Timaru tutor to address US seminar
A Timaru tutor can soon add New York
City to her list after being invited to speak at a conference
celebrating the work of an American statistician.
Diane Turner, a business tutor at Aoraki Polytechnic, will
attend the 18th annual International Deming Research Seminar to
talk about the teaching strategies she uses that incorporate Dr
William Deming's "system of profound knowledge". She will also talk
about successful outcomes of students applying the principles.
A fan of the late Dr Deming, Mrs Turner gets regular updates
from The W Edwards Deming Institute and saw one late last year
calling for any abstracts of research into the statistician's
principles.
"I sent my assignment away [to the institute] just to show them
that his philosophies are still alive and being taught. I never
thought I would be invited to this conference.
"I was blown away. I never thought they'd be interested in my
work from little old New Zealand."
Mrs Turner will make a 30-minute presentation on February 27 and
28 at the Fordham University in New York City. She will join more
than 40 presenters from around the world.
While she had made presentations at seminars before, she had not
been to anything like this one.
Mrs Turner has a background in accounting as well as extensive
business experience, particularly in systems management.
She and her husband owned and operated Vision Manufacturing in
Timaru, she has been a bursar at Craighead Diocesan School, set up
system management at local companies and mentored people in
business.
She is a director of online accommodation site ezibed.com, and
joined Aoraki Polytechnic in 2010.
"I love helping people with systems they can easily apply that
sees results for their business, and Dr Deming's principles are
often the basis of the systems.
"My passion lies in people and business. I agree with Dr
Deming's beliefs that performance depends on leadership and systems
within an organisation, not necessarily the individual."
Dr Deming is best known for his role as a teacher and consultant
to Japanese industry, boosting the country's manufacturing
reputation. It was only in his later years that he became well
known in the United States.
KATARINA FILIPE - © Fairfax NZ
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