Do animals follow PDSA cycle like most corporate

Nov 28
08:08

2011

Ranganathan

Ranganathan

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In nature, all animals from a microbe to blue whale follow PDSA cycle as like most corporate.....

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Deming/Shewhart theory is one of the oldest management theories practiced by the corporate all over the world for the purpose of continuous improvement.  Indeed the theory may be very old and well known to the corporate,Do animals follow PDSA cycle like most corporate Articles but the above theory or the concept is much older than what any corporate on earth can imagine or believe.

Deming theory speaks about PDCA/PDSA (Plan, Do, Check or Study and Act) cycle.  The secret of evolution of various species in nature itself would testify how old and how well known the above theory is to Nature.  The nature has done all its creation only according to the above theory.  Interestingly, every species in nature starting from a microbe to the blue whale follows and perpetuate PDSA cycle at least in one stage in their life. 

Even for a microbe to cause any disease, it needs to have some planning done. Making itself available for human ingestion either in water or food or through some vectors/carriers is what planning is all about.  The microbes also need to be in a viable form to a considerable extent of time until it reaches its desired ecosystem forms the part of the planning process.   As soon as it enters the right host, it needs establish itself.  Only by doing the needed, it can establish its domain in the host.  Mere establishing its domain is not enough, it needs to study the host ecosystem as how it respond or react or reciprocate to the entrant microbe.  Accordingly the microbe act either by developing drug resistance or causing immune debilitation of the host or getting ready to choose another safe host.

The trees in the forest ecosystem do follow the above PDCA cycle.  They plan for the flowering in the right season.  Post flowering they do all needful to attract the pollinators either through offering nectar or attract them through fragrance.  Subsequent to pollination, the fruit formation would occur.  Having studied the risk of premature destruction of seed if the fruits were so visible and obvious in the beginning, hence the colour of the fruit would remain green during its early stage and become richly coloured when ripen.  Trees smartly facilitate the seeds in every ripened fruit for next generation.  How perfectly nature has enabled the trees to follow the above law.

Different species of plants and animals in nature do not just follow the above theory blindly; they improve and improvise generation after generation.   The omnivores feeding behaviour of some animals is another example for how animals have learned to benefit from what is instead of searching for what should be by following the PDSA cycle. 

During nest building period, birds plan the site, involve in the process of building the nest, study their safety and space availability in the nest, decide and do the clutch size and incubate the eggs to hatch the young ones.

Even before hunting, the predator has to quickly plan, they need to do the hunting, once the kill is made, it has to quickly study as any food snatchers are around and has to quickly act by eating its full share.  Neither any life nor the very biology itself is possible on earth without following the PDSA cycle.

If we look at the diversity of animal behaviour within the same species, the anatomical and morphological adaptation of species within the same genus as in the case of Darwin’s finches for example, we can understand how perfectly many species have acted or responded to the local situation by adopting the deming theory. 

Nature and its entire species except man follow the above theory with great commitment and discipline.  But the corporate man speaks about it and advises others to follow but they never follow the same.