Ep 68 – Deming’s Red Bead Experiment

Who hasn’t heard of Deming’s Red Bead Experiment?  A lot of
people, probably.  However, if you’ve ever worked somewhere
that you’ve done your best, followed the procedures, and your
performance still wasn’t good, you may be trapped in a red bead
system.  This episode shows us how important a system is that
includes opportunity for employees to offer input on continual
improvement. Deming, in a workshop, “hires” a few employees. 
Their job is to fill a small paddle with all white beads.  The
workers will dip the paddle into a box that is comprised of 3200
white beads and 800 red.  Deming gives specific instructions
to work within his well-defined system on how to hold the paddle,
scoop the beads, gently agitate the paddle to release excess beads,
take the paddle to the 2 inspectors for inspection and
recording.  Deming then fires a few of the not so good
employees, and keeps his best workers on with new requirements,
lowering the number of red beads allowed.  Of course, the best
workers performance is really left to chance and there are more
firings. The idea is that no matter how well defined your system
is, there must be room for change.  Employees were not allowed
to suggest improvements, look for defects in the incoming supply
and the system had nothing to do with the employee’s
capabilities.  In the red bead experiment, employees were
blamed for their poor performance and the bead company goes out of
business.  Companies need to have a system set up that
supports their employees suggesting continual improvement. 
https://blog.deming.org/2014/03/lessons-from-the-red-bead-experiment-with-dr-deming/
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