322 THETOYOTAWAYFIELDBOOK
will be necessary to improve the problem-solving ability within
your company.
- Evaluate the cultural mind-set toward problems within your
company.
a. Do people generally prefer to keep problems hidden or
suppressed?
b. When problems occur, are people supported in the effort
to find solutions, or are they blamed for making mistakes?
c. Does your organization promote we/they thinking
because there is a cultural mind-set and structure such that
some people have problems and others are designated to
solve them?
d. Identify specific steps that will shift your culture to one that
views the surfacing and solving of problems to be critical
to the success of the company.
- Evaluate the problem-solving ability in your company.
a. Are problems easily identified and resolved? (If problems
continually recur, they are not being resolved effectively.)
b. Is there a defined methodology to guide the problem-solving
process?
c. What steps are needed to change your organization so it
solves problems at all three levels?
d. What specific training will be necessary to develop
problem-solving skills?
- Evaluate your organization’s ability to focus resources effec-
tively.
a. Does your organization leverage resources to resolve issues
on all three levels?
b. Are the efforts of your people focused effectively on the
most critical issues? How do you know?
c. Are you able to evaluate the effectiveness of your problem-
solving efforts quantitatively? Can you verify that you’re
not spending one dollar to solve a five-cent problem?
