Traditional Wisdom LO9080

John Zavacki (jzavacki@epix.net)
Tue, 13 Aug 1996 05:40:35 -0400

Replying to LO9055 --

Rol Fessenden says:
> Robert says:
> "I agree to some extent, but the interesting thing about systems thinking
> is that we must also apply it to management. So by the same logic, there
> is also no such thing as bad managers, only managers that are working in
> bad systems, or who are, themselves asked to do the wrong things."
>
> to which Roxanne responded,
>
> "If I correctly recall, Deming said that managers are accountable for the
> bad systems. So bad systems would implicate managers."
>
> == end quotes ==
>
> Deming was not infallible. Great man, still only a man. Robert's
> position sounds right to me. Is there a logical construct or
> alternatively, some data that would contradict him?

If a bad system exists, and managers work ON systems, supervisors IN
systems then managers are responsible for not seeing the opportunity to
improve the system.

In many of my clients organizations (small to medium business, mostly
manufacturing) the is evidence of a once functional system which has
devolved through growth, shrinkage, shifting focus, into "sacred cow"
forms, protocols, practices. By standing back and seeing forest, it
becomes obvious that some of the trees can't grow in this climate, others
would thrive if they didn't have to compete for nutrients with the
miscreants.

The managers in these organizations don't notice the gradual change from
system to chaos. Once valid feedback loops become non-value-added
exercises in historical rubric. The practical application of systems
thinking to these paradigm confused organizations can easily get them back
to an understanding of their mission and the means to attain it. The
problem IS at the managerial level. A replacement manager may change a
procedure, but still retain the controls that were designed for the
procedure that's no longer extant. The job of systems design and control
is not that of CEO, its that of the subsystem owners and their functional
teams. There have been many occasions when people have filled out forms
religiously, just because they always had. The forms then go into a pile,
eventually, a box, an a storage room, with no further action (collation,
tabulation, analysis, etc.). And the managers do not question this. I
think Deming was right on this one.

--

jzavacki@epix.net John Zavacki The Wolff Group 900 James Avenue Scranton, PA 18510 Phone: 717-346-1218 Fax: 717-346-1388

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