Motivation and Productivity: Deming's Points Nos. 10-13

#10 - Eliminate slogans, exhortations and targets for the workforce asking for zero defects and new levels of productivity. Such exhortations only create adversarial relationships, as the bulk of the causes of low quality and low productivity belong to the system and thus lie beyond the power of the workforce.

This concept is also covered in Points #9 and #5.  Basically, what Deming is saying is that if we design our organizations around the necessary processes for our business, and exercise the principles of leadership, we don't need slogans. Realistic targets of productivity are negotiated with individual employees, and these must align with corporate strategic goals. The performance of employees is measured objectively against those negotiated productivity levels.

Deming points out here that when productivity appears to be a problem, we generally find that systems, not people, are at fault. The answer to the problem in such cases is process engineering.

Point # 11a - Eliminate work standards (quotas) on the factory floor. Substitute leadership.
Point # 11b - Eliminate management by objective. Eliminate management by numbers, numerical goals. Substitute leadership.

In my view, these are merely two more ways to state the previous point. In case you didn't get it the first time, it's important enough to repeat.