1 - Plan - Transformation must take place with directed effort. Failure to plan for the future and to forsee problems has brought about the waste of ...
This failure raises the cost of the system without adding value. The consumer is not always willing to pay to subsidize this waste. The inevitable result is loss of market.
2 - Do - Everyone doing his or her best isn't the answer. Drastic changes are required. The first step in the transformation is to learn how to change. This can be accomplished by learning and using Deming's 14 points.
3 - Check - A very simple phase that is often overlooked check the results of what you did to see if the objective was achieved. The real trick is to determine what things should be measured, and how often they should be measured. This information is useful as explained in the last phase of the PDCA cycle.
4 - Act - Perhaps the place in the PDCA cycle which is the most rewarding it can show where the successes are, building confidence to deal with areas that need further improvement.
If the first time through there are lots of opportunities to improve, congratulations, this proves the efforts were honest and normal!
The benefits of cooperation can be shown mathematically. If we continue to work as individual groups the benefit will remain as:
X + Y = Results, where X and Y have the value of "7"
7 + 7 = 14
If we change to leverage our efforts by working cooperatively, the results are extraordinary, the benefits are exponential.
XY = Results, again where X and Y have the value of "7"
72 = 49
This demonstrates a critical issue that Deming pointed out in his work. There is value in cooperation. In our example an additional 35 value points are realized, or a 350% increase, when individuals work cooperatively.
Dr. W. Edwards Deming was renowned as the guru of Quality Management. As a statistician his lifelong mission was to seek sources of improvement. He pondered the causes of failure and inefficiency and developed strategies to avoid them in the future. Dr. Deming's approach was the catalyst for revitalizing Japanese industry and later business in all of North America. His bedrock philosophy of management consists of 14 obligations.
It is Glass Works' contention that the challenges before us with regard to making waste management a sustainable process will not be overcome until we first "drive out fear". According to Deming "the economic loss from fear is appalling". While interviewing stakeholders it became clear that all of the stakeholder groups were hesitant to put forth action plans or even ideas that would require them to be held accountable. There is strong support among all stakeholders that a partnership approach, which we advocated in 1990, is the best way to progress towards solutions. For us to develop a sustainable system we must garner trust to create a team approach as strong and as fluid as that of a relay team to ensure that materials are kept in the loop and not sent to landfill. We need to stop competing for territory and cooperate within the system. After all we all want the same thing, don't we?
| Dr. Demings Fourteen Points |
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