“Well, Curmudge, we’re up here again on top of Liker’s ‘4P’ pyramid model of the Toyota Way. The climb wasn’t too difficult, but I sure wish the wind chill up here weren’t -25ºF.”
“Put on your nose mitten, Julie, and your earmuffs. But not too tightly; I want you to hear what we are discussing today. We’re still on Liker’s fourth ‘P’, Problem Solving, and we are going to start by talking about genchi genbutsu.”
“That’s an intimidating mouthful, Curmudge. I hope you plan to translate it. It sounds a lot like gemba, which we studied months ago.”
“You’re right. ‘Going to gemba’ and genchi genbutsu have essentially the same meaning. Specifically, genchi genbutsu may be translated as ‘going to the place to see the actual situation for understanding.’ Not only must one go and see for himself, he should also take full advantage of the wisdom and experience of others. In Japan, they speak of the Ohno Circle, a chalk circle on the shop floor where one stands—sometimes for hours—to gain a deep understanding of the process.”
“That sounds dangerous. If you stand in one place in many American factories for even five minutes, you are apt to be run over by a fork lift. Nevertheless, it’s an important concept. How can we Americanize it?”
“Remember in October when we talked about leading from the front? Our scenario was knights leading their troops on a medieval battlefield. It may seem like quite a stretch between that and genchi genbutsu, but you’ll soon see the connection. In today’s Army, leading from the front is more than just the lieutenant leading his platoon. It’s higher ranking officers—even generals—getting close to the action, talking with people, and seeing with their own eyes to learn the true situation. That’s the U.S. Army’s version of genchi genbutsu, although I doubt that anyone in the military realizes it.”
“And do you know what genchi genbutsu is in the hospital, Curmudge? It’s rounding! And in both places, the hospital and the battlefield, the leader not only has to see, he has to be seen.”
“Absolutely, Julie. As a wise person once said, ‘You must be seen to be heard.’ Communications from the boss are much better received if the people know that he has been there to share their situation and knows—first hand—what he is talking about.”
“Are there more Japanese problem-solving terms that we need to explain, Curmudge? If so, my guess is that you have more military analogies up your sleeve to use in Americanizing them.”
“Next time we’ll discuss hansei, or reflection. Be sure to be here.”
“Bye, Curmudge.”
“At ease, Julie.”
Affinity’s Kaizen Curmudgeon
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