Re: Sides to the Deming Practice

[FVoehl@aol.com]

In a message dated 7/5/99 2:40:01 AM, mdtownes@iamerica.net writes:

<< Has anyone had any real success in finding a way to get folks to truly 
adopt a whole-systems approach, or as Trist called it, a Socio-Technical 
Systems approach that concurrently addresses variances between the 
organization and its environment (all things beyond the system including 
customers, parent organization, community, etc.), technical variances in 
getting work done right the first time and social variances wherein 
expectations of employees (any level) are unmet? >>

During the past four years, my colleagues and I have implemented a 
whole-systems approach in three diverse types of organizations, all 
successful so far:  a manufacturing company of $150 million in annual 
revenue;  a social services agency of $60 million in annual revenue;  and an 
environmental management organization of $70 million in annual sales.  For 
the past five years or so, I have been attempting to integrate the work of 
Eric Trist and Deming, with some assistance from Bill Roth, who was a student 
of Trist's before he passed away in the early 1990s. 

A reference work that I have found most helpful in this area is:  The Social 
Engagement of Social Science:  Volumes I, II, and III.  These are also known 
as The Tavistock Anthology and are published by the University of 
Pennsylvania Press, 1990, and are edited by Eric Trist and Hugh Murray, with 
assistance from Eric's wife Beulah.  It seems that Trist and Deming had never 
formally met or worked together, but Beulah was very helpful to me a few 
years ago and sent me some unpublished material of Trist that I have been 
using to explore the integration of the Socio-Technical Systems Approach with 
SoPK.  

If anyone is interested, backchannel me and I will share what I can about 
these matter.

Frank Voehl (FVoehl@aol.com)
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