Interesting post from a colleague on LinkedIn on the topic of Quality and Spirituality.

Deming indirectly linked the quality philosophy with biblical philosophy which introduces a “New Philosophy” or paradigm. Biblical philosophy identifies that God is perfect and man is imperfect but expected to improve.

Deming remarked that if he was to reduce his message to just a few words, it “all has to do with reducing variation.” e.g. reducing imperfection. Variation is a difference between the ideal (all human needs met) and the actual (imperfection).

Variation either gets better (more needs met) or it gets worse – cost (tangible and intangible), associated with needs not being met). Thus making the continual and continuous reduction of variation a moral imperative. Deming did not provide a definition of variation that provides the context for his work. I believe this was a deliberate decision and a challenge.

In summary, Deming was successful in developing and validating the proof of concept for a New Philosophy that may be added one day alongside the works of the other great philosophers in history.

I would end my comments with the question – How can Deming advocates be more successful in leading the transformation to the better philosophy and methods?

A suggestion for Foundation Principes for Quality Leaders.

Addition Information

• ASQ – Law of Variation
• Excerpt: “Deming: “The Way We Knew Him: Chapter 14 Involve Everyone in the Transformation.  Includes the testimony given at Deming’s funeral mass.
  • Deming The Way We Knew Him By Frank Voehl Ch 14
• Becoming God’s Friends. St. Gregory’s Nyssa Episcopal Church invites people to see God’s image in all humankind, to sing and dance to Jesus’ lead, and to become God’s friends.
  • Edwards Deming (1900–1993) American statistician who believed profoundly in people’s ability to transform themselves and the organizations in which they work and live. His Quality Movement was first applied in war-ravaged Japan. After he had spent many years as a prophet without honor in his own country, the American business and industrial community finally embraced his work.
• Guest Column By Tim Clark: Indpls Star – Faith and values section ““People working together can make a more perfect union”
• 21st International Deming Research Seminar: The Deming Paradigm for Reducing Variation: Unknown by Most, Misunderstood by Many, Relevant to All.
• Supporting application at the county level of government – Brown County Leader Network.
• The context for the Einstein Quote

Deming and references to his beliefs in Christianity.

• Metanoia and Transformation II – Norman Todd , The Way, 52/2 (April 2013),
  • …  when I read the first edition of Deming’s book The New
    Economics, I found a short section that described a fundamental change
    of mind-set on which all subsequent organizational transformation
    depended. The section was headed ‘Metanoia’. In later editions it is
    retitled ‘The First Step’.
  • People who knew Dr Deming well have assured me that he was a
    sincere, practising Christian who played the organ in church and
    composed sacred music. But when I asked at his seminar if he
    had applied his teaching to the organization of the Church,
    he looked puzzled and said he had not.
  • If it is the particular newness of Deming’s First Step that is important
    there may be some parallel with the particular change of mindset
    (metanoia) requiring that everything from birth to death become new in
    the Kingdom of God. Without continuing metanoia the newness is lost
    and the old ways are resumed.
    • In the book of Revelation, in the letter to the angel of the church
      in Ephesus, the Spirit says, ” But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember then from what you have fallen; repent and
      do the works you did at first. “(Revelation 2:4–5)
  • We must embrace the radical newness of life in Christ enjoyed by the
    apostolic Church, and follow the instruction of the angel of the Lord
    to the disciples when releasing them from prison in Acts 5:20.
    Go, stand in the temple and tell the people the whole message
    about this life.