tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7108456.post6391250172935280387..comments2007-12-22T10:12:10.481-06:00Mark Grabanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07953086531083611251noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7108456.post-26841556977548899482007-12-22T10:12:00.000-06:002007-12-22T10:12:00.000-06:002007-12-22T10:12:00.000-06:00I had a conversation with Norman Bodek a couple of years ago about the cultural perceptions of "respect." I asked how to reconcile the brutal way the Japanese senseis sometimes counseled people with the ideal of respect. We sort of settled on our cultural idea of respect is more like being nice, considering the feelings of other people, giving them the benefit of the doubt and so on. People like Shingo weren't always nice, but they believed that anyone could learn how to solve problems. Anyone had that capability. We're more likely to show "respect" by rejecting an idea or a person nicely, as we decide that this is just a stupid person that we shouldn't listen to again. That's the trouble with language in translation. One word requires pages and pages of discussion about all the aspects of its meaning.Karen Wilhelmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06463767332463542390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7108456.post-70833899295790131932007-12-21T16:10:00.000-06:002007-12-21T16:10:00.000-06:002007-12-21T16:10:00.000-06:00Funny, we use Lotus Notes here and it came out great. Guess I was lucky that mine was easy to read!<BR/><BR/>In addition, not only is Jim's letter fantastic for what it says, but also for how he says it. So many Lean books these days talk of theory and principle. His note gives hard-core example.<BR/><BR/>I'm reading Shingo's "Kaizen and the Art of Creative Thinking" currently. He does a fantastic job of simplifying the message and providing "bread and butter" examples. I even used one of his examples this morning when we had an similar incident in our production control area.<BR/><BR/>In a recent discussion with Norman Bodek, I mentioned that so many Lean books just say the same thing. These two latest examples are exactly what I've been looking for - simple messages and clear directions (examples) that I can share with all levels...sounds like Rules in Use!Mike Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04875619861790561911noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7108456.post-23031914081292147122007-12-21T10:57:00.000-06:002007-12-21T10:57:00.000-06:002007-12-21T10:57:00.000-06:00I agree, the formatting was horrible in Outlook. I almost didn't read it, which would have been a shame. Content is king, but making stuff readable helps avoid "muda" for the readers, right Jim? Where is the "lean solution" in how the email is formatted? "Don't waste my time" Jim, as you would say!<BR/><BR/>But I loved the message. Great job, Jim. If only the GE type companies would really understand stuff like that, what lean is really all about.Neutron Jerknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7108456.post-90065451561067460842007-12-20T21:25:00.000-06:002007-12-20T21:25:00.000-06:002007-12-20T21:25:00.000-06:00Agree it was good. <BR/><BR/>But man he needs to hire a web guy or something since the formatting of the letter was terrible (one long paragraph). <BR/><BR/>Maybe it was a Lotus Notes thing... but sure hard on the eyes.Ronnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7108456.post-72020447392705836602007-12-20T19:45:00.000-06:002007-12-20T19:45:00.000-06:002007-12-20T19:45:00.000-06:00I couldn't agree with you more: as I read his letter, I thought that it was one of the best I've read.<BR/><BR/>What's interesting to me is that there's standard work in making the company a great environment. Rather than deploying vague notions of "respect" or "giving employees latitude," Toyota has a clearly defined procedure for showing respect -- and not incidentally, making better products.Dan Markovitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09600174699571102538noreply@blogger.com