TO: The Deming Medal Committee - ASQ
RE: Nomination of Peter R. Scholtes for Deming Medal
     Letter of Reference DATE: August 22, 2006

I confess: I don’t know where or how to begin this letter. There is so much evidence to provide in support of how worthy Peter Scholtes is to receive the Deming Medal. I, perhaps, have a unique perspective because for the past 7 years or so, my company has been the point of contact with the business world for Peter Scholtes. Therefore, we have seen the unvarnished reality and evidence of Peter Scholtes’ contribution to Dr. Deming’s teachings and philosophies. It’s a beautiful picture.

A sampling of the anecdotal evidence:

• My company receives the many emails sent to Peter Scholtes from all over the world.
1. Many people simply want to thank Peter Scholtes for writing two great books that changed their lives and their companies. They have never met Peter. They never met Dr. Deming. Peter communicated Dr. Deming’s philosophies to them in ways that were memorable and easy to implement. They point that out.
2. Others heard Peter Scholtes speak. They, too, want to express their gratitude for the transformation he inspired. His books, along with Dr. Deming’s books, provided the roadmap for transformation.
3. Please keep in mind that Peter’s poor health forced him to retire in about 1998. Yet, the emails keep coming.
4. Who knew that there were LEADER’S HANDBOOK study groups in India, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, China, Australia, New Zealand, Greece, and elsewhere? There are. Last year, a multi-national company ordered 2500 copies of the LEADER’S HANDBOOK so everyone in the company could study a chapter a month and discuss the changes they were going to make as a result of their new insights.
    
• As I travel the USA and foreign countries providing Scholtes-based seminars, attendees tell me the impact Peter had on their companies. In Mexico, Canada, Japan, and England, I’ve heard from owners of automobile dealerships, manufacturers of all types, service companies, non-profit organizations, and others. Their comments include “Peter Scholtes wrote on page xx had made all the difference,” ”That book saved the company,” “Peter Scholtes put us on the right track,” and “Peter Scholtes made Dr. Deming’s philosophy truly practical for us”….

A sampling of the serious quantitive evidence:

• In business, many executives are looking for the “magic bean” to plant to help their companies prosper. Perhaps the best magic bean of all time is the understanding and application of Dr. Deming’s System of Profound Knowledge. I don’t demean SoPK by referring to it as a magic bean. Just the opposite: SoPK does work like magic and I’ve seen it transform people and organizations. Peter’s seminars, writings and consulting successfully integrated the components of SoPK. Such complete integration of systems thinking, a solid statistical foundation, human psychology, and epistemology gave Peter’s words powerful impact.
• In 1997 an insurance association was struggling. We used THE LEADER’S HAND BOOK to help the association stabilize, and then to grow. The association has continued to implement Scholtes/Deming during the past 10 years, and has gone from struggling to providing steady employment and joy in work--and now is a leader their industry.
• A department of taxation for a mid-western state began learning about Deming/Scholtes in 2000. Through THE LEADER’S HANDBOOK hundreds of employees have learned the statistical foundation for understanding variation. They lead by asking good questions. They have stopped rewarding and punishing employees. For their customers, they have reduced costs while improving responsiveness, and changed the face of government to one which really is “here to help you.”

Because of Peter Scholtes, a national auditing firm has abolished performance appraisals. The firm invests 5% of its revenues in training, thus heeding the advice of Deming/Scholtes. The firm sees the organization as a system and has stopped tampering with employees’ work and pitting one department against another. The firm uses Deming/Scholtes “like a plumb-line” to keep them on the straight path. The company has grown from being an “also ran” to being the largest player in their industry.

I speak with Peter Scholtes every couple weeks. We discuss his body of work and Dr. Deming’s philosophies. He is very interested to hear about how Dr. Deming’s work continues to influence people and companies. Of course, he is pleased to hear about the emails which thank him for his contributions.

As Dr. Deming so aptly pointed out, understanding human psychology is a key to Profound Knowledge. Peter’s understanding of human psychology along the road to transformation is second to none.

My conversations with Peter Scholtes always delight me. He is supportive, funny, genuine, and passionate about the journey of transformation. My associates who interact with Peter have the same reaction. He is warm-hearted, a good listener, thoughtful, appreciative, inquisitive, and charming. Those personality traits are hardly quantitative data, yet I would postulate that those traits --along with Peter’s intellectual contributions-- have helped him advance Dr. Deming’s teachings with millions people throughout the world.

Sincerely,

Kelly L. Allan

Kelly Allan
Senior Associate
Kelly Allan Associates, Ltd.