Deming comment on red bead

[BCoop1116@aol.com]

Hello all.  Let me see if I can set this issue straight about  Dr. Deming and 
the red bead experiment and other statements that folks have  said Dr. Deming 
 made or did not make. 
 
As some one who had the unique experience of be the moderator of some 30  
plus round tables with Dr Deming where I was allowed to ask the good Doctor any  
number of questions plus read those that came from the audience I have some  
knowledge on this subject.  I made the mistake one time of saying to Dr.  
Deming that you gave me a different answer last time about getting rid of the  
foreman and then I added that "I have that on tape" and he immediately answered  
"now you have this on tape lets move on".  Dr Deming was alluding to the  time 
I asked the question about the foreman and leadership in general. He  replied 
"get rid of them".  The next time I asked him that question on  video he said 
and I quote, "they may need to be retrained or perhaps they or on  the wrong 
job".  I learned from that experience that Dr. Deming was like  all the rest of 
us.  When he was frustrated he wanted to get rid of the  "people." When he 
had a chance to think about it he came up with a different  answer.  Having 
spent a fair amount of time with Dr. Deming I learned that  he to could misspeak 
but I also learned in regards to his theories he never  changed his opinion.  
At the end of long days and many seminars he sometime  made statements that he 
would not normally make.  I always tried to listen  to the messages that I 
felt were the foundation for his profound knowledge and  not let a single 
statement that I might have heard dissuade me from the  importance of his message.  
 
Yes, he was human too but when you sort it all out what he said then made  
sense as it does now.  It is just up to us to try and apply that knowledge  in 
what ever environment we find ourselves in.  
 
Bill Cooper