Noodle Maker

I think I've been destroyed and manipulated by the corporate machine.

This week I engaged in the most constructive and serious work discussion I have ever gone through in my life. We went into the Toyota Lean Production system or Kaizen. In the literal it means powerful harmony. This was developed as a business thought and standardizing process at Toyota after World War II and it has become a worldwide phenomenon in business circles. And we actually have staff go to Japan on a regular business.

I was actually involved in policy making decisions, standardizing work for my department, and talking and presenting items to our executive level staff. The big difference between Kaizen and most standard company routines is that they emphasize internal change from the floor staff/grunt/employee level, which is why I was there. They don't want change instituted from the management level since it is oftentimes mistaken or uninformed.

We look at several specific levels of eliminating waste with the biggest focus on time and simplifying. Or as we have been using in the german phrase "TAKT" time. This is specific to another of its core concepts "lean thinking". The other aspect to it is that it is done rapidly and it is a never-ending process.

They asked us to sit around and brain-storm on the first day and someone actually said, "Think out of the box, anything can go on the table." after which I deviously replied, "Ok guys, how about this: --- ROBOTS...." Normally, people laugh... these guys actually broke my spirit and I focused all week.

So all in all, I was reminded of how inefficient I am and how much better our German and Japanese peons have become way efficient than us in business. We just like to throw around money.