Winfried asks:
>John, can you explain what Deming (might) have meant by stating this? It
>sounds illogical and logical at the same time.
In the '80s, when Deming was finally recognized in American management
circles, the notion of spirituality would have seemed frivolous to the
MBAs and CFOs of America. (It probably still does) I don't know exactly
what Deming meant, I still study his examples and find more hidden wisdom
every day. I do, however, understand why we must be careful in how we
present knowledge to management, in particular, industrial management.
To many managers, business in the transformation of raw materials into
profits. There is the Taylorist sheen on the production system:
efficiency equals profit. The highest good is seen as maximum return for
the shareholder. By bringing the V disciplines, Deming's 14 points and
System of Profound Knowledge, Covey's Principle Centered Leadership, or
some other principled discipline to bear on the organization, we need to
teach in the language of the student. When the student is a COO, CFO, or
CEO, they are usually reporting to a profit driven board. We must then
teach them in terms of profits. They will eventually understand the
notions of systems and spirituality and the value such understanding adds
to the organization. You can teach spirituality, you just can't call it
that.
John
--"John Zavacki" <jzavacki@greenapple.com>
Learning-org -- Hosted by Rick Karash <rkarash@karash.com> Public Dialog on Learning Organizations -- <http://www.learning-org.com>