Jane Collins writes:
>On top of the heresy of disagreeing with Deming, here is the blasphemy of
>questioning the idea of absolute accountability. If the ship runs
>aground, the Captain is relieved of his command, even if he was asleep in
>his stateroom when it happened. Why? Because he is held accountable for
>everything that happens on the ship; or, in other words, he is totally
>responsible for the system. Should he be blamed?
No he should not be BLAMED. We KNOW he didn't do it, but he was
responsible for the ship. We have created a culture in the military where
we take public accountabilty seriously. (And I'm proud to say that's a
far cry better than most of our politicians.) Unfortunately, it's a
sacrificial lamb syndrome where we chastise/castigate the most likely
culprit (or the person we have desginated "in charge") because it's easier
than discovering the systemic reason (if there is one) for something gone
awry. [From SPC, think common causes and special causes.]
I don't believe your point is "blasphemous" of Deming in the least. (I
can't recall he ever made a point about assigning accountability?!) You
demonstrate quite well what it may take to be a responsible leader--the
chutzpah to accept the outcome of your team.
I could go on all day about the culture of the military vis-a-vis notions
of learning organaizations...
-- Ginger Shafer The Leadership Dimension "Bringing Leadership to Life" vshafer@azstarnet.com