Behind the Curtain: Adventures in Continuous Improvement

From Fear Culture to System Accountability: The Ongoing Debate Over Deming’s 14 Points

Podcast hosts Dr. Mohamed Saleh and John Dyer share their favorites of Dr. Deming's 14 points and reflect on the management guru's most controversial principle. 

Dr. Deming: Don't Leave Organizational Transformation on the Factory Floor. It's Everybody's Job

Hosts John Dyer and Dr. Mohammed Saleh discuss Dr. Deming's 14th point for management: Put everybody in the company to work to accomplish the transformation. The transformation is everybody's job. The hosts also outline the potential misuse of lean specialists. 

Institute a Vigorous Program of Education and Self-improvement: Dr. Deming's 13th Point for Management

Understand the essential requirements to building an organization of thinkers rather than button-pushers, and delve into how AI should contribute to building a learning organization. 

Dr. Deming's 12th Point: Remove Barriers That Rob Workers of Right to Pride of Workmanship

Explore why pride of workmanship is important as well as common barriers that destroy it within an organization. 

Eliminate Management by Objective: Dr. Deming's 11th Point for Management

Explore what the podcast hosts describe as Dr. W. Edwards Deming's "most controversial" point for management, one that many executives have a problem with. 

Eliminate Slogans, Exhortations, and Targets: Dr. Deming's 10th Point for Management

Learn why Dr. Deming called Point 10 his "biggest pet peeve" among the 14 points for transformation. One hint: It blames the workers. 

Break Down Barriers Between Departments: Dr. Deming's 9th Point for Management

Learn how silos encourage local optimization at the expense of the whole, and gather tools to break down those barriers. 

Drive Out Fear: The 8th of Dr. Deming's 14 Points for Management

Understand fear's invisible impact on KPIs and its destructive effects on innovation.