Quickie: Deming and Psychology
When no one’s even heard of Deming, suggestions that psychology has relevance may fall on deaf ears.
—Think Different
Making Lives More Wonderful
6 comments
When no one’s even heard of Deming, suggestions that psychology has relevance may fall on deaf ears.
Think Different
They may, but they may not. If an organization is a system formed by a group of people, some resources and an aim, isn’t self evident that understanding human behavior, individually and as a group, is critical to be able to lead and manage an organization? Then, sociology and psychology are fundamental parts of management knowledge. Deming was the first to speak consistently about it, but people may not need to know that to understand the importance of learning about human behavior. You may be thinking differently about it, Bob. What am I missing?
I concur with your line of reasoning. Yet, I see often behaviours of e.g. executives and managers which might indicate a blind spot when it comes to learning about human behaviour.
Hi Javier,
Self evident? Experience suggests otherwise. Most execs I have known have been largely or totally blind to drivers of human behaviour, preferring to rely on habit, prejudice, received wisdom, and a long list of cognitive biases including the Fundamental Attribution Error. Sigh.
Bob, don’t you think that this is the big cultural problem of the wider system – the Zeitgeist? Psychology and systems thinking in general, are carefully ignored in every aspect of our society where it matters the most: education and schools, sports, institutions and organizations of any kind, governments, media. This creates a negative feedback loop shaping the mindset of most. Violence, opportunism, and conformism give results because that’s how you get promoted hence “succeed”. Somebody was saying a few weeks ago “Don’t speak truth to power, because it will damage your career”. Well, if speaking the truth would damage anything, it means to me that violence and falsehood are foundational in this society. So, the bigger the truth, the deafer the ears listening.
I’m not sure I’d call it the zeitgeit. Seems more perrenial than of the moment? What say you?
Yes, I agree. It seems perennial.