The Toyota method that helps get to the root of any problem with “5 whys”

The five “whys” technique was invented by the founder of Toyota Motor Corporation, Sakichi Toyoda, and it helps many people solve virtually any problem. The Japanese company is known in the management world as an example of excellence and efficiency.

Incrível.club invites you to implement this method, tested by the famous Japanese corporation and by many other people around the world.

The technique is incredibly simple. just ask the question “because?” 5 times. Every answer will be the next question🇧🇷 If the problem is in interpersonal relationships, don’t look for answers in the other person’s behavior. Try to observe your attitude towards the question. See how it works with a simple example

Problem: On the workshop floor there is a puddle of oil.

Because? Oil leaked from some car. Because? Because the head gasket is damaged. Because? Because we buy head gaskets made with cheap materials. Because? Because they were sold to us at a better price. Because? Because the work of sales agents is rewarded and valued on short-term savings, not long-term results.

You can ask this question again and again until the cause is clear.

To solve problems more efficiently, there is a trick: use the ladder chart. By writing down your answers, you will be able to better focus on how to solve your problem. Maybe you need less time or more than 5 questions, or maybe you can identify multiple root causes at the same time, for example:

If the problem is complex and includes several important points, it is recommended to use the
Ishikawa diagram (cause and effect diagram, “fish skeleton”). Once you have detected all the factors that make up the problem and managed to resolve them point by point, you will obtain the desired result.

It is important to note that this method works only if you do not distract your attention when secondary problems begin to seem important to you.

See the difference between correct and incorrect interpretation:

Sometimes it is not so easy to see the connection between cause and effect because we are distracted by our assumption🇧🇷