RE: Fighting The Merit Cycle- Help!

[Hamilton John TSgt 17TRW/MO <John.Hamilton@goodfellow.af.mil>]

Kurt Schoch commented
I appreciate Neal's thoughts and agree that it doesn't always "take" at
first.  (Red Bead) Happened to me as well.   Question for Neal or other:
What are those "hard questions" Neal refers to?  Can you give some examples?

As a consultant, does anyone have suggestions for getting a client to try
the Red Bead (or at least watch a Deming tape of it) to introduce the idea
of variation?

When I talk to clients about variation I bring up things that are personal
to them; instances they can directly relate to.  One of the first things I
ask is how long it took them to get to work that morning.  I get answers
from 15 to 20 minutes or 30 to 45 minutes depending on how far  they live
from work.  I say, "That is a good range.  Is it consistent?" The reply is,
"Usually, except if something happens like an accident." "Something special,
out of the ordinary." I say.  They agree. <wink>  I ask them for the average
time.  They split their range numbers, usually closer to the lowest number.
I ask them about things that they know may slow them down, like traffic
lights.  We get into a discussion about which shortcuts to take to avoid
lights or how fast you have to go in order not to hit the next one.

Once I have them agreeing that this happens I ask them about their business
and the way the organization's processes are run there; range in delivery,
consistency to standards,  production variation, worker variation, shortcuts
and expediting.  Suddenly I get different answers. 

I try to use questions (from influencing to interrogating) to get them to a
point I want them to be.  They give me the answers so they already know them
to be true.  Now I have to help them cross the bridge to where they work.
Usually they are skeptical which allows me to demonstrate using the red bead
and have a little fun.  Something I enjoy is turning the hierarchy
upside-down and put the lowest ranking person in charge.

Getting management to look and understand the red bead experiment and
variation isn't hard.  What is hard is getting them to open the door and let
us in (admitting they have a problem and need help or the desire to improve)
in the first place.

TSgt John Hamilton Jr
17 TRW/MO
Goodfellow AFB, TX
john.hamilton@goodfellow.af.mil
==========================================================================