By John Hunter, founder of CuriousCat.com.
Joe Dager has posted another Deming related discussion, in his Business 901 podcast series: The Work of Peter Scholtes. This time Kelly Allan joined him to talk about the ideas on management of Dr. Deming and Peter Scholtes. Kelly serves on the The W. Edwards Deming Institute advisory council and serves as a senior facilitator presenting seminars for the institute.
Resources mentioned in the podcast:
- Peter’s letter to Kelly
- Peter’s books: The Leader’s Handbook and Team Handbook
- Deming Files on PEX network
The Team Handbook, I think about is two key things. One, it makes teams more effective because it introduces the discipline of the quality tools to teamwork. The second thing then is kind of the reverse of that, in that it introduces people to the quality tools in a way that makes them come alive and useful not only to team context but an individual context.
Kelly on the Leader’s Handbook and the dangers of unintended consequences and incentives.
[The Leader’s Handbook helps avoid] the unintended negative consequences of trying to lead an organization through silo thinking – or by pitting departments against one another for budgets and recognition and rewards. Peter knew, as Deming knew… when we try to set targets without understand the capability of people, of processes and teams, etc. what we are doing is creating tomorrows failures. We are creating unintended consequences that people try to optimize their own area, achieve their own goals, within their own departments, to the detriment of the entire organization.
Kelly closes with a good answer (and true to the Peter I knew) to Joe’s question – What do you think Peter would like to be remembered?
Certainly joy in work, pride and joy in work, would be right up there for Peter. Trying to create a human work environment that also made logical sense, I think would be important to Peter. And be serious about work but also have fun at the same time. Peter was very much about – this is your life, make sure you are really living your life. And work is an important part of life and make sure you are giving and getting from the work.
Previous podcasts with John Hunter, Joyce Orsini and Kevin Cahill.
Related: An Introduction to Deming’s Management Ideas by Peter Scholtes (webcast) – Peter Scholtes Protégé discusses Merit Pay – Eliminate Sales Commissions: Reject Theory X Management and Embrace Systems Thinking – Reward and Incentive Programs are Ineffective – Even Harmful by Peter Scholtes – Driving Out Fear and Other Similarities Between Drucker and Deming by Kelly Allan