Chapter 17: The Courage to Change
1. Before
any system can change, first the assumptions holding it in place must change.
For example, with the assumption that work is tedious, boring, and someone only
did because of financial necessity – the applications of Deming’s philosophy
that had contributed to Japan’s industrial might will not work. Specifically,
the assumption that work was boring and tedious blocked me from feeling nay
kind of real involvement with Deming’s system. For the Deming’s system to work,
it is necessary to firstly assume that work is fun, and quality and pride of
work is important.
2. It
can be hard to identify our own assumptions (for example: “Your mother said you
were stupid. You will never be rich”) – because many of our assumptions are
buried in our subconscious minds.
3. As
adults, we may still be unconsciously harboring assumptions that others –
parents, teachers or peers – imposed on us. These may presently be holding us
back or limiting us in one way or another.
4. Fortunately,
there are methods to rid ourselves of these silent assumptions – such as from
hypnosis, positive affirmation and psychotherapy.
5. As
long as the school system makes the assumption that there are smart people and
slow people, it will reward the smart ones and punish the slow ones. My own
organization now teaches with the assumption that all people want to learn and
are able to.
6. Here
are a list of eight common assumptions that you will want to avoid:
a. Nobody
really wants to learn so you have to use force or threat.
b. Learning
must be boring and slow.
c. You
can’t have fun and learn.
d. You
can’t teach anyone anything unless you control them and force them to sit
still.
e. Testing
and grading are necessary.
f. Not
everyone is smart.
g. Not
everyone can pass.
h. Teachers
are smarter than students.
7. We
all have a responsibility to get to know our assumptions and change those that
fail to nurture these gifts in ourselves as well as others.
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