RE: Lack of Deming Philosophy in Education

[Myron Tribus <mtribus@earthlink.net>]

The exchange between Robert Bacal and Rip Stauffer has been 
interesting and useful.  I would only like to comment on one remark 
by Robert with the thought that it may be applied to other remarks in 
the exchange.

Deming was very strong on the use of slogans.  When he said "Drive 
out fear", I took it as a shorthand for saying, "Don't try to rule by 
fear. Don't artificially introduce fear into the workplace by putting 
in competition or pitting one person against another.   Try to 
understand what your employees are afraid of and, insofar as you are 
the agent causing it, desist."

I believe his other slogans should be interpreted in the same way.

When he said, "Nobody gives a damn about profit", I again took this 
to mean that when he observed people refusing to take action on 
simple things that would reduce cost, he was saying that people are 
driven by other things.

I had a personal experience with this phenomenon long before I met 
Deming.  As Dean of the Thayer School of Engineering I observed our 
students working under the leadership of a wonderful, gifted teacher. 
He taught them methods of improvement and each student was required 
to examine a process in a local industry and propose an improvement. 
Many of the methods were very ingenious.  Our habit was to have the 
students make a presentation before the managements of the companies. 
Many times I heard the manager say that the contributions were 
practical, should be implemented and would save lots of money.  Yet, 
when I went back to them a year later the device or gadget would 
still be in their office and no action had been taken.  That was all 
in the era 1961-1969.  In the 1980's I was asked to review an NSF 
proposal for research into why this phenomenon had been observed by 
two other schools.

I am reminded of the old adage.

"Drink deeply or drink not from the Pyerian Spring
 For a little knowledge is a dangerous thing."

Myron Tribus