I had the pleasure interviewing Dr. Joyce Orsini, a professor of Fordham University and president of the W. Edwards Deming Institute and Kevin Cahill, the Executive Director of the Institute. Dr. Orsini has also recently authored the book, The Essential Deming: Leadership Principles from the Father of Quality and Kevin is the grandson of Dr. Deming.
In the interview I ask Kevin, How do you think Dr. Deming would want to be remembered in the future? What do you think would be important to him?
Kevin: I think it would be important for him to know that people still want to make a difference, people still want to come together and see through problems that we’re facing in today’s world, and I think he would like to be remembered as somebody who made some small contribution towards his own country. I mean, everyone always talks about the differences he made in Japan and I think that was incredibly important to him.
But I think he’d like to see that he could also have made a difference in the lives and communities and families and organizations of people in his own country and those around the world, because, when you think about it from a system standpoint, the U.S. is just one component of a larger system.
I am still surprised that stigma exists about Dr. Deming. I may not be on the cutting edge of every platform that exists today but through social media and this podcast, I am very fortunate to be acquainted with quite a few. Dr. Deming is not only recognized but revered by most. For example, I think the Lean Software community is more aligned with Deming than they are traditional Lean and Toyota. Even in my own work, I am finding that Dr. Deming, Peter Scholtes and Brian Joiner more applicable to the knowledge management and systems thinking areas that are required in the service and sales and marketing arena. Dr, Deming you are still very relevant, even in 2013. I hope you enjoy the podcast. I certainly did.
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About the Deming Institute: The W. Edwards Deming Institute® was founded by Dr. Deming in 1993 to provide educational services related to his theories and teachings. The aim of The W. Edwards Deming Institute is to foster understanding of The Deming System of Profound Knowledge® to advance commerce, prosperity and peace.
Kevin Edwards Cahill, Successor Founding Trustee is Dr. Deming’s grandson. He currently volunteers full-time as Executive Director of The W. Edwards Deming Institute® where he oversees general operations and development. Previously, Kevin was the co-founder and CEO of ViewBridge, Inc. Prior to that, he was Vice President Sales Manager for media rep firm, Katz Communications. As a member and chairman of the system oversight committee, he helped guide the design and implementation of various sales, technology, and management systems. Kevin holds a BA in history from UCLA.
Joyce Nilsson Orsini, Ph.D., Associate Trustee, is Associate Professor of Management Systems at Fordham University Graduate School of Business, where she directs the Deming Scholars MBA program. She has been a practicing statistician and consultant to industrial management and government for more than 25 years. Dr. Deming directed her doctoral dissertation research at New York University. She assisted Dr. Deming with his teaching at N.Y.U., as well as with many public and private seminars. The Metropolitan Section of the American Society for Quality awarded her the Deming Medal.
Thanks for posting another worthwhile podcast. Keep up the good work.