If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
People can't seem to leave Ohno's Seven Wastes alone. Norman Bodek, godfather of lean, made the latest addition. He calls it "Saying No." Norman chose to share this in an article for Industry Week in The Ninth Waste — Saying, "No". Norman is in his best story-telling form.
Mystery solved: the godfather of lean gave us the eighth waste.
Norman claims that managers are generally resistant to change. That it is in their resisting change that they say, "No," to suggestions for improvement from employees. It may only take a few "No's" to shut down employees from making proposals for improvement. Read the article.
There was a surprise for me in Norman's article. I've long wondered who came up with the eighth waste "the underutilized talents of workers". Norman provided the answer.
"Years ago, I added an eighth waste — the underutilized talents of workers — and started to write and teach about Quick and Easy kaizen, a marvelous technique developed in Japan to open up people's hidden creative talent."
Not sure exactly what Norman meant by "I added an eighth waste," so I sent him an email asking if he was the creator. He replied, "Ohno had seven wastes. I believe I added the eighth waste many years ago." Mystery solved: the godfather of lean gave us the eighth waste.
? Guy Kawasaki wrote, "Less is the new more." Easy to learn: symmetry, seduction, subtraction, and sustainability. Very valuable to do. Step 1: Read Matt's book!! just 140 keystrokes.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=03314884-90d1-47e5-acf3-2821313e9fdc)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=4ce3f392-8989-448a-a97a-c1432dd3fce6)
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Maybe the 9th waste should become the 0th waste because “No” is usually the reason we’re not becoming lean to begin with…
Hi Hal
I definitely agree with you that Norman Bodek has a great talent for putting his message across through his story telling. however I think you are being a little kind by indicating that he has invented both the 8th and 9th forms of waste.
In saying this, I cite your 2004 paper with Greg Howell – “TWO GREAT WASTES IN ORGANIZATIONS” – where you identify a number of attempts to define an 8th waste, including “the design of goods and services that don’t meet the users’ needs.” [Womack & Jones 1996] and “making do” [Koskela 2004].
However, if for the sake of discussion, we agree that the concept behind the term “the underutilized talents of workers” – also described as the “Underutilization of Human Potential” or the “untapped inventiveness, talents, and wisdom” of those involved in the process – is the official 8th waste, then surely (as you indicated in that paper) we need to consider Henry Ford as the originator of this concept… which (back in 1926) was well before anyone even thought about the term “lean”.
As for “Saying No” being the 9th waste, is this not just an extension of “Not Listening” – what you described as being the “first great waste”??? The reason I ask this is because of what Norman describes as the consequences of “Saying No” (”Not Listening”)… people stop contributing altogether or in other words are “Not Speaking” the “second great waste”!!!
Maybe its just me… but I don’t see “Saying No” (”Not Listening”) as being a separate definitive waste. What I do see it as however, is a major contributing factor to the waste of human potential – the 8th Waste and possibly the biggest waste of all!!!
I don’t see my comments as “being kind.” As Paul points out in our paper Two Great Wastes Greg Howell and I take on those who keep tinkering with Ohno’s taxonomy of wastes belonging to materiel processes. “Untapped human creativity” and all the variations of that waste don’t belong to the materiel taxonomy. However, there is widespread reference and acceptance of this as the eighth waste. I heard a story that Ohno added “untapped creativity” as the eighth waste. It never made sense to me. Norman published Ohno’s books, traveled with Ohno extensively, and organized many study missions of American executives. If Norman said he originally added that as an eighth waste, then I believe him.
Regarding the ninth waste, Paul is right. I went easy with my comments. I don’t buy Norman’s argument of “resistance” and saying, “No.” Norman keeps looking for an explanation as to why firms are not making more progress with lean. To him it is the obvious course of action. “Resistance” is Norman’s explanation as to why we aren’t making more progress. I have another view. I’ll express it in a future posting.
In the meantime, read Norman’s Industry Week essay.