The blue bird: Discovering a problem while problem-solving

TAIICHI Ohno (1912-1990), Toyota's famous and greatest management icon, said many times to his factory engineers: "Having no problems is the biggest problem of all." This oft-repeated maxim has somehow pushed almost all Toyota workers since time immemorial to do a proactive search of operational issues around them.

Ohno concluded that the shop floor workers were the key. It's not the line leaders, unit supervisors or even their managers who can discover and solve problems; it's the people working the line. The question, however is: How many would be like Ohno's engineers who were trained and continuously trained to be proactive in identifying and solving problems? Not so many, I suppose. Don't take my word for it. Take a good look of what's happening around your office and factory.