Lean Blog Audio: Practical Lean Thinking, Psychological Safety, and Continuous Improvement What Deming and Fujio Cho Agreed On: Stop Demotivating People
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Feb 26, 2026 A discussion about why management systems crush people’s initial desire to do good work. Short takes on Deming’s ‘forces of destruction’ like rankings and incentives. Fujio Cho’s warning that exclusion, mistrust, and disempowerment remove motivation. A call to examine system design that teaches protection instead of improvement.
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Motivation Is Eroded Not Absent
- Motivation often isn't missing; it's eroded by management practices over time.
- Deming showed intrinsic curiosity and pride decline due to grading, rankings, incentives, and competition.
Deming's Forces That Destroy Work Spirit
- Deming labeled common management practices the forces of destruction that replace intrinsic motivation with fear and self-protection.
- His diagram lists forced rankings, incentive pay, targets without methods, and competition as primary culprits.
Fujio Cho Explains How Toyota Protects Motivation
- Fujio Cho told U.S. manufacturers Toyota doesn't inject motivation but avoids removing it.
- He listed exclusion from decisions, lack of information, responsibility without authority, and treating workers as interchangeable.