Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Dr. Deming - The 5 Deadly Diseases 1984

Watch and most importantly listen to this short video of  Dr. W. Edwards Deming's predictions about American management decline made in 1984.
Sound like what's happening today?

Some say that the Japanese miracle is over. But I am not so sure. Yes, they have been in a finacial holiding period for the past decade and yes, Toyota nd others have had some quality problems.

But I am not ready to count them out of the fourth quarter's goal line stand and win - with minutes to go.

Winning in business is over the long hall - not just a few - current events.

Ford Motor Company is doing quite well compared to the other companies in their business. What about Hewlett-Packard's success?

Maybe there is some truth to the concepts !




Some excellent reading mateials you should consider as required reading.

Wednesday, September 09, 2009

How to use the Red Bead Experiment with large audience groups

The RedBead Game is quite suitable for use with large groups.

Dr. Deming played the game with groups as large as around 1200 people in a very large audience using TV monitors. So it is suitable to be played with large groups.

The following video is a short clip that shows how Dr. Deming played the RedBead Experiment with his large groups:

The above video is from the Deming Video Library series, which is an excellent video tool on Dr. Deming's concepts.


To do so however, the presenter facilitor needs to be somewhat of a clever person almost a showman of sorts. The way it would work is to take about one hour. 45 minutes is minimum. You first present some of the concepts of Dr. Deming and the concept of going Beyond Total Quality Management to create a concept of Customer Delight where you anticipate the needs of the customer and develop solutions before they even ask.

The Red Bead Experiment show a wide range of talking points and makes them quite visable. Some of these points are:

1. management has very little effect on the day to day operations

2. the willing worker also has little effect once the process has been established.

3. The key is that if management does not like the day to day results, they have to DESIGN changes in how the process is to be run.

4. as management does NOT know specifically what is happening (wrong = RED BEADS) with the day to day operation.

5. the workers know the hidden names on the RED BEAD problems.

6. but if management does NOT create a non threating environment to allow the willing worker to feel free to speak up then the willing workers will remain silent and everybody loses.

7. everyone is a customer and a supplier of someone elese in life (both on the job and in personal life) so the concepts of the Red Bead Experiment have a wide application

There are six (6) videos available on YouTube that show how one large organization uses the Red Bead Game with large groups:

Our two part 35 minute DVD video was developed to be shown to both audience groups and to be used as a train the trainer for facilitators. Our video mabe be previewed at:

And may be viewed in it's entirity at:


This following information is being provided to assist a meeting facilitator on developing an agenda for a group session where the Dr. Deming Red Bead Experiment will be presented.

The RED BEAD Game in its standard configuration is suitable for group presentations from one (1) person to over one Thousand (1000+) persons.

In addition to standard audio/video equipment, paper flip charts and stands and erasable white boards should be considered to collect and display information as discussed with the group.

The Bead Game score sheet may be printed as a standard paper size clear transparency for use on an overhead projector (recommended) or printed on poster size paper for use on a flip chart stand.

To add additional drama to the playing of the game you may consider the use of a large Tupperware / Rubbermaid (or equivalent) container or a large clear plastic or glass punch bowl. The colored beads of both colors may be poured back and forth between containers to add effect to the show.

Unlike team training games, the RED BEAD Experiment should be played as one large audience group all at one time rather than using the game simultaneously with multiple smaller groups.

The Red Bead Experiment is intended to teach some very fine details of human relations and interpersonal skills between management and workers and is not intended to teach teamwork skills.

The Red Bead Experiment is intended to develop an "ah ha" understanding of human relationship principles of the interplay between top management and lower layers of management and first line willing workers. Playing the game in separate smaller groups can result in some different levels of experience and learning learning to be missed by people in some of the groups.

Wherever possible it is recommended that the actual players of the game during the presentation be from as high in management levels as possible. Part of the strategy of the game play is to develop / poke some small non-threatening fun at the actions and statements of top management in front of the lower level managers, supervisors and workers.

This tends to breakdown barriers (class levels) between the layers of people.

When the game is played all together in one group then all the audience experiences the same at the same time and adds to the drama and the excitement of the play.

Now we outline some additional reading materials before you start to put the concept of the Red Bead Game script together for the group. (if any document requires a password it is: willing4worker

1. Next read the attached document entitled: The Deming System of Profound Knowledge.pdf

The most important point is found on at the bottom of page 1 and the top of page 2 and completes with this statement: "A leader of transformation, and managers involved, need to learn the psychology of individuals, the psychology of a group, the psychology of society, and the psychology of change."

2. Next read the attached article entitled: red bead lessons.pdf


Additional Study Guide materials are available with your purchase of the Red Bead Experiment kit

We also recommend that the discussions in the online LinkedIn discussion group be studied for ideas.

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Friday, July 31, 2009

Red Bead Experiment now has Facebook group

For all Facebook community, checkout the Deming Red Bead Group - become a FAN!


Join in the discussion and make the Red Bead Experiment learnings a parrt of your daily routine.

For all Deming followers in the Middle East, our marketing partner Red Bead Healthcare Management (Cairo Egypt) organization has their own Facebook group, too


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Thursday, February 26, 2009

Red Bead Experiment Players Comments Posted Here

Thank you for your comments about your thoughts, feelings, learnings and best practices from playing the Red Bead Experiment.

New comments should be posted with 24 hours of receiving them. Bookmark this link and return often. -- be sure and join in the discussion www.RedBead.org
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Date played: November 1988-- Sunnyvale, California USA -- Jeff S

Actively Played Game -- Dr. Deming was not there

Comments-feeling: My comments - my feeling about the experience playing or watching the Red Bead Experiment are:
As a manufacturing engineering student (at the time) and a member of the ASQC I was always interested in seeing how people can mandate quality - even when there are forces beyond their control. Prior to going to Cal Poly I worked for a manufacturing plant where there were a lot of variable factors (like everywhere else) yet management came down hard on the shop floor teams when "quality" measures were not achived. I loved seeing the Red Bead Experiment because it provided an easy way to show people at all levels that quality is fraught with challenges and that no matter what people did, which systems were put in place, or even how much money was thrown at it -- there would still be the chance of a defect occuring.
Bottom line -- The read bead experiment is a visual parable. Being visual makes it powerful.

Date played: October 1990 -- Sunnyvale, California USA -- Dave M.

Actively Played Game -- Dr. Deming was not there

Comments-feeling: My comments - my feeling about the experience playing or watching the Red Bead Experiment are:

Consider the defect source before prescribing actions or punishments.
Bring stakeholders from the bottom of the org chart into the discussion.
Eliminate fear before starting any investigation by defining the goal as process improvement.
Keep an open mind at all times. Context and perspective, as viewed by different stakeholders, are different.

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Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Files for Download - Red Bead Experiment

The following files provided by our group members are available for download.

Please be aware that there may be some copyrights on the information contained in these files. Please do NOT sell or advertise these documents as your own work without obtaining permission from the original author.

Files provided by Bob Daugherty are available for download at:
http://www.redbead.org/group_downloads/bob_daugherty_documents/
http://www.redbead.org/group_downloads/bob_daugherty_documents/red_bead_experiment_game_materials.ppt http://www.redbead.org/group_downloads/bob_daugherty_documents/red_bead_experiment_lessons_learned.doc
http://www.redbead.org/group_downloads/bob_daugherty_documents/red_bead_experiment_score_sheet.xls http://www.redbead.org/group_downloads/bob_daugherty_documents/red_bead_experiment_script.doc
http://www.redbead.org/group_downloads/bob_daugherty_documents/red_bead_experiment_script_doe.pdf

Files provided by Steve Prevette for the Red Bead Experiment
These are available to the public, as I wrote them while under US Govt contract.

http://www.hanford.gov/rl/uploadfiles/VPP_Red_bead_script.pdf
http://www.hanford.gov/rl/uploadfiles/VPP_2a_Red_Bead_Slides.xls
http://www.hanford.gov/rl/uploadfiles/VPP_2b_Red_Bead_Lessons.ppt

See also
http://www.asq614.org/speakers/redbeads.ppt

for a more recent version of red bead lessons. The excel file really helps to speed up the drudgery of making the control chart - plus it demonstrates several other "bad" options for data displays. I do use the c-chart rather than np as it is easier to display, and gives an answer that I believe is "close enough" to the np.

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Friday, January 23, 2009

Announcing New LINKEDIN discussion group for the Red Bead Experiment community

Share experiences, usage techniques and best practices of using the Dr. Deming style Red Bead Experiment.

Please join me in starting discussions about the use, experience and to share best practices about the Red Bead Experiment.

Open to serious professionals world wide.

All we ask is that the discussions are polite, professional, informative and with no attacks on individuals. Attacks on the issues are welcomed!

Also we desire to keep this forum non commercial; however, we will allow links to outside sites.

What is the Red Bead Experiment?

The RED BEAD Experiment is used as a tool to bring people together and to get past the emotional aspects of discussing problems.

The word problem is near and dear to people and we must convenience them to let go of the emotional attachment and to discuss the issue not the person. Using the term RED BEAD to discuss a problem, people feel less threatened.

The name red bead is a metaphor for the problems that we experience every day in our life. The world is a never ending supply of problems. You get up in the morning and solve the problems of the day. Solve one problem and more problems appear. It is the way of the world.

The Red Bead Experiment was created in 1982 for the world famous consultant Dr. W. Edwards Deming who was "the man who taught the Japanese, America and many other countries about quality". Workers must learn to trust management and management must learn to trust workers. Each has an important role to play in the identification and resolution of problems that we face in our work place. It does not matter if it is a manufacturing or service setting. Also, it does not matter if it is private or public sector or a non-profit agency.

In addition, it is important to bring the suppliers and the customers into the discussion and problem solving. We are now talking about a new way to look at our workplace. We are all customers and suppliers of each other in the modern business world!

The RED BEAD experiment is not for just a single meeting. We suggest that you keep it on your desk and use it several times a day to assist in the discuss of some important issue between yourself and other co-workers.

It is a truly - win - win - win situation !

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Ask a Questions

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Contact us: info @ redbead . com

Contact Us Information

Contact Information for RED BEAD Experiment:

Michael Arthur Johnson Company

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