Quality as explanation

Some of the theory relating to radio and management started as quality ideas. Not just conformity but how systems change to deliver something different. This has mostly come from practice so some academics do not accept the approach. Especially a problem I find when those who study management learning have a look at quality theory.

For example Hugh Wilmott and Adrian Wilkinson in Making Quality Critical seem not to like the way that Edwards Deming and others appear not to relate to other academic theory. I think one explanation for this is that they write about quality for a management audience as if what they suggest could be acted on. So it tends to be more positive than formal descriptions of what mostly happens. Critique takes on capitalism can be more realistic, often convincing.

So Deming on "The New Economics" is none too clear on where quality relates to existing economics. It has to do with what is delivered as product rather than flows of money.

For radio we do not need to look at system failure too much but can consider how other systems develop alongside existing ones. This may be a sensible way of working, existing systems concentrate on their main role as long as it lasts.