Five whys
What’s the most powerful word you can think of?
Strange question eh? But for me it has a simple answer. The most powerful word I can think of is “why?” To me asking “Why?” is to seek a beginning not an end. In coaching being able to identify a strong ‘why’ is seen as a motivator for action. In children asking ‘why’ about everything and anything broadens their knowledge. And when in life we are faced with questions of morality, we ask ‘why’ to strive for a better future. It’s powerful, and it’s uses stretch further yet.
Using why an also be a powerful problem solving tool. Being able to stop and think about the reasons for issues, missed deadlines or poor relationships can uncover greater insight, and encourage us to action the best solutions. But there is one technique, and it’s a simple one, that is easy to put into practice.
The “Five Why’s” was originally created by Sakichi Toyoda. Toyoda was a hugely successful businessman during the Japanese Industrial revolution – so successful he was nicknamed the “King of Japanese inventors”. He was behind many initiatives to improve the textile weaving process – most notably “Jidoka” – the name given to a process in automation that stops the machine when an error is identified. Given Toyoda was alive 1867-1930, this feels light years ahead of its time. Toyoda founded “Toyota” – and as the business evolved to manufacture vehicles, the principle of “Jidoka” was elevated to the world stage.
But the process behind the invention can be applied to any situation. Thinking of a current problem, you stop and ask yourself why it happened. Consider the answer and write it down. Then repeat the exercise by thinking of a different reason why it happened and write that down. Ask yourself “why” five times in total, each time looking for new answers and capture your five why’s succinctly. Through this patient and repetitive approach, it is believed you can find the root cause of your issue. If you need to explore more ‘whys’ you can, but for most people 5 will be enough.
Once written down I feel the next stage of the process lends itself to a gut feel. Is there a “why” on the page you feel drawn to. Why is that? (There’s another why in that!) Can you do something about this? By analysing the five whys we can identify where we can best solve the problem and prompt ourselves to take corrective action. Whilst Toyoda created this for a manufacturing process, there is equal merit in applying more widely. Why is it you clash with an individual? Why can you not make your point heard? We often continue to work through problems, rather than use the principle of “Jidoka” and actually stop and look into the reasons why.
The clarity we gain from understanding the reasons behind issues can be really powerful. Often the solution is simpler than we feared. But where an issue is more complicated the time to think is even more valuable. The exercise can be used to tackle almost any problem and can be used as a quiet reflective exercise or in teams.
Why does it work?
1. Because it prompts you to think deeper
2. Because it encourages you to take the time
3. Because it understands the obvious answer isn’t always the right answer
4. Because it’s actually very easy to do
5. Because it’s been used by businesses around the globe for nearly a century
There’s five whys to try the five whys!
