Deming Leadership Seminar for Executives, Entrepreneurs, and Managers

If you are interested in participating in the 2024 Seminar, please join our email list (click here).

 

Deming Leadership Seminar banner image with a crowd of people sitting at tables behind the text. Text also includes 2-Day Introduction and Immersion, October 17-18, Columbus, OH. The link goes to the description page for the event.

In this in-person seminar in Columbus, OH, participants will understand and begin applying Deming’s System of Profound Knowledge to lead and manage their organizations by building a culture that results in higher employee engagement and retention, better communications and collaboration, and driving innovation and the resulting growth.

Note: If you’re familiar with the Deming 2.5-day seminar, now with DemingNEXT online guided learning in the weeks before the seminar we can cover the same material and activities in 2 days. DemingNEXT also gives us, for the first time, a way to help participants continue to learn and implement the concepts from the seminar online through follow-up guided learning paths.

Participants will have complimentary access to ALL of DemingNEXT until December 31, 2023, so you have plenty of time to go beyond the suggested learning paths and explore the 250+ courses available.

“Deming is even more relevant than ever because it provides a solid, proven foundation for management that works better than any other – and does so in a world that is even more chaotic, unstable.” – Arissa Ho, MSD International

This deep-dive seminar explores the simple and powerful Deming principles and is appropriate for everyone in leadership and management positions in small, medium, growing, or large organizations.

You will learn to look at your organization through a new lens: You will gain new knowledge to lower the friction that hurts profits, to increase efficiencies, reduce wasted time, naturally boost motivation, and provide better insight into what’s really going on in your organization. You’ll discover how to measure what is (and is not) realistically possible for your organization to achieve, and how to overcome obstacles so you can achieve more.

“Our company owes a huge debt to Dr. Deming’s insights about how to lead and operate. Pride and joy in work, client satisfaction, growth, and quality are all high and sustainable.” – Travis Timmons, health care entrepreneur and President, Fitness Matters

The seminar will focus on the four aspects of Deming’s System of Profound Knowledge for more effective leadership:

  • Understanding of – and Appreciation for – your Organization as a System – Learn to see your organization as a system to get better results, overcome “silo mentality” and focus on key leverage points for increased throughput, quality, and productivity – all while reducing costs.
  • Understanding Variation – Discover the conclusions we can and cannot draw from data and observations, and how to quickly take action (or not) when something goes wrong.
  • The Theory of Knowledge – Is what we “know” really so? Learn two simple tools that lead to better communications, change, and improvement.
  • Understanding Psychology – Learn insights about how humans want to interact with peers and managers, the impact of fear, and why “carrots-and-sticks management” is counter-productive.

“I was impressed by the breadth of industries and businesses represented at the seminar. Hearing how we have similar issues despite being in different industries and how Deming’s Management principles apply equally well to our problems was enlightening to me.” – Workshop Attendee

The seminar will include lots of:

  • fun and eye-opening hands-on activities
  • small group breakouts
  • energetic work sessions
  • guest speakers benefiting from using Deming in their organizations now
  • discussions with Deming experts to get you started on doing Deming the very next day

Come learn what thousands have learned –and discover what is holding you back – and where you can improve effectiveness and culture, reduce costs, increase productivity, and accelerate growth and innovation.

“Our company was such a mess that I was ready to give up. We were managing from crisis-to-crisis. And it just never seemed like I could have the type of business that I wanted, where things worked properly, and our employees were happy, and our customers were happy. I just didn’t feel like I was capable of creating that type of company – until I found Deming’s approach.” – Fred Warmbier, owner, Finishing Technology

Date/Time: October 17 and 18, 2023, from 8am to 4:30pm each day
Registration Fees: $1,800 per person / $1,600 per person for groups of 3 or more
We offer special nonprofit and educator rates as well as a limited number of scholarships. Please contact us for details.

Facilitators

Kelly L. Allan
Kelly Allan and Associates

Kelly Allan is the senior associate of Kelly Allan Associates, Ltd. In 1999, when Peter R. Scholtes (The Team Handbook and The Leader’s Handbook) retired, he recruited Kelly to continue his seminars and consulting practice. More recently, Kelly wrote a new chapter for the 3rd Edition of Dr. Deming’s seminal book, The New Economics. The chapter explains the relevance of Deming’s leadership method, includes case studies, and offers guidance on how to “do Deming.”

In 2004, Kelly was one of 12 people selected by The Deming Institute to design and deliver a 2.5-day seminar to capture the essence of Dr. Deming’s famous Four-Day Seminars. Kelly’s published work has appeared in a variety of journals, including Business First, Fast Company, Personnel Journal, Marketing News, Inc. Magazine, Business Marketing Association News, Harvard Business Review, and The Wall Street Journal. He has been featured in Fast Company, Quality Progress, The Masterful Coaching Field BookThe Knowing-Doing Gap, and Abolishing Performance Appraisals.

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Gina LaRosa Benedict
HR Solutions

Gina began with the Deming Institute by teaching the 2.5-day seminar in 2016, and continues to bring her engaging style to our seminars. Gina is the leader of the Human Resources function for Anchor QEA, an environmental consulting firm. She has been a HR practitioner for over 20 years and continues to speak at universities and industry conferences on the Deming philosophy and the role of HR.

Gina has worked for Fortune 50 companies and with small-to-medium size companies globally for 25 years. Her career has included firms involving consumer products; environmental consulting, engineering, and compliance; insurance, capital equipment manufacturing and sales; and advertising. She has also worked with start-ups, on product launches, and in the non-profit arena, including government. Gina works with executive teams in the areas of organizational structure, communication, leadership, succession, and talent development. She is certified to teach under the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) organization. 

Bill Soller
Corporate Advantage Network, LLC

Bill is the principal of Corporate Advantage Network, LLC.  He utilizes Deming’s System of Profound Knowledge along with the technical quality tools to assist organizations in their journey of continual improvement. He has coached and improved many types and sizes of organizations over several decades.

Bill has been a principal process engineer for weather satellites (ITT Aerospace with NASA), missile guidance systems (Hughes Aircraft for the Army), high-end computer servers design and manufacturing (Tech Data), food manufacturing (Kroger), heavy truck manufacturing (Core Molding) and for a variety of other industries and for companies – including Small to Medium Enterprises.

He has extensive Lean Six Sigma, Quality Management Systems (ISO 9001, IATF 16949, ISO 14001, ISO 13485, AS9100), Process Engineering, and Supply Chain Management experience.  He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Electronics Engineering from the DeVry Institute of Technology in Columbus, Ohio. He is a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt and a Senior Member/Chair for the Columbus, Ohio Section of the American Society for Quality (ASQ).  Bill also holds certifications from ASQ as a Certified Quality Engineer, Certified Quality Auditor, and Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence.

Over the years, Bill has been involved in his children’s sports as a coach or club president and enjoys volunteering at local charities. His passion is mentoring and coaching the employees of organizations and helping them improve their professional development.

Kat Vanden Heuvel
KVH Strategies

Kat comes to The Deming Institute with 20 years of experience in the non-profit sector. Her love for program development, staff engagement, organizational change and designing effective infrastructures for organizations naturally led her to engage with The Institute.  Kat attended a number of Deming Institute seminars and was instrumental in bringing Deming learning opportunities to her local community.

In 2018, Kat opened KVH Strategies, a facilitation company that helps groups think better together. Prior to starting her own business, she was Executive Director of the Sawtooth Botanical Garden in Sun Valley, Idaho. She has also worked with other non-profits around the country such as YMCA of the Rockies, YMCA of Greater Charlotte, The Hunger Coalition, and Wild Gift.  Kat’s natural love for working with people and helping create positive change is evident in her energetic approach to everything she does, wherever she goes.

While originally from Wisconsin (oh-yah, a Packer fan), she now lives in Idaho with her husband, Dan, and children, Tripp and Seneca. Kat takes full advantage of the beautiful outdoor surroundings while hiking, whitewater rafting, camping, and skiing.

John A. Dues

John A. Dues serves as the Chief Learning Officer and Interim Chief Operating Officer at United Schools Network. He is an accomplished systems leader and improvement science scholar-practitioner. He recently published his first book entitled Win-Win: W. Edwards Deming, the System of Profound Knowledge, and the Science of Improving Schools. Throughout his career, he has served on the founding teams of seven school and nonprofit organizations. John has a BA from Miami University, an M.Ed. from the University of Cincinnati, and recently completed the Improvement Advisor program through the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.

Dr. Ravi K. Roy

Dr. Ravi K. Roy is Director of the W. Edwards Deming Quality, Innovation & Leadership Incubator (QUIL), and Senior Consultant of Quality of Management in the Department of Aviation at Southern Utah University. He is also the inaugural W. Edwards Deming Fellow with the Institute, a position he assumed in January 2016, with promotion to Senior Research Fellow in January 2018.  Prior to this, he served as both the Director of the Post-Graduate Program in International Development at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia (2009-2011) as well as the Director of MPA program at California State University, Northridge in California (2011-2013). Ravi earned his Bachelors degree in Political Science at UCLA before going to earn his Masters and a PhD in Public Policy/Political Science at Claremont Graduate University, one of only a handful of private comprehensive doctoral institutions in California. He has held Research Scholar positions at the University of California, Santa Barbara (2011-2015) and the Claremont Institute for Economic Policy Studies (2002-2004). He also was the Stanton Avery Professor at Pitzer College (Spring 2002).

At The W. Edwards Deming Institute’s® 2015 Annual Conference, Ravi presented a paper that applies Deming’s New Economics and Arthur Denzau and Douglass North’s New Institutional Economics to improve inter-organizational systems thinking.

Roy’s expertise is in the area of Shared Mental Models. He has published several books and articles with Routledge Press, Sage Press, and Oxford University Press. In 2013, he delivered a session entitled “Cultivating Shared Mental Models and Social Capital” at the In2:InThinking Network Forum. In 2014, he gave a presentation entitled “Inquiring Beautiful Minds” at the annual In2:InThinking Network Forum. That same year, Roy served as a Thought Leader on the topic of “Shared Mental Models” for Aerojet Rocketdyne’s monthly seminar series. He and former Deming Institute board member, and now Deputy Director, Bill Bellows, piloted “The Dialogic Sessions,” devoted to the topic of “Shared Mental Models,” at the In2:InThinking Network’s 2016 Forum.

Ravi Roy’s presentation at the Deming Management in Public Administration Conference in 2017 on Public Administration: Past, Present, and Future.

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Sponsorship Opportunities

We do not offer sponsorship opportunities for this event. If you are interested in sponsoring a future event, please contact us.

Scholarships

There are no more scholarships available for this seminar.

If you are interested in a scholarship for the DemingNEXT online learning program, please contact us using this link for more information. You can also request information about scholarships for future seminars and workshops.

Registration Details

This event is sold out! Please contact Christina Dragonetti at christina@deming.org to join the waiting list.

“I especially liked the hands-on activities, table discussions, and rotating speaker format. All of the speakers were so engaging and kind.” – Workshop Attendee

$1,800 per person
$1,600 per person for groups of 3 or more
We offer special nonprofit and educator rates as well as a limited number of scholarships. Please contact us for details.

Cancellation Policy

We require 10 business days’ notice to cancel and receive a full refund.  If the cancellation occurs within 10 business days of the event date and time, the registration fee will not be refunded, with the exception of unexpected restrictions due to COVID-19.

Curriculum Overview

Why Deming?

Guided by Dr. Deming’s System of Profound Knowledge and the 14 Points for Management, the Deming Philosophy reveals hidden barriers to collaboration, resulting in improved organizational performance and employee motivation. In parallel, the Deming Philosophy provides better insight into what is going on in the organization, thereby revealing the organization’s real capabilities – and constraints. Leaders’ attention can then focus on innovation, planning, and competitiveness. You may already know about Deming Quality – now take the opportunity to learn and apply Deming-based teamwork and leadership.

“Customers want it better, cheaper, faster – and without the Deming philosophy we’d be lost.”
– Steven Haedrich, CEO, New York Label and Box Works

What will you learn?

You will learn the quick and easy things leaders can do – and stop doing – to increase productivity, plus the long-term thinking that will help you grow a sustainable organization for the future. Dr. Deming’s comprehensive and internally consistent methods are practical and immediately implementable. Knowing “what to do” is not enough. Learning the “how to do” makes the difference.

You will learn to apply the 4 key elements of Deming-based Management:

  1. Understanding how to lead an organization as a SYSTEM, resulting in greater effectiveness and efficiency.
  2. Understanding VARIATION helps you to analyze which outcomes and behaviors are caused by the system in which people work – and which are not. This concept is a game-changer for profitability.
  3. Understanding how to use PSYCHOLOGY to bring out the intrinsic motivation of your employees rather than trying to manipulate them with incentives and rewards (and punishments).
  4. Theory of KNOWLEDGE means a) learning to use a simple technique to improve how people learn, and b) knowing that experience alone not only lacks meaning and usefulness, but it also causes dangerous inconsistencies, erodes purpose, and puts organizations at risk. No other management method includes this essential improvement component, yet it is easy to learn and apply.

Our Method

Dr. Deming strongly believed in asking good questions that start people thinking differently and seeking new knowledge. Dr. Deming’s innovative questions (and answers) led to a revolution in how organizations operate. The results are improved effectiveness (doing the right things right) AND efficiency (doing them faster, better, and cheaper). Provocative and practical questions lead to more robust discussions and answers – and to stronger, more prosperous organizations in which owners, leaders, workers, suppliers, customers, and communities benefit.

Questions about quality and productivity:

  • What could we do to improve quality and productivity as we drive down costs? Why wouldn’t we want to do that in sensible ways?
  • Why do leaders think they can improve quality and productivity through quotas, targets and standards? Is it so difficult to see that such things merely create conflicting objectives, cause cheating, and erode trust? Looking at a little data shows they do not improve quality nor reduce costs in sustainable ways.
  • Don’t we have to get better? Why wouldn’t we want our suppliers to help us with that? Shouldn’t we treat them as partners – and vice versa? What is wrong with win/win?
  • With a focus on near-term results, is the future part of our system? What business are we in, today? What business will we be in 5 years from now, 10 years from now, etc.?

Questions about leadership and management:

  • What happens if workers within an organization cooperate with one another rather than competing for internal resources? Wouldn’t the organization be more successful?
  • Is there evidence that cobbling together so-called “management best practices” assures organizational success and longevity?
  • Do leaders need to add complexity to their already complex jobs? Wouldn’t simplicity better help them achieve their aim?
  • Why are leaders taught to spend so much time on “the numbers” and control when we know spreadsheet data alone will mislead and obscure? What if leaders viewed the data on spreadsheets through a lens of insight with consistent, reliable, repeatable ways to assess the data?

Seminar Outcomes

At the end of the seminar, participants will begin applying key aspects of the Deming Management Method in their organizations, including:

  • Recognizing how to break down barriers between departments and people to gain the benefits of cooperation, understanding, and clarity.
  • Knowing what goes into guiding employee behaviors, decisions, and creativity.
  • Understanding the basic small-scale design of PDSA improvement projects focused on customer satisfaction, quality, and efficiency.
  • Why replacing accepted, but harmful, management practices that manipulate and disrespect employees will increase productivity.
  • Beginning to create responsibility and joy in work so products and services can be delivered effectively, efficiently, and profitably.
  • New ideas on applying The Deming Management Method to Sales and Marketing.
  • Fresh ways to view and interpret spreadsheets and other data more effectively and in less time.
  • Understanding the harmful impact of a “results only” focus by management and how to improve an organization’s ability to get better and better results.
  • Revealing ways to get better ROI on capital, make good decisions related to cash flow, and work their business plan more effectively.
  • Gaining insight into what data and measures are important to track and study vs. the data and measures that merely add to the complexity, create bureaucracy and overhead, waste time and money, and take leaders’ eyes off the priorities. Experience creating low-cost, rapid return experiments (PDSAs).

In addition, participants will:

  • Have had hands-on learning experiences, which demonstrate (and make memorable) the main points of the Deming Management Method and its competitive advantages.
  • Recognize the significant opportunities to reduce costs, and increase productivity, growth, and innovation in their own organizations.
  • Establish the next steps needed to get started on increasing productivity, growth, and innovation in their organizations.
  • Understand proven leadership practices that lead to greater productivity and competitiveness.
  • Know new, useful questions to ask of themselves and others.
  • Know how to remove the 5 Deadly Diseases that cripple and kill organizations –and how to guard against them.
  • Know how to put the entire organization to work on making progress.
  • Know how to nourish and unleash the energy and talents of people who want to be peak performers.

Location and Travel Information

Location: Hilton Columbus Downtown
402 North High Street, Columbus, OH
Parking: $20/day (Parking validation is available, click here for more details.)
Nearest airport: John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH)

Nearby hotels: 

If you’re familiar with the Deming 2.5-day seminar, now with DemingNEXT online guided learning in the weeks before the seminar, we can cover the same material and activities in 2 days. DemingNEXT also gives us, for the first time, a way to help participants continue to learn and implement the concepts from the seminar online through follow-up guided learning paths.

At A Glance
Tuesday, October 17, 2023 throughWednesday, October 18, 2023
Location
Hilton Columbus Downtown
402 North High Street
Columbus, OH 43215 United States
Who Should Attend

 

What's Included

  • Two full days of instruction and activities with Deming experts
  • The New Economics, Third Edition by Dr. W. Edwards Deming
  • Course handouts and worksheets
  • Breakfast, lunch, and beverages
  • 3 months of free access to DemingNEXT online learning program with more than 250 courses designed by Deming and adult learning experts
  • Blended learning with online pre- and post-seminar learning pathways

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