Dr. Kovach is Part of a System…
… and the system sucks!” That was the final line of a recent episode of ER that we just watched last night (thanks to the DVR). The major focus of the episode was a patient in court with a claim…
Tag Deming
W. Edwards Deming: Leadership, Quality, and Continuous Improvement
W. Edwards Deming’s ideas about leadership, systems, variation, and psychology continue to shape how organizations pursue quality and improvement. This archive brings together blog posts, podcasts, and reflections exploring Deming’s teachings—and how they apply to Lean, healthcare, management, and continuous improvement today. Many of these posts challenge common misinterpretations of Deming’s work, emphasizing that quality cannot be delegated and that improvement starts with leadership.
Michael Irvin Channels W. Edwards Deming?
So I’m watching SportsCenter and analyst Michael Irvin, former Cowboys wide receiver, is talking about Cowboys coach Bill Parcells and Wide Receiver / Attention Hound Terrell Owens. I never expect any profound wisdom out of Irvin, so I was surprised…
Unknowable Numbers and the Absurd
Infor Launches ERP XA MES Suite for Lean Manufacturing This article talks about software for lean manufacturing environments, an idea that could be debated on its own. But the thing that jumped out at me here was the analyst comment:…
The Proper Use of Metrics
I was able to tour a hospital laboratory that had already gone through the lean process. One metric was a daily tally of “sticks per day” (that’s what a Phlebotomist — a person who draws your blood — calls it…
How Incentives Are Ineffective
Reward and Incentive Programs are Ineffective — Even Harmful by Peter R. Scholtes It’s worth a full post and full link, this article that John Hunter of the Curious Cat blog wrote about and mentioned in a comment to this…
People want to do Quality Work
A question to ask yourselves (if you’re in management): does your management system allow people to do their best work? Even if you’re “working on lean”, do you pressure people to put sub-standard product out the door? A number of…
Forced Rankings and Respect for Humanity
Fortune: The new rules – Jul. 11, 2006 Part of Fortune’s cover story about how Jack Welch’s “old rules” don’t apply anymore, this includes the “old” rule of annually removing your “C players” from the employee ranks. The “new” rule…
Being Careful Isn’t Enough, Particularly in Pathology
One of the core ideas of the Toyota Production System is the recognition that people are indeed human and are therefore fallible (part of the “respect for humanity” tenet of TPS). No amount of “be careful” warnings will prevent all…
The Myth of Setting Goals
TOM WALSH: Time for Wagoner to show why GM needs him: A lot has been written about the proposed deal between Nissan-Renault and General Motors. The myth of the “hero leader” (in this case Carlos Ghosn) and the myth of…
Performance Appraisal Problems
Curious Cat Management Improvement: Problems Caused by Performance Appraisal Here’s a good post on the Curious Cat blog on the problems with performance appraisal systems. I’ve seen, generally, more problems caused by these systems than the good that comes from…
Does Toyota Follow Deming’s 14 Points?
When I worked at the GM Powertrain Livonia Engine Plant in the mid-1990s, the hallway display cases held posters celebrating something called “The Livonia Philosophy.” It read, in part, like this: “through trust, communication, and respect for the individual, we…
Re-Discovering W. Edwards Deming
The Power of Purpose It seems that someone is always rediscovering Deming. I gave a lean overview talk to a healthcare audience recently. I was asked afterward by an attendee, “Why didn’t you mention Deming?” Deming certainly played a major…
