# Understanding Variation

*Tom Geraghty · Measurement, Models & Critique*

Introduces Statistical Process Control and Deming's insight that most variation in systems is common cause (systemic) not special cause (individual). Applied to performance management and blame: attributing variation to individuals when the system is the source is both inaccurate and harmful.

- **This page:** https://explore.psychsafety.com/n/understanding-variation/
- **Read the full article on psychsafety.com:** https://psychsafety.com/understanding-variation/
- **Interactive map:** https://explore.psychsafety.com/?node=understanding-variation

## Connected concepts (5)

- [Blametropism](https://explore.psychsafety.com/n/blametropism.md)
- [Soft to Each Other, Hard on the System](https://explore.psychsafety.com/n/be-soft-to-each-other-and-hard-on-the-system.md)
- [Beyond Metrics](https://explore.psychsafety.com/n/beyond-metrics.md)
- [Deming's 14 Points](https://explore.psychsafety.com/n/demings-14-points-of-management.md)
- [Safety Work vs Safety of Work](https://explore.psychsafety.com/n/safety-work-vs-the-safety-of-work.md)