Following up on the LEI survey that was released and discussed here, I’ve been talking with a few folks offline about what the “root causes” really are for Lean struggles. Instead of pointing at “who?” what would we find if we asked “Why?” And then asked “Why?” again. Let’s utilize one of the Toyota Production System problem solving methodologies, the “5 Whys?”

So, an online survey is cheap and easy to set up. Let’s give this a try. It’s an experiment, in the spirit of PDCA. I’m not sure if this problem really lends itself to 5 Whys, because as blog reader Ralf pointed out, this is a complex business and organizational problem. It might not lend itself to an online survey, since I’m used to doing this in person and interactive.

Tagged as: 5 Whys Survey, Blame, Leadership, Problem Solving