People in the West have a serious problem if they need a word in Japanese for getoffyourbutt.
The very existence of such a Japanese term in the West, is indicative of the massive wall between workers and management. It is something special and unusual for managers to venture out where the work is being done. It is something to be talked about, even boasted about, "I'm going to the Gemba". It is like brave bwana stepping forth into the jungle. Bwana is more likely to talk to a lion than a worker.
Alienation of the worker is endemic in the West. Fads have increased this alienation, with elitist pseudo experts, with nothing but a couple of weeks training in nonsense. People at the front line are the real process experts. Folk with colored belts try to tell them how to suck eggs. For example, at Ford, belted folk spent 9 months on a "mega project" in order to tell workers that stickers don't stick if a car is dirty.
I learned the effects of privilege at an early age. I came from a poor family, drenched in alcoholism, violence and gambling. My parents didn't graduate. I supported myself with 3 scholarships in high school and 2 at uni, plus a cadetship with a leading company. I was lucky to be the only non private school boy admitted to the cadetship, only because I was dux of my high school, and was at the top in the state.
On weekends, my mates and I would surf, study and work on our cheap old cars. I learned the difference between American junk and the superb engineering of the Japanese. Mechanical things, solving problems and getting our hands dirty was natural.
The company where I had my cadetship was elitist in the extreme. There were 2 classes - staff and the worker. The wearing of hats by staff had only recently ceased to be compulsory. I still see the same divide between the privileged and the worker, everywhere today.
Staff were expected never to mix with workers. For me, workers were much more like me than staff. For me, it was the most natural thing get my hands dirty and to spend time with the workers. They would tell me everything. As Con Papadopolis once said "Tony, we know machines. We tell you. You clever. You fix".
I've heard so many people parrot "respect for workers" while having no clue what they are talking about. Respect for workers means knowing the workers. Knowing their names. Knowing about their families. Respect for workers means being able to talk with them, not down to them. It involves gaining the respect of workers. Workers should be trained and involved in improving quality. Their skills and pride of workmanship should be encouraged.
Every manager should spend at least a month, working on the shop floor, in overalls, beside the workers. If the manager has no real skills, he should spend the time pushing a broom and learning from the operators. This would indeed break down the barriers and build respect for the workers and their skills.
by Dr Tony Burns BE (Hon 1) PhD (Chem Eng)