Three Useful Phrases for Kaizen

Finding myself in challenging discussions while coaching “change adverse” individuals from time to time, I try to make myself humble and ask “What would sensei do in this situation?” I cycle through the words and actions of Mr. Nakao, Mr. Nagata or Mr. Shimbo of the Shingijutsu Company. Usually I can select an appropriate approach.
Catching myself doing this lately I realized there are three basic phrases that if used in combination and with a measure of respect, almost never fail to move the discussion in a positive direction. These three are “Show me” “Why?” and “Just try it.”
“Show me” is a good way to move the discussion out of the meeting room and to the factory, the evidence, and the facts. The “genchi gembutsu” (go see the facts) approach almost always clears up misunderstandings, exposes the truth (or truths), and focuses the discussion on what matters.
The “Why?” phrase is an opener to the 5 why root cause analysis process. There are three typical outcomes of the 5 why process. The first is the very simple and practical actions to address the known root cause of the problem. The kaizen activity can be tested and the results of the test will be visible.
The second is the unknown or invisible root cause. There may be multiple interacting factors, or it may not be visible, such as a transactional process. This is where you can use a Design of Experiments or call in your Six Sigma Black Belts.
The third type of root cause is systemic, structural, or strategic and points kaizen activity away from the Gemba to the office processes and executive suite. These are useful for elevating the issue and expanding Lean implementation beyond the factory.
If the managers in question are reluctant to go to the Gemba, can not or will not show you the facts, this says an awful lot about their position in the debate. It is probably not based on fact. The “Why?” question can come in handy again here.
Even after you have used the “show me” phrase and then the “why?” questions have identified the actionable root cause, people don’t always act. At this point only evidence can trump mistaken convictions. So you can say “just try it”. It’s only a test. If it doesn’t work, we can switch it back, or try something else.
Sure it takes a degree of authority to get away with using such a limited vocabulary in trying to convince smart and experienced people. Without a certain degree of respect and credibility it’s very difficult to lead change in any environment. I’ve found that when leading change it’s actually easier to use fewer, simpler phrases than to throw around a lot of fancy jargon.
Start with humility, the willingness to admit when you are wrong, and the confidence that the kaizen process will help you meet your goals. Then listen until you find the right time to use the three phrases.

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