Reflection Paper on Red Beads Experiment

Dr. Deming’s red bead experiment vividly illustrates that willing workers are unable to sustain
improvement unless management improves their system. It is used by Dr. Deming in his
teachings to point out poor management style. Due to the fact, that management gives employees
limitations, employees are unable to find more effective ways to make the work easier, to be
productive and to be efficient. With that data collected can lead management to sometimes make
incorrect decisions and therefore denying the company growth, the ability to improve or become
sustainable. This tends to lead to retrenchment or failure which results in the closing of a
business. 
The red bead experiment includes ‘willing workers’ who requires no training to use a special
paddle to draw white beads from a large bowl containing 4,000 beads. This paddle can only hold
50 beads. Then it is taken to the inspectors who makes independent counts and record the
amount of red beads produced. One chief inspector confirms the amount of red beads produced
and ‘dismisses’ it by saying it out loud. The recorder then writes this data down where everyone
can see it. The recorder controls the data recorded by this experiment.
There are too many people involved in this process to produce 50 white beads per day. While
quantity is important in business sense, there is no purpose of having speed without accuracy.
Since the job must be done the way it was shown in the training without any questions or
suggestions to improve the work, employees just do as they are told in fear of losing their jobs.
As they are reminded to just do their jobs because they are people who are willing to take their
place. This procedure is done for four (4) working days; at the end of the fourth day; the results
are averaged to determine which worker is doing good and who have performed the worst. Each
day is tallied and recorded for each player and working day. Based on performance the best
workers are given rewards and the worst is dismissed and replaced.
Each time the target of 50 white beads was not met management tried to place incentives such as
monetary rewards, recognizing employees of the month, slogans and posters to try get workers to
meet the required target. No changes were made in the procedure where it carried on the same
way as explained in training. The management in the experiment used controlled, forced,
threatened and much needed supervision. They did not trust the employees to do the job and
make adjustments to enhance it so that productivity is increased.
All in all, if there is no foundational results, there should be an inspection in the procedures.
Workers will always know easier ways to do certain tasks as they are the ones doing it every day,
each is why suggestions should be welcomed. In the end the Company will fail if Management
does not try to improve their procedures. Managing people of different backgrounds tend to be a
difficult task as no one person is the same. In management there comes a time where there
should be explanations on decisions made and there should be an open door policy to allow
employees to feel free to ask questions and make suggestions. In the red beads experiment we
see that sometimes as managers, we tend to look at quantity more than quality. This experiment
is very helpful for Managers to read as it allows us to value each employee.