Elon Musk and DOGE are using "Systems Thinking" to find waste.

Dr. Shewhart and Dr. Deming were right, and Elon Musk and his DOGE team are proving it with their systematic efforts to audit and review governmental process for inefficient and ineffective processes for waste.

In an effort to slash government spending, President Trump has asked the world’s richest (and I would say the most innovative) man, Tesla, Twitter, and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, to lead his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). https://dogegov.com/

In the 1930s   - Dr. Shewhart said “Changes that result in improvement come from application of knowledge.”

In the 1950s - Dr. Deming said, “Change comes from outside the system.” He also said - 

I would also urge you to read and study the teachings of Dr. Russell Ackoff when it comes to systems thinking. https://thesystemsthinker.com/a-lifetime-of-systems-thinking/

True and lasting change often comes from outside the system and Elon Musk not being from Washington is the perfect person with his intelligence and resources to eliminate waste within the processes of our governmental departments. He understands that you need to examine the process/system from end-o-end and implement measures throughout the process/system to identify areas of concerns and problems and stop them upfront in the process/system. Once identified you can improve or eliminate the waste or problem. 

However, it is vital "HOW" you cut and eliminate waste from a system. To concentrate only on each individual department and not to understand how it fits into the overall organization can lead to disaster when trying to improve the system. You must take in to account the people within the system and not destroy the overall fabric of what you are trying to improve.

For example, Dr. Ackoff said "

• When you get rid of something that you don't want, you don't necessarily get what you do want. So, finding deficiencies and getting rid of them is not a way of improving the performance of a system. An improvement a program must be directed at what you want not at what you don't want.

Both Dr. Drucker (Management Expert) and Dr. Ackoff both commented on Efficiency vs Effectiveness and to focus on doing the right thing for an organization. According to Peter Drucker, an organization's survival is based on the efficiency and effectiveness of the management. Dr. Ackoff said "

• Quality ought to be directed at effectiveness. The difference between efficiency and effectiveness is a difference between knowledge and wisdom.

Efficiency (Knowledge) is described as the capacity to do a task with the least amount of wasted time, money, and effort, as well as performance competency. Effectiveness (Wisdom) is defined as the degree to which something is successful in delivering the desired result.

Over my years of applying their (Shewhart, Deming, Ackoff and Drucker) statements to my everyday work and management style I developed and followed the following:

Data + Information + Application = Knowledge (D + I + A = K)

Knowledge + Listening + Observing = Wisdom (K + L+ O = W).

 Knowldege + Wisdom = Prediction (K + W = P)

For more info on 
Sytems Thinking click here: https://qualityg.blogspot.com/search?q=systems+thinking