It may seem dangerous to ask questions, especially in an environment that is hostile to change. The heart of improvement often lies in listening to many viewpoints in order to involve people affected by the outcome. In an environment of trust, it’s okay to disagree with the boss. W. Edwards Deming would agree, as his 14 Points for Management indicates.

My wife, Carole, was recently surfing the net and serendipitously came across a short YouTube video of Dr. Russell Ackoff from a teleconference we helped produce in 1994. Who knew? It took us back to the brilliance of Russ. What he said bears repeating.

 …