RE: The DEN -- Heal thyself

["Alan Meekings" <alan@landmarkconsulting.co.uk>]

I've taken a look at your helpful data for DEN on postings in SPC
format, and can see that there appear to be two statistically
significant "break points" in the number of postings around Months 25-26
and Months 38-39.
 
However, it’s less clear to me what this data is actually telling us,
except that there are roughly 50% fewer postings now than there were
before - which I guess we probably already knew from experience.

Others have suggested plausible explanations for this fall-off in
contributions, such as:

(1)  It can take ages for individual postings to appear these days - so
this has become, effectively, a non-real-time forum (unlike, say, Yahoo
Groups, which is effectively an instant communication medium).

(2)  There are definitely some very critical contributors to this list,
who clearly don't subscribe to what I thought was Deming's advice to
"start from where people are, not where you might have wished them to
be".  

(By the way, is there any evidence that this is actually what Dr Deming
said in person, or have I simply been misinformed?).

Speaking personally, I continue to subscribe to the DEN because, every
now and then, some real gems emerge.  

Long-serving contributors, such as Myron Tribus or David Kerridge, have
- over the years - hugely enhanced my own understanding of the world of
work . . . and how to help people and organisations liberate their
potential.

I notice, for instance though, that we no longer hear from people like
John Seddon these days.  

Presumably, John has concluded that "life is too short" to offer-up any
more suggestions, only to receive vitriolic responses.  

I believe we are the poorer without contributions from John, and others
of his experience and insight.

Sadly, I never had the had the opportunity to meet Dr Deming in person,
but I fear he will be turning in his grave (as the saying goes) at our
inability to use emerging technology to promote and build-on his
thinking, rather than ossify it.

Would it help if we migrated to our technology to Yahoo Groups, as other
similar groups have done, or would that simply evade the more
fundamental issues of criticism (dressed-up as support) vs. genuine
help?

Any thoughts?

Regards,

Alan

Mobile: +44 07785 258 741
Email: alan@landmarkconsulting.co.uk