Communism thread: How does one explain co-operation etc.

[Paul Hollingworth <PH@4GM.com>]

The 'communism as practised' point is very well made by John Dowd.

Karl Marx and Frederick Engels may not be popular currency these days, 
but their Manifesto Of The Communist Party was indeed profound, 
especially when one considers that it was written as long ago as 1848.

I recall a lecture on the Deming management method I delivered at a 
University in Moscow  in 1993. Something I said about system 
optimisation caused quite a stir among the audience. Eventually someone 
stood up and attempted to ease my British bewilderment by explaining 
that (inadvertently!) I  had directly quoted Karl Marx using a phrase 
that most of them would have learned at school.
It was a tricky moment for me. But all I had said - with the benefit of 
Profound Knowledge- was a 'statement of the obvious' . (Incidentally, I 
am not <nor have I ever been!> a communist - though I have been so 
accused on several occasions. I'm just a simple 'systems thinker'.)

WED was in favour of  free trade as a tool to satisfy customer 
preference. I am certain he was not a communist, though, like many 
Christians, he may have had socialist leanings.
But hey, what does it matter?

Did he advocate 'drive out fear' because he was a Christian humanitarian 
or because he was a statistician that liked reliable data?
Likewise, does it matter?

What is important here? Ideas or political ideology?

Deming has  been gone for almost 9 years now and I for one, am very glad 
that we are still debating his ideas. Its a great legacy. His personal 
political views were always private. He was not a politician.  I don't 
know what his views about politics were and I don't care.

Prejudice is about pre-judgment. Does that fit with our aims of learning 
in this virtual community?

I really don't want open Pandora's box with this question, but, how 
would it be if  Deming's theory of organisational management was 
dismissed  just because he was NOT  either;  Female or  Gay or Muslim or 
Jewish or Hispanic or indeed, Japanese?

Edwards Deming  was just human being - just like me and you.

Paul H


--
Paul Hollingworth                       4GM Consulting
email: PH@4GM.com                       http://www.4GM.com
phone: +44(0) 1423 322225               fax: +44(0) 1423 322205

[Moderator's Note:  I remember parts of a conversation at the lunch table with Alphie Kohn several years
ago at an OQPF conference.  Since both Deming and Kohn spoke of the dangers of competition, the discussion
surrounded the fact that if one spoke out against competition, then one MUST be a communist - we could
see how the "uninformed" could see no middle ground.  Kohn, probably like Deming(?),laughed it off and
said he had been called worse. ]