STUDENT REQUEST: Deming's Life

["Sam Pakenham-Walsh" <scpw@chilitech.com>]

As one who knew Dr. Deming well enough professionally to gain insights =
about him personally, I was pleased to be copied on the e-mail you sent =
to Jim Clauson on 18th March.

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Everyone I knew who was close to Deming felt privileged: even as Deming =
was leading us, we were being made to feel that we were leading, helping =
many others - clients in highly in=ADfluential corporate positions who =
had convinced themselves that Deming's Fourteen Points made eminent =
sense.  However, on their own admission, they did not understand Deming =
well enough to reflect his Points in their own behavior and =
decision-making.  In=ADdeed, every single client had initial =
reservations about a few of the Points to the extent that all the =
clients' reservations taken together effectively questioned all the =
Points!  Furthermore, they were frustrated by Deming's refusal to =
discuss their reservations on any single Point.  How often would Deming =
pronounce that ".these Points cannot be separated: accept all or none!"  =
Needless to say, such pronouncements did not advance the integration of =
Deming's management philosophy into the corporation. [1]

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Deming's great disappointment was that U.S. management would not listen =
to him.  Not until Japanese imports, particularly cars, created a =
situation so threatening that the U.S. was forced to examine what Deming =
had taught the Japanese.  As we all know, this situa=ADtion was brought =
to a head when Dobbs asked in that NBC (?) program, "If They Can, Why =
Can't We?"  Forced examinations ("playing off the back foot" in =
cricketing terms) precipitate reactions rather than cause actions =
(defend the wicket rather than score runs).  Predictably, U.S. =
management's introduction to Deming was defensive, fraught with the same =
phrases that managers deplore in their own organizations - "We've never =
done that before."  "My subordinates could use some of this, but it =
doesn't apply to me."  "It seems to work in other places but it will =
never work here." =20

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Yes; there were some managers (e.g., William E. Conway, president of the =
Nashua Corporation, and Donald E. Peterson, C.E.O. of the Ford Motor =
Company) who apparently grasped immediately what Deming was telling =
them.  However, most had to be persuaded by Champions who had first =
successfully tested Deming's management philosophy in their own area of =
authority and then persistently badgered plant managers and VPs to do =
the same.  The num=ADbers, literally hundreds, who heard Deming in his =
seminars were not matched by the numbers trying to practice what they'd =
heard.

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Why was it that Deming's management philosophy took hold in isolated =
islands rather than across the U.S. and around the world?  Why is it =
that Deming today is relegated to a past that's no longer relevant, that =
his management philosophy is viewed much like the "curate's egg": good =
in parts.  There are many diverse reasons - but to my mind one stands =
out above all the others:-

DEMING HAD NO PROCESS DESIGNED TO INTEGRATE HIS MANAGEMENT PHILOSO=ADPHY =
INTO THE CORPORATE CULTURE.=20

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My great disappointment was that no one among Deming's Friends joined us =
in Process Management International in perfecting a process aimed at =
constantly improving management work, as distinct from technical work.  =
Dr. Gary McLean and I, working with Ron Schmidt, C.E.O. of Zytec, in the =
mid-'80s, laid the groundwork for such a process - a process that PMI =
successfully facilitated in many client organizations.  =
Inci=ADden=ADtally, this redounds to the credit of Lou Schultz, =
president of PMI, who required PMI's clients to address the improvement =
of management work. I still recall those clients who balked: "We need to =
know about the technical work, the Quality Tools, the Planning Tools and =
such - but why should we have to know about management work?"  Talk =
about dragging people kicking and screaming!  Can you believe it?

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My disappointment borders on what the King of Siam called a =
"puzzlement."  In private conversations Deming often remarked on two =
subjects, each related to the other: that "there is no question more =
important than HOW"; and that "nothing can happen without a process."  =
Now, you need to appreciate that remark about HOW: Deming did not say =
that HOW is more important than WHY, WHAT, WHERE, WHO or WHEN; he said =
what he meant (as he always did!); i.e., that the HOW question, so often =
unexplored, is just as important as all the others.  Anyone who plays =
golf can associate with nothing happening without a process: success =
comes to those who focus on improving their swing (the pro=ADcess), not =
to those who focus on the flag (the objective).

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Ecce homo.  Here was Deming describing his management philosophy in =
detail, even adding colorful anecdotes and instructive experiments =
(e.g., the Bead Experiment) to drive home each of his Fourteen Points.  =
But the great man never put one foot in front of the other to design a =
process whereby his Fourteen Points could be integrated into the =
corporate culture!  Indeed, whenever managers approached Deming on this =
subject - HOW do we inculcate these Fourteen Points? - Deming airily =
replied: "You are the manager.  That's your job; not mine.  I'm not a =
manager.  I've never been a manager.  I have no wish to be a manager."  =
I've heard Deming make this reply over and over again to the point of =
driving away people who were genuinely interested in WHAT Deming was =
telling them but who had no answer whatsoever to the HOW question . . .

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. . . And we expect people to get the ball on the green, let alone neaar =
the flag?  AMAZING!

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Trusting that you'll find all this a helpful response to your request,=20

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Sincerely,

Sam Pakenham-Walsh