Beyond Deming

Why do so many organisations struggle with misaligned goals and ineffective leadership? In this Beyond Deming trailer, James Lawther speaks with Hazel Cannon, leader of the Deming Forum and Dr. Deming’s final intern, about the enduring relevance of Dr. Deming’s philosophy. Hazel shares how Deming’s post-war work in Japan transformed industries by focusing on customer needs, process improvement, and lifelong learning—principles still overlooked in modern management. They discuss the dangers of...

How can leaders balance relentless change with human-centric values? In this Beyond Deming trailer, James Lawther speaks with Daniel Stane, founder of Inclusion Partners, about the upcoming February event on compassionate leadership. Daniel challenges the notion that compassion is a “nice-to-have,” framing it as a critical tool for tough decisions, cultural transformation, and reducing organisational suffering. The event will cover personal leadership qualities—such as presence and awareness—...

In this thought-provoking episode, John Seddon joins James Lawther to unravel the complexities of productivity and growth within modern organisations. Seddon, an occupational psychologist, consultant and author, critiques the prevailing reliance on government regulation, economic theory, and technological quick fixes such as AI. He argues that these approaches often hinder genuine progress, advocating instead for a shift towards effectiveness at the enterprise level. Through engaging an...

In this episode of Beyond Deming, host James Lawther sits down with Frank Devine to explore the innovative Cathedral Model for leadership and management development. Frank shares his journey from traditional HR roles to developing a systematic, evidence-based approach that challenges the status quo of conventional leadership development programmes. Through engaging stories and real-world examples, Frank explains how the Cathedral Model integrates purpose, values, and practical skills t...

In this episode of Beyond Deming, host James Lawther sits down with Professor John Bicheno of the Lean Enterprise Research Centre (LERC) to unravel the mysteries of Kingman’s Equation and its relevance to management thinking. Together, they debunk the common myth that maximum efficiency comes from running operations at full utilisation, revealing how this approach can actually drive up costs and create massive queues. John explains the non-linear relationship between utilisation and queue len...