I am still continuing with the idea that things changed during Deming's lifetime. Twenty years after his death is an occasion to work some of this through. Maybe the core ideas were clear enough for him but he changed the priority for what was presented. I recently saw a copy of a 1950 speech in Japan. There is a loop diagram that could be about learning but is closer to design and marketing. Then I found this video which is recent and relates to "profound knowledge" but also refers back to much earlier work.

So maybe it id just the audience that changes over time. It still seems to me that the aspect of learning and knowledge has more priority over time.

I still can't find much about Deming as content in academic courses. Maybe the ideas have spread into other areas. Clues welcome.