Summer 2004 GN Section
Presentations (8 points)

Each of these presentations is approximately 1.5 hours long and are presently available on audio tape.  Request must be made at least 24 hours prior to the class.  Tapes will be loaned on a first-come-first-serve basis and a waiting list will be maintained.  Most are tapes from annual conferences of the Ohio Quality and Productivity Forum--the year of the presentation is provided before the name of the presenter and the title of the presentation.

98  Backaitis, Nida:  Lessons Learned Along the Road Less Traveled
     Dr. Backaitis will share her experience as a consultant after a decade of working closely with organizations to implement the Deming philosophy.  She will draw on her background in organizational strategy and policy to demonstrate that Deming’s teachings – especially the more controversial ones on performance appraisal and commission pay – are increasing in relevance as organizations must respond to increasing rates of industry change and interconnectedness.  She will relate some of the conversations she had with Deming about these teachings and discuss her experience with introducing them into organizations.

97  Backaitis, Nida:  Deming’s System of Profound Knowledge for Management in the 21st Century (2 tapes)        
     During this extended evening session, you will receive an overview of a “system of profound knowledge”.  What is it?  Why is it such a big deal?  This session will be useful in creating a context or framework for the rest of the conference.  Dr. Deming described a “system of profound knowledge” as composed of four parts, all related to each other:  appreciation for a system; knowledge about variation; theory of knowledge; and psychology.  You will explore why  this theory of management is important and relevant; and discuss examples of how it applies to organizations, schools, hospitals and our personal lives.

95  Backaitis, Nida:  The Fifteenth Point....?
The idea that change begins with the individual is one that W. Edwards Deming, Ph.D., had begun to articulate more and more frequently during the last years of his public seminars. The subject of change was for many years of interest to Deming.  The title of this presentation is meant more to draw attention to the importance of this statement from Deming than to imply that “change begins with the individual” is the fifteenth point.

95 Backaitis, Nida:  The Message Behind the Man
      This session introduces ideas that form the core of Deming’s theory of management.  It provides a foundation for your learning.  As Nida explains, “by introducing a System of Profound Knowledge, Dr. Deming has gone beyond examining the way we do work, to challenging the way we think about people, organizations, management practice and the way we interpret events. By introducing new knowledge and harnessing the minds of people, the System of Profound Knowledge brings new and greater leverage to our efforts to improve.”  Nida shares pictures and stories of Dr. Deming to deepen your understanding of the development of his theory. Most of the important and fundamental ideas that Dr. Deming left to us in “A System of Profound Knowledge” have been left largely undiscovered and unexplored. Nida will whet your appetite about these unexplored areas.  Appropriate for those who have not attended a Deming 4 Day seminar, want a refresher on the components of Dr. Deming’s theory, or could benefit from an integrated understanding of Dr. Deming’s body of work on management.

94  Beck, Michael:  The Concept of Dialogue
      Most organizations today are finding change necessary and continual. This is true at a very personal level for groups of people who become engaged in the process of transformation to a state consistent with Dr. Deming’s teachings.  They find it necessary to grow and learn together, and often discover they hold very different views regarding the best ways to proceed.  Dialogue is a discipline of collective learning and inquiry, that seeks to radically improve the quality of conversation and thereby improve the quality of the thinking of participants.

99  Coens, Thomas A.:  New Assumptions to Design Human Resource Practices
      Human Resource practices are based on assumptions about the nature of people.  Though typically unspoken, these assumptions affect practices that speak volumes to employees.  Transformation cannot succeed unless the organization designs new human resource systems built on healthier assumptions about people and work.  Participants will gain insights on unearthing hidden assumptions as well as alternative approaches to designing more effective human resource practices and policies.

96 Edelman, John T.: Ethics, Pride, and Productivity:  A Paradox in Management
      Dr. Deming regularly suggested that there are important connections between pride of workmanship, quality of work and productivity.  If he was right to do so, then it would probably be useful to have a clearer understanding of the nature of pride of workmanship and of the means by which we could cultivate it in an organization.  This presentation suggests that a careful examination of the nature of pride of workmanship can have some surprising—and perhaps disturbing—consequences for our thinking about some of the ethical aspects of leadership and management, consequences suggesting a paradoxical relationship between any concern for pride among workers and any corresponding interest in the productivity of those workers.

95  Edelman, John:  Knowledge, Problems, and Prediction
      Dr. Edelman’s presentation demonstrates the practical importance of an understanding of basic ideas in the theory of knowledge. Drawing on ideas of C.I. Lewis concerning the predictive nature of empirical knowledge, the presentation explores the limits of our predictive powers and so identifies fundamental differences in the kinds of problems faced by individuals involved in management or leadership, whether in business, industry, education, government or health care. Specifically, Dr. Edelman argues that the failure to recognize the differences between what he calls “divergent” and “convergent” problems repeatedly leads to inappropriate responses to the varied problems we do face in our work. He argues that this failure to identify differences in the kinds of problems we encounter is one of the deepest causes of financial waste, frustration and discouragement in our efforts at continual improvement.

00 Gharajedaghi, Jamshid:  Design as the Third Generation of Systems Thinking
      The imperatives of interdependency, reducing endless complexity, and producing manageable simplicity require a framework that allows us to focus on relevant issues and avoid the search for more details, while drowning in useless information.  Systems thinking, despite its relevance, significance, and potency in dealing with this challenge, has yet to provide the marketplace with a methodology that is satisfactory.  Design as the core of the third generation of systems thinking is beginning to produce some excitement in the marketplace; however, just telling people to design is not sufficient.

92  Jenkins, Mary:  A Statistical Approach to Human Resource Systems
      “The management of people,” Dr. Deming has often said, “is far more important than the management of materials.” This session will examine how statistical thinking can help to eliminate Human Resource Systems as a major impediment to the transformation.  Explore the validity of assessing and regarding people through rating and ranking, new learnings in the area of feedback and employee development, and a proven process for organizational change.

98  Johnson, H. Thomas:  Bringing Quality to Life
      Professor Johnson’s presentation will consider how the meaning of the term “quality” changes when we regard an organization as a life system rather than a mechanical system, as we have done for the past fifty or so years.  He will define quality as an emergent property of a natural system of relationships and compare and contrast that definition with quality defined as quantifiable traits of a mechanistic system’s parts.

99  Kohn, Alfie:  Rethinking Money, Motivation and Management
      The conventional wisdom about compensation and other organizational issues is based on a faulty understanding of human psychology.  In this presentation, Alfie Kohn suggests that we need to rethink deeply embedded cultural assumptions about the impact of money on people’s behavior, about attempts to “motivate” one’s employees, and about the proper role of a leader.

95  Kohn, Alfie:  Quality as Democracy
      Many of the familiar principles of Quality management amount to an elaboration of this simple truth: an innovative, healthy organization requires that we work with people rather than do things to them.  The latter strategy is exemplified by rewards systems, performance appraisal, and competition all symptoms of top-down control.  By contrast, as Kohn explains, the logical conclusion of a “working with” approach to management extends beyond teamwork or empowerment: it requires the replacement of hierarchical systems with real participative democracy.

93  Kohn, Alfie:  Punished by Rewards
      Most American executives are Skinnerians at heart, having accepted a carrot-and-stick model of motivation originally developed on laboratory animals.  Extensive research shows, however, that rewards and punishments are two sides of the same coin, and the coin doesn’t buy very much.  In fact, as Alfie Kohn argues, incentive plans of any kind are likely to undermine quality, and the more closely pay is conditioned on performance, the more damage is done.  Positive reinforcement amounts to control by seduction, and control is incompatible with intrinsic motivation and excellence.  Kohn explains the implications of this critique for compensation systems, praise, and the encouragement of teamwork.

92  McIngvale, Jim:  Winning with Cooperation
      In 1989, Jim McIngvale became familiar with Dr. Deming, and his 14 Points.  Mac attended seminar after seminar, featuring Dr. Deming and his principles. He listened, questioned, and examined Dr. Deming’s philosophies, wondering how it could apply to his retail business. You will hear Mac’s story, and how he and his Gallery Furniture store is “Winning with Cooperation.”

95  Nolan, Thomas:  Science and Art of Improvement
      Over the past 15 years, a science of improvement has emerged. The intellectual foundation for this science was recognized by W. Edward Deming and articulated in his System of Profound Knowledge. A practical, pragmatic approach to its application his been developed in Japanese and American industry and in other countries throughout the world. This keynote address will chronicle some of the important breakthroughs in this science over the recent past. Despite the progress, much about improvement still remains an art. Pressing needs for better methods of improvement are unmet. Applications account for only a fraction of what is possible and necessary. Dr. Nolan will also suggest some future directions for the development of the science of improvement and the implication for leaders in industry, government, and communities.

93  Nolan, Thomas:  Change for Improvement
      All improvement requires change.  Changes that have a positive impact come from the application of knowledge. One part of this knowledge is knowledge of the technology and systems relevant to a specific industry. In addition to this relevant sub subject matter knowledge, there is another body of knowledge, Dr. Deming’s System of Profound Knowledge, that when integrated with he appropriate subject matter knowledge accelerates the rate of improvement.

92  Nolan, Tom:  The Foundation of Improvement
      Improvement comes form the application of knowledge.  Appropriate knowledge may be knowledge of medicine, of engineering, or of the way the process currently works.  The approach to improvement is based on building and applying knowledge. It is designed to increase the effectiveness of people engaged in improving aspects of products or processes by increasing the impact of the improvements and decreasing the time and resources it takes to make the improvements.

97 Oestreich, Dan:  Beyond the Edge: Exploring your Leadership Destiny
      Our sense of personal destiny—our calling or life task—can be a profound way to orient action and to stand up to a world of extra-ordinary challenges.  In times of adversity, we need to better understand how to honor our own private sense of the possibilities, claim our gifts and talents, face the risks, and learn from, rather than avoid, the non-rational elements of our experience.  These personal sources of inspiration are the seeds of our impact on the world, the essence of our leadership.  We cannot deny our challenges or the energies we possess to meet them, without negative consequences.  Growth is mandatory.  The destiny of individuals, particularly those in top leadership positions, deeply influence the progress of our organizations and communities. 

96  Oestreich, Daniel K.:  The Courageous Messenger
      Dan will talk about a systems view of interpersonal relationships with a focus on improving relationships through insight and mutual discovery—it is not about “fixing” oneself or others as separate isolated individuals.  There are often barriers of interpretation which are part of our experience of one another.  Feedback is often required to improve the system; however, the process of asking for and giving feedback is influenced by the system itself.  Interpersonal systems interact with all other work-related systems and either serve to support or interfere with the performance of those systems.  How can we make it easier?  The methodology includes how to open the conversation; overcoming your own and others’ defensiveness to encourage candid and forthright expression; and ways to evaluate and internalize the feedback.

93  Oestreich, Dan:  Discovering the Hidden Workplace
      How people really feel about their organization and it’s leadership is often expressed only behind the scenes—at work, but in the hidden, “unofficial” or “off-line” workplace that includes the lunchroom, the hallways, parking lot or where there is a chance for private conversation. Tapping this powerful data from the hidden workplace can renew the passion of people for their work, reawaken leadership, and help organizations turn the corner on quality when improvement efforts “hit the wall.”

92  Oestreich, Dan:  Driving Fear Out of the Workplace
        W. Edwards Deming admonishes organizations to “drive out fear” in order to achieve high levels of quality. The question is how to follow through on this vitally important advice.  Hidden within organizations, work groups, and one-on-one relationships are “undiscussable” barriers that are both a cause and result in fear. Seven strategies for reducing fear in organizations will be outlined.

98  Provost, Lloyd P.:  Quality as a Business Strategy (2 tapes)
      To realize the benefits of a quality focus, there must be a fundamental change in the way we lead, manage, and operate organizations.  Adopting quality as a business strategy is a way to make the changes that are needed.  Quality as a Business Strategy (QBS) is applicable to all types of organizations.  The aim of this strategy is to enable the organization to produce products and services that will be in demand and to provide a place where people can enjoy and take pride in their work.  If quality is to be treated strategically, the leaders of the organization must understand the meaning of quality as a strategy and provide leadership for carrying out the strategy.  Quality improvement can become the framework of a business strategy by work in three basic areas:  the foundation of the strategy, the organization as a system, and activities to insure that the changes made result in improvement.

98  Ranney, Gipsie:  Insights from Diffusion Research
        Diffusion research is concerned with the process by which new ideas are communicated and adopted by the members of a social system.  The theoretical framework and the findings of diffusion research can provide insights into useful strategies and methods to introduce and support a desired change.

97  Ranney, Gipsie:  Avoiding Common Pitfalls in Interpreting Data
        Numbers drive our businesses.  Yet much of the data behind the numbers is questionable.  Even worse is the way in which many decision makers use the data.  To improve organizational performance, it is important to feel confident of data interpretation and to avoid the common pitfalls.  You will discuss these common pitfalls:
        *  Lack of appreciation for a system;
        *  Misinterpreting causes of variation - confusing common cause with special cause:
        * Linear thinking;
        *  Careless generalization or induction from incomplete data;
        *  Ignoring, discounting, or failing to seek out disconfirming data;
        *  Confusing correlation with causality.

94  Ranney, Gipsie:  Learning for Improvement
        A necessary ingredient for improvement and innovation is learning.  The theories we use to interpret experience affect our ability to learn, as do the methods we employ to develop knowledge. Dr. Ranney will discuss methods for learning and some of the factors that can be barriers to effective learning.

92  Ranney, Gipsie:  Some Theories in Use
        When some managers are introduced to Deming’s theory, their reaction is to question its applicability to their “real” world.  Current business practices are derived from a theory, although it may not be recognized or understood by users of the practices that are derived from it. These Theories in Use constitute barriers to improvement.  Dr. Ranney will propose theories that would lead to some common faulty practices and examine them from the viewpoint of Deming’s theory.

98  Scholtes, Peter:  Motivation without Nonsense:  A Holistic Approach
        We hear a lot about motivating people that is sheer nonsense.  Based on his latest book, The Leader’s Handbook, and other insights, Peter Scholtes will take a no-nonsense approach to motivation.  Motivation can’t be infused in people, it must be grown within them.  Motivation is the output of a sense of community, of people doing good work together.  Topics include:  de-motivation as an epidemic affecting a community of people, creating healthy responses to motivation, and building a critical mass of influences… the accumulation of good news.

94  Scholtes, Peter; Jenkins, Mary:  Human Resources in the Post-Deming Era
      Dr. W. Edwards Deming advocated nothing less than a complete transformation of Western business practice often saying that existing systems of management “must be blasted out; new construction commenced.”  The redesign of HR systems, based on a new set of premises and priorities, is fundamental to the required transformation.  In this session, Mary Jenkins and Peter Scholtes will explore the new implications for the HR function in the post-Deming era.  Topics include:  The basics of an organization in the Quality Era; The purpose of the Human Resource function in the Quality Era; Identification of gaps between conventional HR practices and (1) the premises of the Quality Era and (2) the needs of HR customers; An examination of six specific HR activities in light of a renewed focus.

92  Scholtes, Peter:  Leading Quality: Some Practical Approaches to the Manager’s New Job
      Applying the principles of Total Quality - requires in the words of Dr. W. Edwards Deming - “a transformation of western management.”  This means a more comprehensive change in our approach to leadership than we have seen in the last 130 years of American management history. Peter will examine dimensions of quality leadership.

92  Senge, Peter:  The Learning Organization
        The keynote address at the 1992 Association for Quality and Participation Conference. 

97  Tveite, Mike:  How Will We Know If A Change Is An Improvement?
      This is one of the questions in the widely used model for improvement developed by Associates in Process Improvement.  In the context of improvement efforts, this question is often not asked.  Another problem would be asking this question but supporting it with only one organizational measure.  Additionally Dr. Deming reminds us that the most important figures for management are unknown and unknowable.  This talk will address issues related to the question of “how will you know if a change is an improvement”, share some examples and present guidelines for application.

93  Tveite, Michael:  The Deming Philosophy: New Ways to Think About the World
      When the subject of quality comes up, many organizations proudly discuss their process improvement efforts or their employee involvement program or their teams. Although these things can be parts of an effective transformation in a company, they are not the focus of Dr. Deming’s message about quality. Dr. Deming, through a System of Profound Knowledge, is not trying to teach a different way to do so much as he is trying to teach a different way to think.

92  Tveite, Michael:  Some Thoughts about Theory of Knowledge and Management
      Dr. Deming states in his seminars that Theory of Knowledge was the most important course you ever attended. Dr. Tveite is, by no means, an expert when it comes to theory of knowledge.  However, in this talk, he will share some of his learning about theory of knowledge and discuss his view of its place in a system of profound knowledge.

90  Tveite, Michael:  Process Management
      In order for a manager to drive improvement of his business, he must know the processes which create results, as well as the results themselves. Process management is a methodology to help managers ask questions which will lead them to know the processes.

96  Whitney, John:  The Economics of Trust
      Drawing on first-hand experience with a wide range of American companies, John Whitney offers concrete proposals on how to dismantle mistrust-breeding hierarchies and revamp the ways of recognizing, measuring, and rewarding performance.  He also suggests radical changes for rooting out waste and complexity, while unleashing trust in everything from hiring to budgeting to streamlining the chain of command—a landmark blueprint for corporate teamwork, mobilization, and renewal.  Among the subjects to be analyzed are such root causes of mistrust as:
        *  Information that is biased, useless or wrong;
        *  Incompetence or the presumption of incompetence-whether in bosses, peers, or subordinates; 
        *  The misalignment of measurements and rewards—an all-too-common state of affairs that pits people against one another and against the organization;
      *  An imperfect understanding of systems; and finally
        *  A lack or integrity whether it’s caused by an individual violator or internal conditions that need to be changed.
        In his own words, John Whitney says, “Mistrust doubles the cost of doing business.  An enterprise that is at war with itself will not have the strength or focus to survive and thrive in today’s competitive environment.”

94  Yoshida, Kosaku:  The Joy of Work:  Optimizing Service Quality through Education and Training
      In any service company, service is given fundamentally by the personal contact between one customer and one provider, with no opportunity for test or rework.  So, when we talk about service quality, it is essential to consider the management of those employees at the front line who are in daily contact with customers in accomplishing the purpose of the company.  This presentation shows managers in service organizations basic approaches toward the education and training of these front-line employees.  In particular, this talk notes that the objective of education is not limited to providing job-related skills, but that the ultimate objective of education is to provide employees with “the joy of work” by improving their quality or degree of self-actualization.  As a path toward realizing this ultimate objective, the process of involving all employees in continuous improvement efforts by establishing operations manuals and QC circles is the focus of this article.

93  Yoshida, Kosaku:  New Economic Principles in America:  Competition and Cooperation
      The current decline in the U.S. economy has come about from the excessive practice of free competition.  Within the physical and social environment that defined America in previous centuries, unfettered competition fueled by rugged individualism resulted in tremendous economic prosperity.  But the times and the American environment have changed considerably since then, so much so that what once created U.S. economic prosperity now threatens to create the opposite.  This paper focuses on the historical and cultural differences between the economic principles of the U.S. and Japan in order to reexamine the possibility of adapting the concept of cooperation to work with the Western economic principle of free competition in revitalizing American competitiveness in the global market.