"You should not ask questions without knowledge"
About this Quote
Deming urges that inquiry must be grounded in understanding. Curiosity alone is not enough; questions need a frame of reference, operational definitions, and a grasp of the system at work. Without that foundation, questions often drive fear, blame, and thrashing rather than learning. A manager who demands, Why did output fall yesterday? without knowing the natural variation in the process or the capability of the system is likely to misread noise as signal and tamper with stable operations, making performance worse.
His System of Profound Knowledge ties this stance together. Appreciation for a system, knowledge of variation, theory of knowledge, and psychology all caution against casual interrogation. If terms are fuzzy, data undefined, and context ignored, a question like Why is quality bad? has no meaning. Deming insisted on operational definitions so that people share the same understanding of what is being measured and why. He also taught the distinction between common and special causes of variation; questions that assume a special cause when the data reflect common-cause variation lead to misguided fixes and scapegoats.
The Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle adds a practical cadence. Study the process, form a theory, collect data, and only then ask the kind of questions that test and refine understanding. That approach respects workers, reduces fear, and focuses attention on methods rather than slogans or targets. It also reflects his broader critique of management by inspection and exhortation, where leaders pose sweeping questions untethered to theory or evidence.
The point is not to silence inquiry but to elevate it. Do the homework: learn how the system works, define terms, gather relevant data, and listen to the people closest to the work. Questions shaped by knowledge enable prediction, uncover causes, and open a path to improvement. Questions without knowledge add noise.
His System of Profound Knowledge ties this stance together. Appreciation for a system, knowledge of variation, theory of knowledge, and psychology all caution against casual interrogation. If terms are fuzzy, data undefined, and context ignored, a question like Why is quality bad? has no meaning. Deming insisted on operational definitions so that people share the same understanding of what is being measured and why. He also taught the distinction between common and special causes of variation; questions that assume a special cause when the data reflect common-cause variation lead to misguided fixes and scapegoats.
The Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle adds a practical cadence. Study the process, form a theory, collect data, and only then ask the kind of questions that test and refine understanding. That approach respects workers, reduces fear, and focuses attention on methods rather than slogans or targets. It also reflects his broader critique of management by inspection and exhortation, where leaders pose sweeping questions untethered to theory or evidence.
The point is not to silence inquiry but to elevate it. Do the homework: learn how the system works, define terms, gather relevant data, and listen to the people closest to the work. Questions shaped by knowledge enable prediction, uncover causes, and open a path to improvement. Questions without knowledge add noise.
Quote Details
| Topic | Knowledge |
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