Ultimately, Deming’s axiom carries moral weight. Choosing not to change risks customers’ trust, employees’ livelihoods, and communities’ welfare—particularly as safety, climate, and cybersecurity stakes rise. Continuous improvement safeguards more than margins; it protects people. Therefore, survival as a value implies an obligation: to learn, to adapt, and to build systems that make tomorrow safer and more useful than today. In that light, change is optional only if responsibility is, too. [...]
