It may be said that the core of creativity lies in thinking differently. But how do we do this?
In this series I am going to illustrate one idea per post for ‘thinking differently’. The first: Toyota’s 5 Whys.
You have a problem, you probably ask why it happened. You may come up with several possible reasons why. The 5 Why’s is different in that it asks ‘Why?’ of the ‘Why’. It does this 5 times.
Taiichi Ohno, Former Executive Vice President of Toyota Motor Corporation suggests we “Ask ‘why’ five times on every matter.” Let’s see how this works in practice.
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- “Why did the robot stop?”
- The circuit has overloaded, causing a fuse to blow.
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- “Why is the circuit overloaded?”
- There was insufficient lubrication on the bearings, so they locked up.
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- “Why was there insufficient lubrication on the bearings?”
- The oil pump on the robot is not circulating sufficient oil.
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- “Why is the pump not circulating sufficient oil?”
- The pump intake is clogged with metal shavings.
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- “Why is the intake clogged with metal shavings?”
- Because there is no filter on the pump.
This method was said to have revolutionised Toyota. Perhaps you might want to give it a try.
Don’t confine it’s use to problems- ask why of the things you do as part of you routine e.g. monthly board meetings. You may be surprised by possibilities for more effective ways of working.
Let me know how you get on.