What's Hansei in America? It's an After Action Review.

“Curmudge, before we leave Liker’s fourth ‘P’ (Problem Solving), you promised to discuss hansei, whatever that is.”

“Hansei is translated as ‘reflection’, Julie, but it means much more than that single word. Toyota is a learning organization, and that requires genchi genbutsu (as in our last discussion), kaizen (continuous improvement), and hansei. In this context, hansei means ‘learning from one’s mistakes.’ Here’s an example: At the end of a project, a hansei-kai (reflection meeting) is held with the boss. In the meeting, the project engineer describes in detail all of the things he could have done better. Traditional Japanese hansei requires feeling deeply sorry and admitting shame for one’s errors.”

“Golly, Curmudge, is that really necessary?”

“The folks at Toyota feel that it is essential to be honest about one’s weaknesses and to learn from one’s mistakes. It’s evident that learning from mistakes is critical if an organization is going to improve.”

“I agree, but I can’t envision an American standing before a VP and focusing on what he did wrong. He’s going to describe the good job that he did. Hansei is just too foreign a culture for us. It’s one part of the Toyota Way that’s not going to be used in the U.S.”

“You’re right, Julie. Pure Japanese hansei will require too much of a culture change for most Americans. But perhaps we can Americanize the concept of learning from mistakes by adopting the U.S. Army’s practice, the After Action Review (AAR).”

“You did it, Curmudge. I knew you’d come up with a military analogy. Tell me more about it.”

“An AAR is held immediately after every mission. Although leaders and subordinates are present, rank is left at the door. AARs include discussions of the performance of individuals, leaders, and units. No topics are off limits. An AAR doesn’t grade success or failure; there are always weaknesses to improve and strengths to sustain.”

“It sounds like the Army is a learning organization, just like Toyota. But I bet that leaving rank at the door would take some getting used to.”

“Right again, Julie. It’s interesting that that aspect of an AAR—achieving an open discussion among all people involved—is the most difficult for civilian organizations to adopt.”

“Does the Army have a standard format for its AARs?”

“Of course, just as you would expect. They start by reviewing the objectives and plans for the mission; then they note the actual events, i.e., what happened. Key issues are next analyzed in order to surface the strengths and weaknesses of the unit’s performance. Finally they develop corrective actions so that the unit will do better on its next mission.”

“Curmudge, that sounds just like an after-the-event Plan, Do, Check, Act. What was our plan? What did we do? How well did it work? How can we do it better next time? It appears that the Deming Cycle can be universally applied across the military as well as the civilian world.”

“Brilliant, Julie! You’re not only an excellent student—you can read my mind.”

“What a surprise. Are we going to Americanize any more aspects of the Toyota Way culture? I’m looking forward to getting off the summit of Liker’s ‘4P’ pyramid.”

“We’re nearing the end. Hang in there.”

“See you, Curmudge.”

“Dismissed, Julie.”

Affinity’s Kaizen Curmudgeon