Welcome to 12 Days to Deming! This unpublished content is provided courtesy of Dr. Henry R Neave. Henry has particularly concentrated on making the course eminently suitable for interested newcomers to Dr. Deming’s teaching. But this is not to imply that individuals and groups who already have some relevant background will not also benefit from the course!
PDFs are available from each link, or you may click the header “12 Days to Deming” below to go to the Google Drive folder containing all files.
Comments can be made by clicking the message icon in the top right corner.
Henry strongly recommends that you begin with the introductory 8-page Welcome Booklet, and then work through the course as organized alphabetically below.
Enjoy!
The Welcome Booklet does not only introduce the course itself: it also briefly summarizes Dr. Deming’s life and work—especially useful for the newcomer. There is one optional extra file included below: the 12 Days New Decade Update. This was originally written for the many people who had been following, and often helping with, the development of 12 Days to Deming over the past several years.
Henry retired in 2004 as W. Edwards Deming Professor of Leadership and Management in the Business School of England’s Nottingham Trent University. He is 2001 recipient of the American Society for Quality’s Deming Medal, Honorary Fellow of the Chartered Quality Institute, and author of The Deming Dimension.
Endorsements
“Finally—a sorely-needed authoritative, definitive, robust summary of W Edwards Deming’s philosophy that will stand the test of time. Professor Neave has been my ‘stealth’ mentor since 1992 when I had a serendipitous interaction with this kind, gracious gentleman at a Deming conference. I was frustrated and in the midst of a struggle to understand Dr. Deming’s 1986 book Out of the Crisis, but Henry’s subsequent book The Deming Dimension then became a huge ‘Aha’ and catalyst in my 35-year study and synthesis of Dr. Deming’s work. Henry has subsequently added 25 more years of wisdom gleaned from his teaching. His course design and non-pedantic, sincere, entertaining style coupled with his deep humility is a joy to experience.” Davis Balestracci, Harmony Consulting, Portland, Maine, USA and author of the book ‘Data Sanity’.
“I am studying a course called 12 Days to Deming: an Active-Learning Course by Henry Neave. It is fantastic! I originally studied Deming during my junior year of college. I then was reintroduced to his teaching in 2008. For some reason I got away from it, but the principles appear to have stuck with me. I am glad that much of what I do uses this philosophy; but I am learning so much more now. I look forward to learning yet more about these better ways. I now understand how Deming’s philosophy shows how to generate comprehensive improvements by creating pervasive, reciprocal, selfish, selfless, synergistic interactions so that everyone and everything bene- fits.” Dr. Craig Becker, Professor at East Carolina University in the Department of Health Education and Promotion, USA.
“I came to Deming because of my interest in Energy and Environmental Management, as his approach seemed ideal for tackling those areas as well as many other. I found the whole course compelling, and it explains Deming’s teachings in real depth. I’ve read a fair amount by and about Deming over the years, but there’s a lot of good information in this course that I’d not seen before. Also interesting background information on Deming himself from when Henry worked with him. As Henry remarks in the course, Deming would often say a lot in a very few words. But Henry fills in many of the gaps. The course explains Deming’s scientific approach to quality improvement, and shows how it applies to a huge variety of ‘processes’. The practical activities help you to apply the learning to your own life and your organisation. The course is a vitally important contribution to both understanding and using what Deming taught. I heartily recommend it.” Mitch Beedie, freelance writer, Cornwall, UK.
“Henry Neave is dedicated to helping people learn about Dr. Deming’s ideas and how to apply them. He does this with great skill and enthusiasm. His course follows faithfully what Deming taught in a comprehensive and user-friendly way. As a participant, the active-learning method provides ample opportunities to check your understanding as you progress and see how it relates to your experience and needs. 12 Days to Deming is a monumental work. Following the course gives you knowledge to transform your style of management to succeed in this ever-changing world.” Nick Gardener, engineer, learning and applying Deming since 1989, UK.
“I highly recommend this course to newcomers through to those who are already well-versed in Dr. Deming’s work. The course builds knowledge and understanding, enabling the participant to make real change and to achieve improved outcomes.” Dr. Jackie Graham, Managing Director, Statistical Edge Pty Ltd, Australia.
“The BIG question is: ‘How should we manage work?’. There are thousands of books on management but there is probably only one author who offers an all-encompassing approach to management with such a clear success record. Reading Deming’s books is valuable, but understanding the messages is more about thinking than simply reading and then applying the ideas. Henry Neave’s active-learning course 12 Days to Deming fills this gap, giving an interactive framework for thinking about your situation and how these ideas can apply to your organisation. For even greater benefits, form a study group so that you can discuss several peoples’ ideas together.” Alan Hodges, Quality Manager for BAM Nuttall (retired), Steering Group member of the CQI’s Deming Special Interest Group, UK.
“Dr. Deming’s teaching has influenced my career since I first heard him speak in 1990. With his book The Deming Dimension Henry Neave then opened my eyes to Deming on a whole new level (don’t ask me why I didn’t discover the book until 2012!). In the summer of 2017, Professor Neave was gracious enough to send me an early version of 12 Days to Deming—I jumped right in. While the book opened my eyes, his course has enabled me to integrate the Deming philosophy into my everyday thinking beyond what I had imagined possible. Intuitively, I knew that I had happened upon the truth when I discovered Deming all those years ago, but the comprehensive understanding I craved and some of the finer points remained stubbornly elusive. Professor Neave has helped me to now see Deming’s leadership philosophy as a whole, and with that an understanding of how each of its components relates to the others. He makes Deming accessible. Throw yourself into 12 Days to Deming, and be ready to be transformed!” Eric Lawson, management consultant, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
“I have had a wonderful time learning from 12 Days to Deming, and I am delighted that it will soon be ‘officially’ launched. The difference between orthodox statistics versus Shewhart/Deming statistics was just one illuminating idea learned. But there are far too many insights for me to list here.” Allen Scott, independent Quality Management Consultant, North Carolina, USA.
“The 12 Days are not a walk in the park! You will need to engage in some serious study. But if you stick with it and take time to reflect as you progress through each Day, you will finish immeasurably wiser. Professor Henry Neave, who worked alongside Dr. Deming at many of his four-day seminars, has produced an outstanding product. Roll your sleeves up, immerse yourself, and enjoy your study!” Stuart Swalwell, Continual Improvement Manager, Rolls-Royce plc (retired), UK.
“I have found that 12 Days to Deming has provided me with not only an effective but also an efficient route to deeper understanding and useful knowledge about Dr. Deming’s theories. It accelerates such understanding because it is derived from the direct experience of Professor Henry Neave who can be justifiably termed a Subject Matter Expert. My work is focused on getting safer work through introducing people to the concept of better work. This is achievable through understanding better the effectiveness of taking an approach to management that is informed by the wisdom of Dr. Deming. 12 Days facilitates this superbly.” Charles Tortise, Charles Tortise & Associates, Wellington, New Zealand.
“I consider this a real gift from you to the Deming Community. Words cannot convey how thankful I am to you for all the time and effort you have put in to produce 12 Days to Deming. To learn from people like you, who had close personal association with Dr. Deming and learned directly from him, minimises the risk of his message going ‘off to the Milky Way’. The aim of 12 Days to Deming is perhaps captured in Dr. Deming’s quote on page 22 of Day 1: “I do not want you to do something because ‘Deming said so’; I want you to do it because you understand why ‘Deming said so’.” Well done. Congratulations!” Al Viswanathan, retired after working for 26 years at the Boeing Company, Seattle, Washington, USA.
“I have managed people for over 25 years and worked hard to support them, encourage them and be a ‘good’ manager and leader. When you begin to really understand Dr. Deming’s work you realise just how much you need to unlearn if you are to truly engage with and get the best out of your people. Nothing in management training ever taught me about the need to focus on the system in which people work and the processes for which they are responsible. My gut always told me that there must be a better way to achieve efficiency but I simply continued asking my employees to work harder, I awarded pay rises and issued staff awards and commendations. All I ever got were short-term results and indeed I made people work against each other. Completing 12 Days to Deming is challenging but it will enable you to see your organisation differently and make you a wiser manager and leader. Working on the processes to reduce variation, I saw first-hand the impact it had. But it is so much more than that! It was amazing not only in terms of making my organisation more efficient but the impact it had on my people. I have seen my teams move from feeling helpless and despondent to feeling they are valued in their role, listened to and actually enjoying what they do. Henry’s work to pull together Dr. Deming’s wisdom is a gift that every manager, director and CEO should explore. It is not easy to unlearn how we have always worked but the rewards can be great. You owe it to yourself and your people to work differently and be brave and swim against the tide of management practices that we know are flawed and limiting.” Fiona Wilkie, formally of the Symphony Housing Group in Liverpool, UK in which she held various senior management positions.