The Productivity Puzzle – John Seddon

Traditional Red-Amber-Green reporting often wastes effort and drives misguided interventions instead of real operational improvement. In this short trailer episode of Beyond Deming, we talk to Sam Riley, founder of Spuddling Solutions and former lead of NHS England’s Making Data Count initiative. Sam explains how she helped shift healthcare performance monitoring away from superficial dashboard metrics towards Statistical Process Control. Having successfully trained over 56,000 NHS staff across all organisational tiers, from executive boards to frontline clinical personnel, Sam outlines the principles behind widespread data literacy. The conversation highlights her upcoming interactive workshop in Coventry on 5 November, where she will share practical techniques for converting technical data tools into engaging, routine practices. Listen to discover how structured data analysis can eliminate unproductive habits and drive continuous improvement across public and private sector organisations.

How can a bank thrive without budgets or financial targets? In this episode of Beyond Deming, James Lawther speaks with Brett Salisbury, branch manager at Handelsbanken, about the bank’s unconventional yet highly effective approach. Since the 1970s, Handelsbanken has followed a humanistic leadership philosophy, prioritising customer service and cost efficiency over traditional metrics. The result? Consistent outperformance of industry peers across financial cycles.Brett shares how this model fosters long-term sustainability and profitability, challenging conventional banking norms. If you’re curious about how eliminating targets can drive remarkable success, this discussion offers actionable insights. Join us on September 8 at Nettlehill, near Coventry, to explore these ideas further. Visit demingalliance.org for details.

Why do so many culture change initiatives fail to stick?In this episode of Beyond Deming, James Lawther and Frank Devine discuss Rapid Mass Engagement, a system designed to create sustainable, employee-owned cultural transformation. Frank shares how early-career frustrations—watching improvements unravel after leadership changes—led him to develop this method, which flips traditional hierarchies by giving employees the power to shape their workplace culture.Listen as they explain the three-stage process: Diverse Workshops to identify obstacles, Consensus Day for collaborative decision-making, and creating Behavioural Standards tied to a deeply emotional higher purpose. Frank also addresses common challenges, such as overcoming blame culture, ensuring psychological safety, and preventing burnout by tackling root causes. Discover how this approach fosters adult-adult relationships, aligns entire workforces, and delivers rapid, measurable results—without relying on charismatic leaders or superficial engagement. Essential for managers ready to build cultures that outlast individual tenures.

Why do so many organisations overlook the human cost of their systems? In this episode of Beyond Deming, James Lawther speaks with Daniel Stane, founder of Inclusion Partners, about the power of compassionate leadership. They examine how leaders can move beyond transactional management to address the root causes of employee suffering—whether from rigid processes, personal challenges, or cultural norms. Daniel shares actionable insights on building emotional resilience, fostering psychological safety, and designing work environments that prioritise well-being. From small acts like checking in on team members to systemic changes like rethinking roles and routines, this conversation offers practical tools for leaders ready to create more inclusive, sustainable cultures. Ideal for managers looking to balance performance with humanity.

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 “best efforts” without a common aim, using a real-world example from a major bank to illustrate how conflicting departmental goals create tension. The upcoming event promises an interactive day, featuring Deming’s iconic Red Beads Experiment and a deep dive into his 14 Obligations of Management. Listen for actionable insights on leadership, systems thinking, and creating workplaces where people thrive. Essential for managers ready to move beyond outdated practices and build cohesive, customer-driven organisations.

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—and a practical framework for embedding compassion into roles, networks, routines, and culture. Drawing on research from Awakening Compassion at Work, Daniel highlights how compassionate leadership fosters psychological safety, collaboration, and talent retention. Ideal for leaders facing pressure to deliver results while nurturing their teams, this session promises actionable tools for 2026.

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 anecdotes and references to Deming’s influential work, Seddon highlights the importance of systems thinking, knowledge, and purpose-driven management. The discussion explores the pitfalls of target-setting, the unintended consequences of regulation, and the limitations of technology in addressing poor performance in service organisations. Seddon calls for politicians and regulators to step back, empowering managers to innovate and focus on delivering real value. This episode offers valuable insights for leaders seeking sustainable improvement, challenging conventional wisdom and encouraging a more thoughtful, evidence-based approach to improving organisational performance.

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 to reduce variability in leadership quality and drive sustainable results.  The conversation delves into the pitfalls of conventional HR initiatives and the importance of addressing root causes rather than symptoms. Listeners will gain actionable insights on fostering genuine employee engagement, building high-performing teams, and creating environments where everyone can thrive. Whether you’re a leader, HR professional, or simply interested in organisational excellence, this episode offers fresh perspectives and practical tools to elevate your approach.

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 length, drawing on real-world examples from manufacturing, service industries, and even motorway traffic. The discussion covers the critical roles of arrival and process variation, the dangers of batching, and the infamous bullwhip effect in supply chains. Listeners will also hear about a simple dice game that brings these concepts to life, and get practical tips for reducing variation and improving flow.Whether you’re a manager, process improvement enthusiast, or just curious about the science behind queues, this episode offers valuable insights and actionable advice. Plus, John shares his favourite resources for learning more about lean thinking and systems improvement.Tune in to discover why understanding Kingman’s Equation is essential for anyone looking to optimise performance and reduce waste in any organisation.