating and ranking" systems were used at home? Lessons from transforming his manager Feedback from his VP's administrative assistant on rewards systems His realization that the system we have is perfectly designed to obtain the results we're getting Why asking for different results requires a different system Some implications of empowerment

In our December 2016 podcast, Skip Steward, Chief Improvement Office (CIO) for Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation in Memphis, Tennessee shares lessons from the "Baptist Management System," including reflections from his 25+ year continuous improvement journey. Guided by his introduction to Dr. Deming's vision of continuous improvement, Skip "migrated" from an early career in manufacturing to his current career in healthcare. One year ago, he was promoted from System Director for Continuous Improvement to serve as Baptist Health Care's first-ever "CIO", with an "I" for Improvement. In addition to his explanation of the Baptist Management System, ("a holistic approach to managing that puts a focus on purpose, people and process. We care about the purpose, how to improve the process, and how we develop the people to improve the process.), Skip emphasizes his "infant stages" role in leading the shift in thinking within Baptist Health Care. In doing so, Skip explains the holistic nature he captured and distilled from Dr. Deming's management method and what he is doing with this wisdom to challenge and limit the otherwise "business as usual" tendency towards event-driven and episodic improvements. While crediting the tools of Hoshin Planning, Design of Experiments, Statistical Process Control, Value Stream Mapping, and Pareto charts in both clinical and non-clinical settings, Skip is quick to acknowledge the role of placing a priority on being guided by a Deming lens before proceeding to the "faster-better-cheaper" efficiency of tools.

In our November 2017 podcast, Ravi Roy, Professor of Public Administration for Southern Utah University (SUU) in Cedar City, Utah, reveals the status of evolving efforts to share his appreciation of Dr. Deming's System of Profound Knowledge® with his Public Administration students, strongly aligned with his role as the inaugural Research Fellow of The Deming Institute. Beginning in the 1920s, with his employment by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Dr. Deming worked closely with students to share his research into statistical theory. Along the way, he was introduced to Professor Harold Hotelling, who Deming would later reference with the following comment, "As Harold Hotelling once said, "He who does no research has nothing to teach."" Inspired by Dr. Deming's passion for research, The Deming Institute recently unveiled a fellowship program to engage researchers who share a desire to both expand and deepen the understanding and application of Dr. Deming's management philosophy among a new generation of students and scholars. Link here to learn more about this Research Fellow program. In this month's episode, Ravi shares reflections from his Deming research journey and his passion for guiding his student's understanding and application of Dr. Deming's management method. As the former director of SUU's Masters in Public Administration program, Ravi is progressing to a role as director of the Deming Incubator for Public Affairs for Southern Utah University, a new partnership with The Deming Institute. Under Ravi's leadership, SUU students will soon have the opportunity to engage him in applying Dr. Deming's "new economics for industry, government, education," with an emphasis on government.

Beginning in 2014, The Deming Institute has recorded podcasts on a monthly basis, featuring 20 to 30-minute interviews by Tripp Babbitt with members of the Deming Community who are advancing the use and explanations of Dr. Deming's ideas. In our October podcast, TJ Gokcen, CEO of Acquate, a software company in Sydney, Australia, shares his learning journey, from collegiate swimmer to software developer, ever in alignment with the Deming philosophy. For many, Dr. Deming was discovered in 1980 through the NBC television whitepaper, If Japan Can, Why Can't We. Throughout this documentary are tell-tale signs of a failing US economy, one heavily dependent on manufacturing, from the production of machine tools to the fabrication of automobiles. To no surprise, many of the earliest examples of the application of Dr. Deming's management philosophy were in manufacturing. Meanwhile, attendees at his seminars who came from outside of manufacturing environments might have struggled to see the significance to their professions. Credit Dr. Deming with continuously striving to demonstrate the unlimited applicability of his management theory, ever mindful of the trap of having attendees see the statistical tools he presented as his core message. Credit TJ Gokcen with a simple, yet insightful explanation of how he has been applying Dr. Deming's philosophy to both the design of the software developed by Acquate and the internal operation of Acquate. In this 30-minute episode, TJ skillfully guides listeners through the technical jargon of software development, from agile to scrum to waterfall to kanban techniques, and then proceeds to the heart of how he believes Acquate differentiates itself from other software companies. Using one of Dr. Deming's favorite questions about "how to wash a table?," TJ provides parallels for how his developers probe their clients, question after question, wanting to know more and more about "how will the software be used." For those who wonder how Dr. Deming's System of Profound Knowledge applies to software, this podcast will open minds and doors to amazing possibilities. For those who appreciate the wide applicability of Dr. Deming's philosophy, this podcast will provide a brilliant reminder.

In this week's podcast, David P. Langford, CEO of Langford Learning, Inc., focuses on "Joy in Learning" and how to bring joy back into the education system. In answering why students aren't experiencing "Joy in Learning" David starts by quoting Dr. Deming, "are we trying to create a system that teaches students to answer tests or are we trying to create a system that teaches them to think?" The current education system continues to focus on test scores, to the detriment of learning and the loss of elements in the system (like fine arts programs) that brought enjoyment. Dr. Deming was the first person David encountered who believed students have a right to joy in learning. What can you do to change the system? David tells us that restoring joy begins with your "circle of influence" and connecting with those who want a better way to do things. Teachers can start by simply asking students, "what drives you to have joy in learning and what prevents it?" David shares that there is no recipe for using the Deming philosophy, unlike other education movements. Often these methods don't work because there is no understanding of variability between communities, states, cultures and the background of students. Once it's decided to change the system, real learning happens, performance goes up and joy returns! For more information about David's current work, with Ingenium Schools, please visit ingeniumfoundation.org

Travis Timmons, owner of Fitness Matters and Kelly Allan, Senior Associate of Kelly Allan Associates and Chair of The Deming Institute's Advisory Council. Travis and Kelly share the Deming journey "From Chaos to Process" of Fitness Matters, starting with Travis's introduction to The System of Profound Knowledge® (SoPK), and systems thinking. The focus then shifts to psychology and caring for people, and how they have driven our fear and removed barriers all while creating "joy in work". He ends with how using the Plan Do Study Act (PDSA) Cycle has helped them grow and thrive. Travis discusses how he was introduced to the Deming philosophy and areas that first resonated with him - including using a systems approach, and how to think differently and put processes in place to make better decisions. One of the most powerful aspects for him was how SoPK makes you look at how you care for people inside and outside the organization. Travis and Kelly then talk about how the psychology element and the team mindset has been game changing. These have led to less fear, less stress and more joy within the organization, leading to positive outcomes and win-wins for everyone (including the competition). Lastly, Travis shares a few examples of PDSA's and the aha moments they discovered along the way. From getting new referrals to finding tampering in the scheduling system, PDSA's have been a very effective tool in moving them light years ahead in working together as one system and having fun while they do it.

Read more about Dr. Deming's work in his books, Out of the Crisis and The New Economics. Cliff Norman and Ron Moen, of Associates in Process Improvement (API) discuss the history of the Plan Do Study Act (PDSA Cycle) and their research on the subject. Cliff and Ron start with how the underpinning of Deming's philosophy was the idea of "continuous improvement", with the PDSA Cycle underlying that philosophy. They discuss the PDSA Cycle of never-ending improvement and learning, and how the iterative nature of the cycle fits with The Deming System of Profound Knowledge®. As Ron shares, Dr. Deming believed that "business is more exacting than science" as businesses must continually learn and improve to survive. Next Cliff and Ron delve into why they wrote a paper on the PDSA Cycle. Ron explains that the quality movement in America began after the NBC White Paper, If Japan Can..Why Can't We? aired in 1980. This raised interest in the Japan and the Plan Do Check Act (PDCA) cycle, which originated there. Although Dr. Deming never spoke of PDCA, it was connected to him in the early 80's. That incorrect attribution was the inspiration behind the paper. Cliff and Ron discuss the evolution of the PDSA Cycle, starting hundreds of years ago with the theories of Galileo and Aristotle. Listen as they take you through the progression, from the Shewhart Cycle, through the Deming Wheel and ultimately the PDSA Cycle as we know it today. Tripp Babbitt: [00:00:14] In this episode of The Deming Institute Podcast. Ron Moen and Cliff Norman of API are our guests. Ron and Cliff will discuss the history of PDSA and some of the research they've done on the subject. Tripp Babbitt: [00:00:35] Hi, my name is Tripp Babbitt, I am host of the Deming Insitute podcast. My guests today are Cliff Norman and Ron Moen. Tripp Babbitt: [00:00:44] Welcome, gentlemen. Ron Moen: [00:00:46] Thanks, Tripp. Glad to be with you. Cliff Norman: [00:00:47] Thank you. Thanks. Tripp Babbitt: [00:00:49] I wanted to start out with our subject today is going to be kind of the history of plan, do study act. But for those in the audience that maybe are quite familiar with the Shujaat cycle and the history of Plan D0 Study Act, can you tell us a little bit about how it fits into the broader Deming philosophy? Cliff Norman: [00:01:09] This is called the underpinning of Deming's philosophy was the idea of continuous improvement. And the PDSA cycle is kind of underlies that idea. Once we start improving has to be never ending.And the idea that learning and improvement are never ending underlying that under theory of knowledge. Cliff Norman: [00:01:29] And as we'll discuss, having was heavily influenced by pragmatists out of Harvard University and the idea of inductive, deductive and inductive learning and the innovative nature of those two ideas are built in to the PDSA cycle. So it really fits up under the theory of knowledge in terms of a system of profound knowledge. What to add to that? Ron Moen: [00:01:57] Sure. I think the context here for Deming, at least, is that we're talking about improvement of products and services, processes and systems. So it has a business context, but it goes broader than business. But I do have a quote used to say in a seminar. He said, business is more exacting than science. And what he meant by that is that a scientist really doesn't plan to study. You set up your experiments and you share what you've learned. You do your publication. Whereas in business you actually say in business you have to continually learn continuous improvement, Kyra. But also you need to act. So it's more exacting than science business. You have to act in what you're doing. So not only have you learned, but then you have to take action as a basis for that. So you can think of that as really the plan to study act. So in that sense, I think the PDA was adaptive. The scientific method was more adapted to business and industry and a very broad context for any improvement activity. Cliff Norman: [00:03:04] Instead of Plan Do study publish its Plan Do Study Act. Tripp Babbitt: [00:03:10] Yes, well said. OK, very good.So when you wrote this paper on plan Do Study Act and gave a history. What was why did you choose this particular subject to write on? What was what was your what was the impetus behind it? What was the purpose behind that? Ron Moen: [00:03:30] I think what we were seeing in the early 80s, first of all, the quality movement in the United States really was from Deming's presentation. Ron Moen: [00:03:39] And the NBC white paper, Japan can. Why can't we? Well, that made Japan very popular, too. And so what we were seeing coming out of Japan was the Plan Do check Act and having helped Deming with multiple seminars in the 80s, he never used the term. He never lectured it, and it wasn't part of it. He talked about the theory of knowledge, how we generate knowledge and so on. But the PDCA became connected to Deming back in the early 80s. I knew that was inc

In this week's podcast, Kevin Cahill, Executive Director of The W. Edwards Deming Institute® and David Langford, CEO of Langford Learning, Inc., introduce The Deming in Education Initiative. Kevin and David share how The Deming in Education Initiative was conceived, the impact of the Deming Philosophy on education, and where the Initiative is going in the future. The initiative first began many years ago when David joined the Deming Institute Advisory Council to help with their efforts to apply the Deming philosophy in education. But the roots of Deming in Education go even further back. As David explains, improving education was "a great love" of Dr. Deming, as an educator who taught at NY University for 40 years. Many of Dr. Deming's theories and teachings are directly focused on the education system. After working with Dr. Deming from 1986 to 1993, David began implementing the concepts in his own education system, finding that students easily took to the new approach. Over the last 25 years, David has seen the Deming teachings make a profound and lasting impact on improving school culture and the learning process in the US and around the world. It is the only philosophy that improves all aspects of the education system. That impact has inspired Kevin, David and The Deming Institute to commit a deeper focus on developing a long term, sustainable, systems approach to improving education for all students, through The Deming in Education Initiative. For more information about David's current work, with Ingenium Schools, please visit ingeniumfoundation.org

This week's Podcast, continues our "Knowledge in Variation Series" with Dr. Frony Ward, Managing and Founding Partner of Pinnacle Partners, Inc. In this podcast, Frony discusses online surveys and polls. She starts by sharing the fundamental piece of every single survey. From there she delves into elections polls, and why so many election polls show different results. Lastly, she discusses two or three good things you can do to help yourself understand a poll.

Scott's story starts in 1986, as a graduate walking in the doors of P&G to be a new engineer and shift manager. He was soon perplexed by how he could contribute to solving issues associated with production and quality. During this time, P&G introduced the Deming Philosophy to the organization; a decision that would have a profound impact on Scott's professional and personal life. Scott eagerly applied what he learned, despite facing resistance to change and improvements. After three years, he decided to move to a smaller company where the Deming principles were readily embraced. Listen as Scott discusses how he leads a highly inventive engineering organization whose focus is on innovation and the advantage gained through the embrace of Deming's continual improvement philosophy. Hear his fascinating approach to hiring employees without factoring in schooling and GPA, and a discussion between Tripp and Scott on the challenge presented by ISO 9000.

This week's podcast, continues our "Knowledge in Variation Series" with Dr. Frony Ward, Managing and Founding Partner of Pinnacle Partners, Inc. Frony discusses the importance of Statistical Process Control (SPC) in all parts of an organization and why it's a barrier to many. Frony was first introduced to SPC (Statistical Process Control) when she was teaching at the University of Tennessee. An opportunity arose to be a part of an institute surrounding statistical process control and she jumped in with both feet, deepening her knowledge of Deming. The institute became a place for people to continue learning after Dr. Deming's Four-Day Seminar. Frony spent the remainder of her time at U of T working with automotive facilities that wanted to study variation and use SPC. Frony had an opportunity to meet Dr. Deming in 1982 and he completely turned her thinking upside down, especially around Acceptance Sampling Plans. Deming's theory was that the percentage of defective units in the rest of the lot is independent of the percentage of defective units in your sample. Her mind was blown when she went back and proved this herself. When Frony first learned SPC, it was totally new to her. At first she didn't realize the impact of knowing common cause and special cause variation. After a number of engagements it became obvious that SPC was "the name of the game". At all levels of the organization, from the inspection level to the management level, she could see instantly what was going on by using SPC. It was a powerful tool to "highlight" what people needed to know to make decision and help improve. Frony finds it fascinating and frustrating that many organizations are aware of SPC but don't use it. She feels that for some reason, finance systems can compromise improvement. Organizations just don't understand that the process behavior chart is the "secret sauce" to seeing their organization.

This week's podcast features the first episode of our "Knowledge In Variation Series" with Lynda Finn, President of Statistical Insight, LLC and facilitator of The Deming Institute's 2.5 Day Seminar. Lynda discusses the importance of moving from spreadsheets to plotting data, and the common mistakes that organizations make if they aren't charting their data. Lynda's Deming journey began when, shortly out of graduate school, she met Dr. Deming at one of his public seminars. From that point she has been helping spread his ideas through her own consulting company and her work with The Deming Institute. She starts by sharing some of the hardest things for people to grasp about the Deming philosophy. Though it varies, Lynda finds it's most difficult when Deming's ideas don't align with the practices people feel have contributed their success. The episode centers on why organizations should be plotting their data on charts rather than just using spreadsheets. She feels that if the number is important enough to have on a table, then it should be important enough to see it in its proper context. Lynda outlines the mistakes people make if they aren't charting their data, starting with not caring enough to see what the data is telling them. The most important reason for charting data is so that everyone sees the same thing and can come to a common conclusion about what's happening and how to improve. How can you "see" what the data's telling you if you don't make a picture of it?

This week's Podcast features Dr. Lisa Snyder, Superintendent of the Lakeville Public Schools. Lisa shares how the work of Dr. Deming is influencing her as a superintendent and the rewards and challenges of adopting his philosophies. Lisa's Deming journey began 23 years ago, when in a new job, she was sent to listen to Dr. Deming via satellite. The experience had a huge impact on Lisa as she connected Deming's philosophy to her own belief systems. She thought - this is the framework that public schools are desperately lacking. It was then that she became a Deming follower. What resonated for Lisa, was the idea of systems thinking rather than evaluating and blaming people. When she started to think about abandoning the "blame game" and looking instead at flaws in the system, it was very powerful. Listen as Lisa talks about shifting the "mindset" in public schools from working in silos to working in collaboration through systems thinking. And how, as a district seeking to create meaningful change in the public school system, they adopted a policy to lead their organization through a continuous improvement philosophy. Lisa explains that it was both exciting and challenging to find where schools should have high levels of autonomy and where there should be more systems alignment for efficiency and effectiveness. But the process brought more people to the leadership table and broader sense of empowerment to those who would help change the philosophy of the district.

Ron Moen and Cliff Norman, of Associates in Process Improvement (API), discuss their similar experiences where first introduced to Dr. Deming, their paper "Evolution of Deming's System of Profound Knowledge" and finally the "journey of learning" through the lens of SoPK, that Dr. Deming left the world. Ron and Cliff start with an introduction on their first meeting with Dr. Deming; how he challenged what they knew and had learned and dramatically changed their thinking and lives going forward. The main focus of the podcast summarizes the paper Cliff and Ron will publish next year about the evolution of The Deming System of Profound Knowledge, from it's beginnings when Dr. Deming was introduced to Shewhart in 1927 until his death in 1993. Listen as they walk us through Deming's own learning, starting with SQC (Statistical Quality Control) to SQC for Management (which he taught to the Japanese) through the tremendous growth in the 1980's after the NBC White Paper "If Japan Can...Why Can't We?" Deming's learning continued through multiple versions of the 14 points, Seven Deadly Diseases and the four elements of Profound Knowledge. Deming's work culminated with his greatest contribution, the theory and interaction between the four elements, which became The Deming System of Profound Knowledge. The last portion of the Podcast focuses on the journey of learning. Dr Deming, said, "I make no apologies for learning" as his message changed and evolved throughout his life. The teachings continue to impact Ron and Cliff in their lives and work and this research provides fascinating insight into Dr. Deming's personal journey of learning. Transcript [00:00:15] This episode, Ron Moen and Cliff Norman discuss the evolution of Dr. Deming's 14 points system of profound knowledge and his learning. [00:00:28] Hi, I'm Tripp Babbitt, host of the Deming Institute podcast. Our guests today are Ron Moen and Cliff Norman of Associates and Process Improvement. Welcome, gentlemen. [00:00:40] Hello. [00:00:42] Can you share a little bit about API and what you do? [00:00:47] Ok, I'll start. This is Ron, I started in nineteen eighty five, three of us, Tom Nolan and like all those myself, we worked together and Department of Agriculture. So we left USDA and started our organization. We were doing a lot of work with academic seminars. So we started and then we we had three more members join in 1987 and 88. [00:01:12] That would be with Norman, who on the call with us today, and Kevin Nolan and Jerry Langley. And we've basically been together now for nearly 30 years. So we just had a little celebration for 30 years. [00:01:30] So congratulations, really. [00:01:33] Any comments about the. [00:01:35] I just think the is sort of interesting. We don't really exist as a business trip. We exist literally as a learning organization. My wife, Jane, when we're asked by clients, can give an example of a learning organization. She always gives API because we exist to do research and writing together and as improvement advisors and consultants if we run out of knowledge without out of work. And so it's been an organization that exists to cooperate in learning. A great example of a learning organization. [00:02:08] Ok, great, great. I appreciate it. So how did you both come across the Deming philosophy, Ron? I'm as I mentioned earlier in a conversation, I'm familiar with you from The Reckoning and a number of the books even Out of the Crisis. You're mentioning there are a couple of times. So starting with you, how did this all develop with you and Dr. Deming? [00:02:33] For me, it was in graduate school at the University of Missouri, I went to a American Statistical Association meeting in Montreal in 1971. [00:02:44] Deming was there and I was in the audience and he was probably one hundred statisticians and he made every one of them mad because his topic was on athletic studies. And this is really a very important message that is carried throughout his lifetime. This negative versus athletic and statisticians never really got it. They thought that he was doing away with their profession and their theory is correct for a number of problems. That's not correct for Analytica. So I just spent four years in graduate school learning the theory behind a number of studies. [00:03:20] My advisor was in Montreal and he said, well, how do you like working in the real world? I said, where is the population? [00:03:28] There's no population. The world's very dynamic and enumerated problems are not appropriate. Just six words for negative. But the problem is that we work on our analytic. And so that was kind of the whole starting point. I also worked with him in ASTM 11 committee. It was called in Philadelphia. He was a member of that. I was a member of that nineteen seventy three. I took his classes at George Washington University in 79 and 80, and from eighty forward it was the NBC White Paper, the four day seminars and so on and so forth. So that was that was my

This week's Podcast feature Alfie Kohn, national speaker and author of 14 books, and scores of articles, on human behavior, management, and education. Alfie discusses the inspiration for his books including, No Contest and Punished by Rewards, the divergent thoughts surrounding the history of education in the 20th century, and his views on standardized testing and homework. Alfie explains how, as a contrarian with a practice of finding issues where logic and research points in one direction and practices move in a different direction, he started thinking and writing about competition. He began debunking the common notion that "competition is inevitable because it's just part of human nature". Next Alfie discusses the different philosophies on education in the early 20th century. As one side supported the experience of the student as the "center of gravity", the other focused on rules, curriculum, numbers and behaviors - things outside the classroom that can be measured. Alfie tells us how standardized testing has undermined education, even when test scores go up, and how much time has been taken away from real learning to teach kids how to be good at taking tests. Lastly, Alfie shares what he will be talking about on November 8th, at The First Annual Deming in Education Conference in Seattle.

This week's Podcast features Jim Benson, founding partner of the Modus Institute. Jim discusses how he was introduced to the Deming Philosophy, how his team applies it to Knowledge Work (work that can't be seen), and what he feels is the biggest fear in an organization. Though he was initially introduced accidently on an airplane, Jim shared how he was actively looking for a set of guiding principles around what would create a human oriented, self-aware way of managing work. As he hopes everyone finds out, the four points of the System of Profound Knowledge do that in a very elegant, concise and friendly way. At Modus Cooperendi, they apply the Deming Philosophy with three guiding principles: Respect for people, SOPK, and the One Point (summation of the 14 points). They take those principles and help companies build new Life Systems, so they can visualize their work for the first time leading to better communication, collaboration and transparency. Listen as Jim tells us why they feel "the unknown" is the biggest fear in an organization. And how building trust within teams can remove one of the largest barriers to your company. Hear how some companies they're working with are doing just that.

Read more about Dr. Deming's work in his books, Out of the Crisis and The New Economics. This week's Podcast features Louis Altazan, President of AGCO Automotive Corporation in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Louis discusses his introduction to Dr. Deming and his philosophies, his "aha" moment, and the long-term thinking and trust that must be established to succeed. Louis starts with a brief introduction of AGCO, and his feeling that the automotive industry could be doing better. After toiling for 10 years with various philosophies, it was the 1980 NBC documentary "If Japan Can, Why Can't We" that hit home with him. He picked up the phone and called Dr. Deming. And as they say "the rest is history." Louis began implementing Deming's 14 points right away. His biggest "aha" moment was that "I was the problem." Once he realized this, he called a meeting to apologize and things started to get better right away. Louis removed everyone from the "flat rate" pay system and put them on salary. This helped his staff change their focus from short-term thinking and profits to long-term thinking and trust. Louis warns that you can't apply some part of Dr. Deming's philosophy and not others - that "it's a cohesive system that all works together." Done this way you will start seeing improvement almost immediately, but the real benefits will be felt about 20 years down the road.

This week's Podcast features Dr. Bret Champion, Superintendent of the Leander Independent School District in Leander, Texas. Bret discusses Leander ISD's journey and how they faced the challenges of a growing school district, external federal and state standards and limited resources to create a quality education system focused on the most critical component, the student. Bret shares his early adoption of the "Leander Way" and how he discovered it was based on the Deming teachings. At Leander, he found a collaborative environment, free from the palpable fear felt at other schools by students and teachers alike. Liberated from fear through partnership, interaction, cooperation and training, it was about a system, "not just by the book". Bret explains how he is drawn to messy and noisy classrooms, because "that's where learning happens". At Leander, they realized they did not know what defined a quality classroom or how to measure it. From this experience they developed their "Seven Student Learning Behaviors". As a district of 36,000 students and 400 employees spread over 200 square miles, Bret describes the constant "battle for balance" and the road to quality as a "marathon". But they continue to work towards incremental changes on their journey of improvement, never letting go of their culture, shared vision and belief that students are "more than test scores".

This week's Podcast features Gordon McGilton, Director of a Private Equity Fund with investment in multiple industries. Gordon shares the humorous and unique way he was introduced to Dr. Deming's philosophies. He provides an example of a company that is using The Deming System of Profound Knowledge with great success, as well as how one can begin their own journey. Gordon starts with, "every business is just a system and that system delivers some change of state that customers are willing to pay for. Everything else in between is just by what method to do it." Listen as Gordon shares the Jet-Hot, Inc. story, a real example of how he applied the Deming System of Profound Knowledge and systems thinking to a coatings company on the verge of insolvency. After three years, with the same people, the company is prospering and the employees are proud of what they do, the company they work for and the solutions they provide the customers. We step back and hear how Gordon was introduced to Dr. Deming's philosophies while working in the auto industry in 1980, when the documentary "If Japan Can, Why Can't We" aired on NBC-TV. This is a must listen podcast, as Gordon shares the tale of his initial resistance to attending Dr. Deming's 4-Day Seminar; and his subsequent understanding that everything he had learned in management, up to that point, was wrong. Gordon explores his Aha! Moments, the first of which was, "you can't increase someone's capability by offering them money or by threatening them." This was a huge breakthrough, as he was raised on an intimidation model believing that's how you got things done. The breakthrough came once he saw that providing employees with the instructions, tools, information and support they needed, is what actually improved their performance.

This week's podcast features Dr. Doug Stilwell, Superintendent of the Urbandale Community School District. Doug shares his application of the Deming Philosophy in education - looking at education from a systems point a view and driving out fear with trust. Listen as Doug talks about how, after 35 years in education, he always felt that "something was not right." It wasn't until 2009 when he attended a David Langford Seminar, which applied the Deming philosophy in education, that he said "this is it, this is the stuff I have been looking for." Doug endured 35 years of new initiatives from the legislature and Department of Education, with no changes in student achievement. It caused him to think back to Deming and that "people are not the problem, it's the system." If they did not take a systems approach they would be doomed to fail. He realized that whether you're looking at the district as a whole, or a building or even a classroom, it's a system, and the way you approach that system will have the greatest impact on student learning. Doug shares his lifelong interest in trust, the role it plays in driving out fear, and his conclusion that, "if there is fear in an organization, that means that there is not trust." By engendering trust, Doug realized that people can be freed from fear and feel freer to innovate. Lastly, Doug shares his recommendations for others are they begin their journey. It starts with defining an aim for thieir system and clearly communicating that with the students. A few years ago, Doug was disheartened after reading a study show that the decrease in joy for learning begins in Kindergarten. But this reinforced for him the value of systems thinking, and that teacher understanding of a systems approach in the classroom is a great place to start.

This week's podcast features David Langford, CEO and Founder of Langford International, Inc. and Deming Institute Advisory Council member. In David's third podcast he explores ways to get started in employing the Deming philosophy in education. In many instances this requires an "out of body experience"; stop playing the blame game, stop being a victim. He tells us to stop worrying about the bigger system and start optimizing the performance of the group, which you have influence over. David shares an example of a student whose "new" knowledge and appreciation for a system led to a study of the most common systemic questions asked by students. Listen as he reviews what they learned - to stop wasting time on things that are not meaningful, to start concentrating on things that are and get those to a higher degree of performance and to concentrate on deep learning experiences with lasting impact. David explores how a small group of committed people working in a consistent fashion can transform an organization. You don't have to be "all in" to create transformation. It can start with you. For more information about David's current work, with Ingenium Schools, please visit ingeniumfoundation.org

This week's podcast features Doug Hall, CEO and Founder of Innovation Engineering and Eureka! Ranch as he shares his approach for taking the systems thinking of Dr. Deming and applying it to the world of strategy, innovation, and growth. Doug shares the story of how his father introduced him to Dr. Deming and systems thinking in the late 70's. Doug's father worked at Nashua Corporation, which was one of the early corporate adopters of Dr. Deming's philosophies. Later Doug took that systems mindset to the Proctor and Gamble brand management department taking nine innovations to market in 12 months, which is still a record today. After 10 years he retired from corporate life and established Eureka! Ranch. He soon found that corporate executives were not interested in a systemic approach to innovation. Doug pivoted and repackaged himself as a innovation Guru who in truth was powered by systems thinking. He was soon named one of America's top idea gurus by A&E To 10, Inc. Magazine and the Wall Street Journal. Doug went on to do dozens of projects for such top innovators as Nike, Walt Disney, and AT&T. His fame lead to network radio and television roles, writing of books and to the role of "Truth Teller" judge on the first season of ABC TV's American Inventor. As he was getting ready to retire from consulting he returned to his roots and founded the new field of academic study known as Innovation Engineering at the University of Maine. Their mission is to change the world by enabling innovation by everyone, everywhere, everyday resulting in increased speed to market and decreased risk. Their method for accomplishing this is to apply the systems thinking of Dr. Deming. The rise of the internet and the 2008 recession created the opportunity to transfer the system approach to innovation from universities to the commercial world. It worked-companies found that when they enabled their employees they could increase speed to market by up to 6x and decrease innovation risk by 30 to 80%. Listen as Doug explains why he feels today's younger generation are the greatest generation for workers. And why starting with the "what, why and how" is such an important first step in innovation.

This week's podcast features Dick Steele, Founder and Chairman of Peaker Services, Inc. and member of The Deming Institute Board of Trustees. Dick discusses his company's transformation and how he has kept his employees engaged throughout their Deming Journey. Dick shares his memory of how a book recommendation by his mother led to his introduction to Dr. Deming's philosophies. And how attending Dr. Deming's 4-day seminar led to the company dropping performance appraisals "cold turkey" the following week. Listen as Dick discusses some of the changes that make the biggest difference (but are immeasurable) and how these changes have led to greater collaboration, employee engagement and innovation at Peaker Services.

This week's podcast features David Langford, CEO and founder of Langford International, Inc. and Deming Institute Advisory Council member. David discusses "Education as a System" and using the four parts of Deming's "System of Profound Knowledge" to make a systemic change to the current education system. He talks about the "aim" and "product" of the education system. "What are we trying to accomplish?" "Are we just trying to improve test scores or are we trying to teach kids to think?" David talks about the difference between studying and learning and the diminishing returns you receive when you have a whole system based on memorization. And why attempts to improve the system through programs such as "No Child Left Behind" and "Race to the Top" do not work. Listen as David explores "what is good learning" and how changing the education system through "continual improvement thinking" (rather than just adding programs) will lead to better results for students and teachers; a win-win for all. For more information about David's current work, with Ingenium Schools, please visit ingeniumfoundation.org

This week's Deming Podcast features Keith Sparkjoy, Cofounder and Culture Coach of Pluralsight, a leader in professional training for developers through an online learning experience. Keith discusses his "awakening" on their journey to keep Pluralsight's healthy culture as they rapidly expanded. The Deming philosophies provided hope and as he came to understand variation and a new way to look at leadership, the transition moved very quickly. From creating a system that focused on customer - eliminating incentive pay for managers, commissions for salespeople, and paid time off policies - to establishing only two rules to guide the company. Listen as Keith explains their journey to "seek the truth", how they have been able to burst the bubble of management, build trust, drive out fear and get people to work together as Pluralsight "grows up."

This week's podcast features Monta Akin, Assistant Superintendent for Leander Independent School District in Leander, Texas. Monta shares her Deming journey and the compelling story of Leander Independent School District's transformation. It begins when Monta was first introduced to Deming when she came across the PBS series "Quality or Else" featuring David Langford. What caught her attention was his Deming-based systematic approach to education, creating passion in students by engaging them in the practice of improvement. Serendipitously, the next day Monta picked up an educational magazine with information on a David Langford seminar. She rallied a few Leander colleagues to attend. It totally changed how they looked at instruction and the partnership with students. They realized that to be a great school district they would have to do something different. As they began adopting the Deming philosophies, Monta and her colleagues discovered how transparency built teamwork and realized the detrimental effect of fear, especially of teacher ratings. This led to a major change in how they conducted evaluations; a pivotal moment in their transformation. Monta shares the positive results at Leander independent School District, and why after more than 20 years, she is still passionately committed to the Deming philosophy.

This week's podcast features Fred Warmbier, CEO of Finishing Technology and Kelly Allan, Senior Associate of Kelly Allan Associates and Chair of the Deming Institute Advisory Council. Fred and Kelly discuss their New York Times blog that documents the Deming journey of Finishing Technology, a metal finishing company in Ohio. Fred first discovered the Deming message in September 2013 when he attended a Deming Institute 2.5 day seminar presented in partnership with Aileron, a non-profit near Dayton (Tipp City), Ohio dedicated to, "Raising the Quality of Life in America". Fred attended with staff from his company and came away excited to explore how to change from the old way of running things. He was driven by self-insight, a passion to study and a desire to help others, while understanding his business system and how to operate it more effectively and efficiently. After additional reading and further study, Fred was motivated to look at all elements of his business differently and through a new lens. He began working with Kelly and as these new insights gained momentum, Fred felt it important to document his experiences, which were often humbling and comical. Around this time, The NY Times ran a story on companies unhooked from commission-based sales, which led to a multi-part NY Times blog, that documents Fred's journey. The goal of the blog is to educate, inform, entertain, make a difference and be a call to action. 0 0 1 270 1541 The W. Edwards Deming Institute 12 3 1808 14.0 Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} This fascinating journey will energize executives, entrepreneurs and others who are always (as Fred and Kelly discuss) probing, looking, thinking and determined to figure things out.

In this podcast Clare and Bob take us through their respective journeys that led to their groundbreaking work with Dr. Deming in the famous 1980 NBC documentary/white paper, "If Japan Can Why Can't We?" and the subsequent powerful 32 volume "Deming Library" which is still in widespread use. From their early memories of meeting Dr. Deming to the impact it had on their lives, we experience their frustration with American management 34 years later, as well as their hope for the future. They discuss the need for us to no longer be, "unconscious prisoners of our culture" and the importance of valuing individual differences, how people learn and how we can improve the processes we use in our work. Clare discusses the critical important concept she learned from Dr. Deming of "managing instead of controlling". Their passion for continual learning continues to this day as they write, speak and contribute to the Deming message. Their journey is a fascinating one of great significance and it looks to continue in 2015 with a new book from Clare titled, "The New Wisdom".

Paula Marshall is the CEO of the Bama Companies, Inc., a company that may be best known for being the single supplier of the famous Apple dessert pies to McDonalds. They are also "...an innovator and manufacturer of bakery products to some of the most well-known restaurant chains on the planet." In this episode Paula discusses with Tripp her amazing journey as a CEO that took her company from being on the verge of going out of business to the thriving powerhouse it is today. The transformation of Paula and her company started when she attended her first Deming seminar. That seminar and the subsequent meetings and friendship with Dr. Deming, shaped the future of the company in a way she never imagined. Paula shares her journey with Dr. Deming and how personally difficult it was to go against the very status quo management ideas she had learned and was using; in particular, learning the hard way how detrimental performance appraisals and the incentive based system are to an organization. See http://www.bama.com for more information on Paula and the company. Paula is also an author of several books, including her personal story in Sweet as Pie, Tough as Nails.

Bill Bellows serves as president of the In2:InThinking Network, and as a Board Trustee of the W. Edwards Deming Institute®. In his podcast, Bill discusses his introduction to the Deming philosophy as a young engineer, and his "aha" moment after hearing Dr. Deming speak about the destructive nature of competition. He also shares his thoughts on the challenges of conveying the Deming message in the future and the importance of collaboration in the Deming community.

Bob Browne is the former CEO of the Great Plains Coca Cola Bottling Company and soon to be author of a new book, The Sys-Tao Way, that outlines his application of the Deming Philosophy. Bob gives a brief history of the Great Plains Coca Cola Bottling Company, his introduction to the Deming Philosophy and experiences incorporating many of the teachings into his organization. Bob states how the Four Pillars are the key to understanding Deming with a special focus on the theory of knowledge and working relationships. He describes the difficulty of letting go of his own established paradigms while incorporating the the teachings of W. Edwards Deming - it required constancy of purpose and faith that this was a better way. Bob also shares thoughts on where a CEO or change agent starts and he discusses organizational change and adoption of these ideas The Twitter account specifically for the Deming Institute podcasts is @DemingPodcast.

In this episode of the Deming Podcast, Tripp Babbitt interviews Steven Haedrich, President of New York Label & Box Works. In his podcast, Steven talks about the rich 130-year history of New York Label & Box Works and their Deming journey which began more than 20 years ago. Steven discusses his "aha" moments around management and leadership, and quality improvements. Steven also talks about the relevance of the Deming teachings today and the keys to long-term success using the Deming method. Steven will be sharing his experiences at the upcoming Deming Institute Fall Conference, in a presentation titled "Deming is it!" The 2014 Deming Institute Fall Conference to be held this October 17-19 in Los Angeles. Subscribe to the Deming podcasts via rss or iTunes.

In this episode of the Deming Podcast, Tripp Babbitt interviews Andrea Gabor. Andrea Gabor begins by discussing her book The Man Who Discovered Quality: How W. Edwards Deming Brought the Quality Revolution to America – The Stories of Ford, Xerox, and GM. She discusses what Ford and GM have done since her book was published. And then she discusses how to improve the education system and the problems with the primary efforts on "education reform" in the USA today. Andrea will be presenting, What Education Reformers Can Learn from the Deming Philosophy, at The 2014 Deming Institute Fall Conference, to be held October 17-19 in Los Angeles. The Twitter account specifically for the podcasts is @DemingPodcast.

In this episode of the Deming Podcast, Tripp Babbitt interviews Dan Robertson, Deming Institute Advisory Council member and Co-author of Deming's Profound Changes. Dan discusses his Deming journey at Hewlett Packard and his experience writing Deming's Profound Changes with co-author Kenneth Delavigne, as a tribute to Dr. Perry Gluckman. Dan is the Co-chair of The 2014 Deming Institute Fall Conference and shares details of the event to be held October 17-19 in Los Angeles.

In this third episode of The Deming Podcast, moderator Tripp Babbitt interviews David Langford. David serves on The Deming Institute's Advisory Council and is the CEO and founder of Langford International. David shares the challenges he faced as an educator in Sitka Alaska, his introduction to the teachings Dr. W. Edwards Deming, and his work with the Leander Independent School District where they have been applying Dr. Deming's principles since 1992. Go to Deming Today™ for more information on the Leander story. David will be speaker in the Education track at the 2014 Deming Institute Fall Conference Oct 18-19 in Los Angeles, CA as well as leading and facilitating a special 2-Day Pre-Conference session on Education Oct 16-17.

In the second episode of The W. Edwards Deming Institute Podcast moderator Tripp Babbitt interviews Kelly Allan. Kelly serves on The Deming Institute's Advisory Council and is the senior associate of Kelly Allan Associates. Kelly discusses the creation of the 2.5-day seminar and the current activities of the Institute while also touching on various aspects of the Deming management method.

The W. Edwards Deming Institute® is pleased to announce the Deming Podcast. We have created a new Twitter account specifically for the podcasts @DemingPodcast, maintaining @DemingInstitute as our primary Twitter account). Deming podcast episode number one starts off our series with moderator Tripp Babbitt interviewing Kevin Cahill, the President of The W. Edwards Deming Institute® and the grandson of Dr. Deming. Kevin talks about growing up with Dr. Deming and Kevin's current work with The W. Edwards Deming Institute®.