Checking in on an Old Discussion
Mike,
Yes, this is undoubtedly a great nation, especially to those of us who live here or would risk life to get here. We are a great nation of invention and unfortunately, a great exporter of it as well. Perhaps the negativism is borne out of many bitter experiences rather than many happy endings or the optimism of a better tomorrow. Perhaps it is easier to complain than to offer solutions. I can’t really say. But we should strive to be more optimistic in life: work or play. You are right about that!
We, IMHO, are still in the crisis. Keep in mind, Deming’s focus in OOTC was on the prevailing management paradigm, which of course, is still lodged in place. As most of you already know (I say it here for neophytes to our discussions) we are under the Financial Management Paradigm. Dr. Deming called it the Western Management Philosophy. Has good come from it? Absolutely. The question here, though, is whether or not the price we ultimately pay will make it worth it in the long run. Don’t worry: we’ll all be long dead before the final report on this is filed. In Dr. Deming’s opinion, until we are free of the tyrannical grip of this paradigm, we are in the crisis. He was not being cynical when he made this statement. Optimist or not: I believe that this is where we are. I also believe that this will become more apparent in the Quality Community once the Greatest Boom in history finally ends and we begin an economic decline. Quality will become again, an essential ingredient. Remember: innovation and quality are not the same thing. You can dazzle folks with poor quality but great innovation for a period, but in the long run, the quality has to be there for sustainability. New innovations will lead to different levels of incremental gain, but once the “cream is gone” you’ll need a quality product/service to fall back on until the new innovation comes along.
It’s also no secret that this country banks on the ‘cream’. Many business models in the Western Hemisphere are built upon release of new design after new design. Re-engineering hardly exists in this country. To the current businessman, the product quality can suffer so long as we get to market first, capture the cream; do whatever it takes! The problem is that this plan does not support Constancy of Purpose, Point 1 of Deming’s 14 Point for Management. It is also a short-term strategy. Tactics to implement this strategy truly lack creativity and do not require much to implement. These tactics collide head on with Dr. Deming’s SoPK. I suppose that it is harder for Deming Management Method supporters to talk about this without a measure of cynicism, but for those who have studied this management method, I believe the cynicism begins to give way to new understanding. When working in or with organizations dedicated to the ‘cream’ (which most are on this side of the pond), you see examples daily that conflict with Dr. Deming’s theory of management as well as many of the other Quality/Management Gurus. It is what it is.
As you point, ‘one size does not fit all’. That’s why Dr. Deming never authored a step-by-step cookie cutter plan (and is often criticized for this). All businesses are different and require different implementation plans. The theory behind it though (SoPK) is a one-size-fits-all solution. The strategy is straightforward; the tactics to implement are left up to you. However, it is fair to say that the good Dr. had something to say on this, and often did. One such rule is learning from a hack when it comes to statistical theory. The same could be said of all the tenets of SoPK. While personal mastery is not required, learning from a master to the best of your ability is. As I’m sure Mike Thompson would point out on Senge’s behalf, we should strive for personal mastery nonetheless. This will mean different things to different people. We should also not ignore the teachings of the other notable, and not so notable, gurus of Quality and Management. Theory should be challenged, blended, refined to a point where it becomes usable. If you are the purist, then you will undoubtedly follow one theory to its fullest.
Learning the Transformation for myself has led me to become more of a purist when it comes to the Deming Management Method. So far, I haven’t found a management theory that can challenge it. In fact, many alternate theories on management tactics (Goldratt for instance) reinforce my adopted theory. This is not to say that Goldratt is evil or unknowing. I have learned from him as much as from anyone else, I suppose, but sometimes in a different way (learning what not to do, for example). Still his Theory of Constraints is an important lesson and his story telling gets the point across in a simple, straightforward method. It is a good theory.
Well, enough of my ramble here. Thanks for resurrecting this old discussion, Mike.
Regards,
Kevin
Every one seems to have a charismatic champion who writes a book about "it" and "it" becomes the next big thing. Good luck. 
