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What is the Deming Management Method about?
This radical approach to management was devised by Dr W Edwards Deming. He was the American who was credited by the Japanese as being a major force in their rise to world economic power in the second half of the 20th Century. Indeed, the most prestigious award for Quality in Japan even now is known as the Deming Prize. From 1979 onwards, Deming worked also with American organisations as his thinking and teaching about leading and managing spread throughout the Western world.
Deming’s Philosophy was turned into practical reality by many Japanese manufacturers, particularly in the automotive and electronics fields. Probably, the most famous of those today is Toyota. The Toyota Company is a living example of the Deming Philosophy put into practice. MIT researchers studying the global automotive industry coined the term “Lean” for what they found in Toyota. Anyone wishing to learn about and apply Lean Thinking must study Deming’s philosophy.
At the heart of the Deming approach is his "System of Profound Knowledge" which is an elegant and effective Theory of Management. It is a framework of thought and a guide for action that any leader wishing to transform their organisation into one that will thrive and survive through the current century would do well to adopt. It requires investment and tenacity, but the output versus the effort is well worth it.
The four parts of the System of Profound Knowledge are:
- Thinking of the organisation in terms of systems
- Understanding variation
- Learning to learn
- Psychology
It is important to realise that these four parts are themselves a system and that they interact with each other.
Our Approach
We, in PRISM, are convinced about two key fundamental points:
- There is no knowledge without theory and we always insist on explaining the four parts of Profound Knowledge in all our seminars and workshops. Practical attempts at transformation and cultural change must be built on a bedrock of growing understanding
- High sounding principles and theories are all very well but people need practical methods of approach in order to bring these principles to reality.
Both of these cornerstones are addressed by our consultancy and workshops - in particular, by the PRISM Improvement Experience training workshop.
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