Knowledge Management: From Brain to Business (PDF 5.5 - Asian ...

Page 14
Problem Production line holds excess work-in-process inventory
Question Answer
1. Why? Production orders led to unnecessary parts in the production line.
2. Why? Timing of changes in the production line and timing of production order
did not match.
3. Why? Although there was trouble in the next production process, the prior
process continued production.
4. Why? The information that the parts would not be necessary at the next
process was not communicated to the prior process.
5. Why? It was not the “next process ordering necessary parts” system, but the
“pushing in” system based on a production plan. We need to build a
system to incorporate changes at the production line.
So the answer to the fifth “why?” becomes strategy. If you repeat the question “why?” five
times it really angers some people. But practiced as a discipline, the relentless question
“why?” is not taken personally; it is accepted as part of the discipline. The practice is simple
but building the discipline is not simple and takes time. A leader should show by example.
Once we succeed in this practice, knowledge is generated.
We can move beyond contradiction using logic or discussion, but we can also do this through
action. Contradiction that cannot be solved by objective analysis alone can often be solved
by synthesizing subjective views and intuition accumulated through practice. It may be that
action is more powerful than words.
“Practice” here does not just mean action; it is dialectic in action. Schon emphasized the
importance of “reflection in action.” Reflection in action requires one to think about how one
sees the essential meaning and outcome of the action so that adjustments can be made as
the action unfolds. In Japan, we call this institutional pratice a creative routine or kata in
Japanese. Kata is continuous interaction of tacit and explicit knowledge in an expanding
spiral until the practice becomes second nature. Kata as form means “way of doing things.”
Good kata functions as an archetype to foster creative routine, but it has a higher level of
freedom. It is a continuous process of self-renewal through high quality feedback in action
that sharpens the senses and helps to notify one to modify differences between predicted
outcomes and reality.
The fourth component is “Ba,” which originates from the word basho or place. It comes from
the Japanese philosopher Nishida who tried to build a philosophy based on Zen Buddhism.
We define Ba as “a shared context in motion for knowledge creation.” It is not just a physical
place, but a dynamic place where we can share context to create meanings. It is a
relationship among participants at a specific time and space. Participants in Ba understand
the contexts of others and themselves, and through interaction, change those contexts. Ba
can emerge among individuals, in work groups, project teams, informal circles, temporary
meetings and virtual spaces such as e-mail groups, as well as at the frontline in relations
with the customer.
The kind of place I love is a drinking place. It is a place where we can be open with one
another, sharing context including personal history which encourages sharing of tacit
knowledge because tacit knowledge is very context specific. It is knowledge of my way of life,
about this and that place, and what I did because of this. So it can encourage sharing of
deep tacit knowledge. But, in our country, the time we have for drinking has been shrinking.