How do I choose?

Oral-B says I must trust the brush more dentists use... while Colgate claims it to be the #1 brand recommended by dentists. Now if the dentists use oral-B but recommend colgate, what should I choose? Should I go by what they recommend or what they use?

A story is just as good as the story-teller

I intend no offence to reporters nor do I intend to stereotype them. However I somehow feel that there are reporters even today who spice up things in media to gain attention and sell the story. This seems to have been in existence for ages now. The article below is from the writings of Albert Einstein in the year 1934.

Mein Weltbild, Amsterdam: Querido Verlag, 1934.
Author: Albert Einstein

To be called to account publicly for what others have said in one’s name, when one cannot defend oneself, is indeed a sad predicament.

One morning a reporter comes to you and asks you in a friendly way to tell him something about your friend N. At first you no doubt feel something approaching indignation at such a proposal. But you soon discover there is no escape.

If you refuse to say anything the reporter writes, “I asked one of N’s supposedly best friends about him. But he prudently avoided my questions. This in itself enables the reader to draw the inevitable conclusions”.

Therefore you understand that there is no escape and you give the following information, “Mr. N is a cheerful, straightforward man, much liked by all his friends. He can find a bright side to any situation. His enterprise and industry know no bounds; his job takes up his entire energies. He is devoted to his family and lays everything he possesses at his wife’s feet….”

Reporter’s version goes like this… “Mr. N takes nothing very seriously and has a gift for making him liked, particularly as he carefully cultivates a hearty and ingratiating manner. He is so completely a slave to his job that he has no time for the considerations of any non-personal subject or for any extracurricular mental activity. He spoils his wife unbelievably and is utterly under her thumb….”

Next morning your friend N reads this in the paper and his rage against you knows no bounds, however cheerful and benevolent his natural disposition may be. The injury done to him gives you untold pain, especially as you are really fond of him.

What’s your next step my friend?

Are the Japanese teaching us what we already know?

5S is a philosophy and a methodology for organizing the workplace and managing it in a way that minimizes any type of waste, thus improving the overall efficiency. 5S refers to the five structured programs using the Japanese principles of seiri, seiton, seison, seiketsu, and shitsuke—or commonly referred to as sort, set, shine, standardize and sustain, respectively. The Japanese words are shorthand expressions for principles of maintaining an efficient and effective workplace and office. Many Indian companies are now adopting these principles.

Now do we need the Japanese to teach this to us?

In my opinion they are teaching us what we already know. We Indians knew this concept and in fact have been practising it but we just did not identify our own capabilities and the possibility of using it in our companies. The Japanese are reminding us of our own capabilities and are showing us the common sensical way of doing things.

You may now question me as to where did we Indians follow 5S? Let me give you an example here. Consider an Indian kitchen. What best example for the 5S principles than an Indian kitchen?

1. Seiri - Sort

You separate the things you need from the ones you don't need.

This is the first and foremost thing that is done in a kitchen. You separate those that are needed and frequently used from those that are not needed. Those that are not needed are always kept away from the kitchen. I still remember my grandmother telling me not to bring anything into kitchen that is not used in the kitchen.

2. Seiton - Set
A place for everything and everything in its place.

A simple but an effective example for this is the traditional spices box we use in our houses. In Tamil Nadu this box is called as Anjarai Petti (Box with 5 compartments. Traditionally this used to be a box with 5 compartments). The frequently used spices are neatly arranged in the compartments so that they can be easily retrieved whenever required. Typically a place for everything and everything in its place.

Anjarai Petti

3. Seison - Shine

“Cleaning is Inspecting". So true! Each time you clean, you may find leaking hoses/valves, broken switches, etc. It improves overall plant safety for obvious reasons.

Now coming to our kitchen...

Cleanliness is next to Godliness.

This has been the principle that formed the backbone of an Indian kitchen for ages now. Everytime after cooking I have seen my mother and my grandmother clean the kitchen and all the vessels and equipments used. In fact I was taught to do the same thing when I made something as simple as a tea or a coffee in the kitchen. The kitchen would be kept clean and dry and always ready for next use. This is typically Seison.

4. Seiketsu - Standardize

It means that you need to have some standards in place to make sure that everything is kept where it's supposed to.

Traditionally the kitchen used to be located in the South eastern corner of the house in South India. The reason behind this is that this end of the house is usually well lit due to good exposure to sunlight. Further this is in the direction of the winds and hence the kitchen would be airy. All these help in maintaining the kitchen well lit and hygienic. Nowadays these standards have undergone changes since there are mechanised means to achieve all the mentioned objectives. However I am citing this example to support the point that a typical Indian kitchen had some standards in place. The dishes used to be cooked in a specific order (standard operating procedure) which ensured that the cooking was done in the least time possible and still with no compromise on quality. This in my opinion is a typical example for Seiketsu.

5. Shitsuke - Sustain

Now should I even justify this point? The Indian kitchen has been existing for ages now with all the attributes I have mentioned above and hence is a clear example of a well sustained model.

Having said all this I would like to make it clear that I dont have anything personal against the Japanese or their philosophies. In fact I respect their skills and capabilities. I just wish to say that we Indians knew all these philosophies already so why do we have to wait until the Japanese show us the way?

Disclaimer

All opinions in this blog are the author's personal opinions. Independent verification of all the information in this blog was not carried out, unless specifically stated. No warranty, express or implied is made in relation to the contents of this blog. Therefore the author assumes no liability for any loss resulting from the errors, omissions or misrepresentations made based on this blog.