BOOK SUMMARY

Nope, it’s not the Japanese version of the Sham-Wow, although I’d pay good money to see that infomercial. Although there is no word in the English language that can describe what Shibumi is, we experience it as...

hibumi!S

Nope, it’s not the Japanese version of the Sham-Wow, although I’d pay

good money to see that infomercial. Although there is no word in the

English language that can describe what Shibumi is, we experience it

as...

Shibumi!elegant simplicity, effortless effectiveness and beautiful imperfection.

It’s the moments in life where everything everything seems to fit

together perfectly, without the herculean effort we are used to providing

to produce these experiences.

It’s the moments in life where

everything seems to fit together

perfectly, without the herculean

effort we are used to

providing to

produce these

experiences.

sp

ff ff

f

For most of us,

Shibumi seems to be an elusive thing –

seemingly reserved for “other” people.But as Matthew May brilliantly portrays in his business fable

The Shibumi Strategy

there truly is a process we can all follow to find those moments on a

daily basis. By practicing this process, we can all walk the path

in pursuit of Shibumi.

Loosely translated, Kaizen means continuous improvement. Kai means change, and zen means “for the better”. If you work in a manufacturing environment, it’s likely you’ve bumped into this word once or twice. It’s a powerful principle, because it doesn’t view positive change as an event that has a starting point and an end point. Rather, it takes the view that change is a never ending process of small and steady steps rather than big leaps. With Shibumi comes great change. And despite what we might think or say about the topic, we all resist change. But if we make small, almost imperceptible changes over time, the results can often be dramatic. For instance, if you wanted to be 16 pounds lighter at this time next year, all you would need to do is stop drinking the equivalent of one can of Coca-Cola a day. The great thing with small continuous changes is that we aren’t hardwired to resist them.

kaizen

The smaller the change, the smaller

the fear.

At its core, Kaizen is made up of three simple steps:

1 2 3

Create a standard

FIND A BETTERway

Numbers 1 and 2 are the

parts where you simply need

to get yourself into motion.

This is easier said than

done most days, but as long as

the first standard you create is

something you can do without

changing your habits in a

hugely significant way, you’ll

be fine.

FOLLOW IT

It’s your ability to find a better way throughout the

process that will determine how quickly your

breakthroughs come.

In order to find your breakthroughs using the Kaizen process, use IDEA — a continuous and iterative loop that will help you solve the problem of finding a better way.

investi

DESIGNcution

adjustgation

ment

exe

Using a period of reflection, gather the facts necessary to fully assess

the situation. Make sure to include a clear definition of what you

are trying to achieve. The principle that we will use in this stage is

Genchi Genbutsu, which means go, look and see. This principle

was made famous by Toyota, and the creator of the Toyota

Production System, Taichi Ohno. When a new graduate

was launched out of that system, he would take the

graduate and then draw a chalk circle on the floor in front of

an operation on the shop floor. His only advice to them would

be to watch and observe, and to keep asking “why”. Usually,

he’d come back after a period of time, ask them a question,

and then have them watch even further. Sometimes

the graduate would stand in that

circle all day.

investigation1

His point? The only w a y t o o b s e r v e something so that you could improve upon it is to get intimately familiar with the it. When you do, you start to see problems, gapsand opportunities that would completely escape you if you tried to come up with a solution off the cuff.

Another famous institution to train it’s employees in the power of observation is the

New York Police Department. In fact, they have been doing this since the 1920’s. In a

simple but elegant test, they show the recruits a sketch of a scene where a car has

crashed. They are told to remember as many of the details as possible, and three

minutes later are given a test about how well they are able to discern and

remember the relevant facts. Although you may never

work at Toyota or for the NYPD, here is the 3 step

process to get your observational skills

up to snuff:

Describe: record the

details of the situation

in as much detail as

you can. Do not

interpret or judge

anything at this point.

Inquire: start asking

the who, what, when,

where and why of the

situation. Again, make

detailed notes.

Conclude: using the

notes you’ve created,

start to make some

conclusions and

frame the

question or

opportunity so

that you are

ready to move

to the design

stage.

G E T

W I T H T H E

SHIBUMI

KISS ME I’M

IRISH

The design stage is where you get to your

potential solutions.

Although entire books

have been written on design thinking, you

essential ly want to

come into this portion of the process with an

uncluttered mind. The

old cliche that “when you are a hammer

everything looks like a

nail” holds true here.

Your goal is to look at the problem with a

fresh set of eyes. So,

understanding your ideal state (the solution

you want to get to), use

the following seven shibumi principles to

start creating solutions.

DESIGN2

NAILED

IT.

what isn’t there can often trump what is. People love symmetry and balance. So much so that when it isn’t there, they will supply it themselves. People are seduced by a solution that is out of balance because it allows them to participate in the solution.

FUKINSEI

limiting information creates intrigue and engagement. Be subtle and leave things open to interpretation.

YUGEN

the simplest rules create the most effective order. This is the highest order of elegance, like Einstein’s E=mc2. Finding the simplest solution to your problem is not easiest thing to do, but it is the most effective.

KANSOsubtraction and restraint promote open innovation. Subtract all but the essential elements of your solution. Think like the designers at Apple Computers – less is more.

KOKO

constraints are a natural source of sustainable innovation. Use the tools at your disposal for the solution. Having less at your disposal will often create a better solution.

SHIZEN

don’t something isn’t always better than doing nothing. Sometimes it’s the pauses in the music, or the piece missing from a piece of art that make it a masterpiece.

SEIJAKU

“break” is an important part of any breakthrough. Some of your best ideas will come when you step away from the problem. Also, switch things up every once in awhile, even if it means taking a new route home from work.

DATSUZOKU

In this step, we will use the principle of Hoshin to create a strategic framework for

implementing the solution. Hoshin means to aim, direct, or plan. It’s like

the compass pointing towards true north – it ensures that

everybody is working towards the same goal. But it is also

about generating the required actions in order to get

there. The following is a framework you can use to

ensure that your solution gets implemented. Simply

create list of items with the following columns:

EXECUTION3

★ Direction or goal★ Key initiative★ Key activity★ Key targets★ Key measure★ Assignment★ Timing★ Budget

Keep track of all of these things and you’ll be well on your way to making sure that everything you need to get done, gets done.

ADJUSTMENT4

Of course, this is a never-ending process and you need to check in to see how things are progressing. And because one of the principles to guide us is kaizen, we are continuously looking for areas to improve in. Here’s how.

There are many ways to do this, one of the easiest and most effective ways was developed by the US Army. They called it the “After Action Review”, and

which means reflection and introspection.

hanseiDuring this phase, we will be using the principle of

it became such an important part of their process that they now use it to review almost everything they do.

The process consists of 3 questions, which again displays the principle of Kanso. It is truly an elegant solution for the process of reviewing progress. Here are the questions...

“Olly olly oxen free!”

1WHAT WAS SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN?

It is almost a certainty that no matter how carefully you planned in the Hoshin stage, there will be gaps in what you planned to have happen, and what actually happened.

WHAT ACTUALLY

HAPPENED?

2

WHY???!!!3

For more information, about this book and our other great book

summaries, please visit:

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So there you have it. A simple summary for a simple and elegant book. But don’t be fooled by the relative short nature of the book – there’s a lot to it, and it will take plenty of p ra c t i c e m a s te r. Good luck, young grasshopper.