Psychology
In this post, Doug Stilwell shares the story of his friend’s annual sales competition and asks: Is everyone motivated to work harder if they might win a trip to Hawaii? Does the competition result in more overall sales for the company?
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The phenomenon of “quiet quitting” (also called “employee disengagement”) is frustrating leaders and managers across industries. But looking at the problem through the Deming lens means finding workable solutions that can strengthen relationships.
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In this guest post Bill Bellows looks at recent layoff announcements from a Deming point of view. Who is responsible for company failures? What is Ford doing differently? What happens when companies target “poor performers” and how easy it is to “do the wrong thing right.”
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In this guest post, John Hunter explores the questions management should ask when there’s a failure or problem, rather than blaming an individual.
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In this guest post, Taylor Lux views the American education system through the Deming lens, finding significant shortfalls in spite of educators’ best efforts.
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The way to improve morale and engagement is to improve the work. Eliminate things that drive workers crazy by making their work more difficult and by creating work that should never have to be done if the system were designed better. (Guest post by John Hunter.)
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Guest post by John Hunter, founder of CuriousCat.com. Often when problems occur, we seek to figure out who is to blame for the problem. This is not an effective management strategy as Dr. Deming made clear, and I have discussed before: Attributing Fault to the Person Without Considering the System, Distorting the System, Distorting the […]
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Guest post by John Hunter, founder of the CuriousCat.com. This interview on NPR, How To Harness The Power Of Emotions In The Workplace, provides some good thoughts on psychology in the workplace. There is often much more focus on the data part of W. Edwards Deming’s ideas, and while using data to understand and improve […]
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Guest Post by Dr. Doug Stilwell, Drake University. During this time of COVID-driven isolation and loneliness, and the accompanying challenges to mental health, finding and operationalizing systematic methods to help people belong and recognize their sense of belonging – even after COVID is over – may be more important than ever for leaders to address.
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Professor Doug Stilwell of Drake University examines the connection between intrinsic motivation and joy in learning and how the systemic structures in our educational system can hinder it.
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