30 years of glacial improvement progress and failure is… ALL YOUR FAULT! (Tongue-in-Cheek? Perhaps...)

(You will note several links to my QBQ! series on victim behavior and personal accountability: Hint... HINT... HINT!)

Many quality improvement (QI) mindsets have resulted in UNconscious "bolt-on quality” businesses...that could be going out-of-business

Isn't it time to stop the unwitting “QI victim” posture based in the naive hope that "activity = impact"? As most of us know, improvement responsibility is fraught with frustration and perfectly designed for whining -- we are not exempt from being human!?But be honest, have you ever asked these questions at one time or another (Mea culpa!):

• "Why is our work so misunderstood? Can’t they see how busy we are and how important and difficult our work is?"
• "When are they going to 'get it'?"
• "Why can't we find a leader who is sincerely willing to risk?"
• ("Why do we keep sitting around and asking these same questions over and over?")

Deep Breath #1. If someone does not attain desired results, he or she should immediately own that fact, offer no excuses, and answer the question, “What else is it going to take?”?with an accompanying QBQ!.?The past is used only for learning, especially to expose and deal with the long-standing, ingrained, and mostly unspoken what are called your "cultural handcuffs." It is appropriate to ask for help to address these toxic barriers.?My experience: other accountable people will gladly volunteer to help you.

Especially in many of today’s stressed “bigger… better… faster… more… now!” organizational cultures… with their stressed executives:

Logic + Humans = Change? Think again!

In Part 9 of this series reflecting on the 30th anniversary of W. Edwards Deming's death (individual links at the very end of this article), I talked about the new “built-in” ‘improvement’ mindset needed to (1) accelerate the pace of eye-opening results and (2) quantum leap to a new, transformational understanding of "improvement."

Let’s Take a Needed Dive into Another Facet of “Psychology”

A mindset is a belief system through which one filters events, then unconsciously and reflexively reacts to situations. These reactions result from deeply entrenched "rules" – If / then statements?– shaped in response to events of the first 20 years of one's life.

Here's the uncomfortable part, which was a shock (an understatement!) when I discovered this for myself almost 25 years ago:?our beliefs are "perfectly designed" to produce the very behaviors that guarantee the results we already get!

For example, a belief that could be driving the victim behavior of people in quality:?"IF we aren't getting results, THEN it's because our role is so misunderstood and we aren't getting the support we need."

Deep Breath #2. So if you find yourself frustrated and stuck in an ongoing quagmire of missed opportunity, guess what??– that belief has created this situation!

Shocked? The good news:?it is that very shock that opens you to begin to consider a new belief that could be beneficial in driving new results.

I had a huge "AHA!" when I realized that a lack of desired personal and organizational results is usually due to self-defeating beliefs.?It is so easy to become stuck in what could be called the unconscious business mindset (true for many organizations and their executives as well):

• Repeating the same patterns and problems over and over again?
• Not identifying yourself (itself) as the source of those patterns and problems?
• Spending a lot of time ignoring or recycling the pattern?
• Getting defensive when encountering resistance where enlightenment could be sought?
• Thinking of yourself as a victim, resulting in:

-- Expending considerable energy trying to prove it's not your fault?

-- Not expressing your full creativity and having a variety of excellent reasons why you're not doing so.

Is the role of QBQ! to create new beliefs becoming even clearer??(Still haven't read about QBQ! ? -- then do it right now in this intro)

Applying it...

..."How can? I? change my beliefs to drive behaviors that get people to change their beliefs about my role?" **

** (by getting results that SHOCK them into a new respect for your role)

My challenge to you for creating a conscious, "built-in improvement" mindset (two "reading assignments" that I have referenced many times in this series) -- why not:

1. stop producing reports with bar graphs, trend lines, and traffic lights .
2. ?start demonstrating more productive displays by taking a current situation and quietly solving it.

Deep Breath #3.?Logically, we all know that (1) is a good thing. But at this instant, I can hear the hundreds of reasons (beliefs) circulating in your heads, especially:?"IF I did this, THEN it would be political suicide!"?Perhaps. But, if you allow that belief to continue, what will change??Nothing!?

Of course, doing (1) overnight would indeed be political suicide! But get innovative: how could you go about accomplishing it creatively without being tainted by that self-defeating belief??Perhaps by considering an alternative belief that leverages the data INsanity demotivator:?

"IF I can get unprecedented results by quietly demonstrating the destructiveness of useless displays and showing simpler alternatives that make people's lives easier and cut down on wasted meeting time, THEN that will begin to get more respect and trust for my role."

Regarding (2):?I can already hear, "But I'm too busy to find the time to do that." Whenever I hear the excuse (belief) of "lack of time," I ask the person to substitute the word "priority" for "time."?

If you continue to stay busy doing what you already do, what will change? Nothing! ?

Ask:?"What do? I? need to STOP doing, START doing, and CONTINUE doing?

Consider an alternative belief, "IF I desire results worthy of my role, THEN doing (2) is not only a priority, it is a necessity to STOP so much unproductive activity." ?

Could you somehow do this innovatively while simultaneously working on changing your perceived "suicide belief" about?(1)???

It is only when you realize that a current unconscious belief, now made conscious, is not working that you have begun a difficult but necessary breakthrough in thinking. Challenge yourself: "What is a more productive alternative belief, and can I choose to ingrain it into my belief system so that it will reflect in my behavior?– long term?"

Only time will tell -- anyone can change behavior for a couple of weeks.

So look at your current results, own them, examine and name the implicit underlying belief system about your job, and begin to consider choosing some new beliefs (especially regarding data displays). Or else...?

...someone else's beliefs about your job could result in some unpleasant consequences.?

In today's stressed work environments, especially in healthcare, the historically low return on large investments for improvement activity is becoming more dangerously exposed. However, because most organizations continually react to default to their current designs, improvement remains vital -- and needs to undergo a long overdue transformation.

The time for more qualicrats, belts, IHI certifications, and NHS "radicals" has passed. The "built-in 'improvement'" path is not for the faint of heart...and won't necessarily be welcomed with open arms… especially by those who have vested interests in creating and maintaining such massive wasteful quality machinery.

(Click here if you want to know more about belief systems and changing behavior)

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Chapters 1 to 4 of my book Data Sanity teach a robust, results-oriented leadership philosophy designed to catalyze transformation to a culture of excellence

• Chapter 3 of my book Data Sanity explores the belief system concept in depth.?
• The 10 examples of Chapter 2 will be your guide to getting results that will SHOCK! your culture's belief system about your role to get the respect you deserve.?

Read Rip Stauffer's review, published in Quality Digest

For UK readers who want a hard copy, it is available?on Amazon UK

An ebook version is available through the publisher

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Other posts in this series reflecting the 30th anniversary of Dr. Deming's death:

Part 1: Deming is Dead... Long Live Deming

Part 2: EVERYONE climbs "Mt. Stupid" in their improvement journey and admires the view – but will they choose that nasty "descent" back to the real world?

Part 3: Pondering Leadership "Gurus" -- Accidental, Self-Appointed, Delusional, and Otherwise

Part 4: The One Rare Leadership Skill that Trumps EVERY Tired, Recycled Platitude: the HUMILITY Resulting from a BASIC Understanding of "Variation"

Part 5: "Which of Dr. Deming's Points Should I Start With?"

Part 6: Fighting the "Disgustingly Normal" Daily Battles of Confusion, Conflict, Complexity, and Chaos

Part 7: "But Deming didn't tell us how to DO Deming!"

Part 8: The Old Wisdom Needs New Conversations

Part 9: "But, Davis, I'm still confused how to DO Deming."