Doctor Who…?

Recently someone from the Deming community here in the UK told me how he’d just come back from a visit with members of the US Deming fraternity. He said the general feeling among them was that ‘followers’ of Dr. W. Edwards Deming weren’t getting any younger and the pool was not renewing itself with sufficient new ‘recruits’. There was a growing sense of finality. Certainly, almost twenty years after his death, it seems Deming’s legacy is entering a different phase.

And yet, as is the way with these things, since I’ve been thinking more and more about our next NET2 session on Deming thought and practice, a steady stream of blog posts about the good doctor has been flowing into my feeds. I thought I’d share some. NET2 isn’t a ‘Deming Network’ per se, but we’re certainly pleased to play a part in keeping the man’s invaluable insights and thinking alive and seeking to ensure his influence continues long into the future. If you’re not overly familiar with his work, check out some of these links.

No Wonder Executives HATED Deming, Davis Balestracci

Evaluating Teachers, Lean in Alaska Blog

Mike Stoecklein’s Memories of Working With Dr Deming, one of Mark Graban’s LeanBlog Podcasts. Then from Mike’s own Gemba Walkabout blog there’s the post that led to the podcast, Reflections on My (Brief) Time with Dr. Deming, followed by I’m Not Hearing Enough About “Understanding Variation” and Circle Reports – Example of Not Understanding Variation .

W. Edwards Deming: The Man and His Message, Doris Quinn, PhD, Director Process Improvement and Quality Education (audio)

Deming: The Man Behind The Legend, Alan Clark