John Seely Brown, former director of Xerox’s Palo Alto Research Center once said that the essence of being human involves asking questions, not answering them. This blog is about asking the right questions with the help of a simple technique, Toyota’s 5-whys. By understanding the root causes of a problem, not just the symptoms, you’ll be one step closer to solving it.
Picture this…
If you’re into medical drama tv series like me (no judgment here), you’ve probably heard of New Amsterdam. In the series, the head of neurology, Dr. Kapoor, is known for his thorough diagnosis.
There is an episode where a woman in the E.D. says she’s feeling “dizzy”. Dr. Kapoor asks her to explain what dizzy means for her. She complains and answers that “dizzy means dizzy”, she requests something to make her feel better and get released. Dr. Kappor refuses to give any treatment.
They go back and forth until she finally says she hadn’t left just because she can’t feel her feet. Dr. Kapoor then says: “now that I know what dizzy means for you, I can give you a diagnosis. You have XYZ (can’t remember the name), and now I can give you a proper treatment”.
I can think of many times in the public sector where a policymaker is like the woman in the show. In a rush to get a “treatment” and a quick solution to the problem, without interest in understanding what the underlying conditions are.
As public servants, we need to be more like Dr. Kapoor. Ask the right questions to give the proper diagnosis and consequent treatment. In this blog, I want to share with you a simple technique to help you reach that proper diagnosis.
The 5-whys
The 5-whys is a simple technique developed by Sakichi Toyoda, a Japanese inventor and founder of Toyota Industries. The technique was developed in the 30s, became popular in the 70s and it’s been used up to this date by Toyota to solve problems. The technique is also an integral part of the Lean philosophy and adaptive management methodologies.
The objective of the 5-Whys is to drill down to the root cause of a problem. Taiichi Ohno considered the father of the Toyota Production System, explains that “the basis of Toyota’s scientific approach is to ask why five times whenever we find a problem … By repeating why five times, the nature of the problem, as well as its solution, becomes clear”. Finding and eliminating the root cause is crucial to avoid iteration of failures.
The purpose of the 5-whys is to inspect a particular problem in depth until it shows the real cause. One of Toyota’s principles is “go and see (for yourself)”. This means that the decision they make is based on an in-depth understanding of what’s happening in the factory, rather than what the management thinks is happening from their office. That’s certainly a principle the public sector could benefit from.
Step-by-step application of the 5-Whys
1. Define the problem
The first step is to have a clear problem statement. It’s highly recommended to do that as a team to have different perspectives of the situation as well as a more comprehensive understanding of the issue you want to address.
You can also try turning it into a question (my favorite). Remember, you’re trying to understand the situation first, not fixing anything yet.
2. Ask “Why”
Act with the curiosity of a three-year-old. If you have kids, you’ll get this part easily. Ask why as many times as needed (generally around five), until you identify possible root causes of the initial problem.
While it’s practical to think of just one root cause of a problem, in practice, you’ll likely have many. In that case, you’ll do the 5-whys for each of the potential causes.
3. Analyze the information
Once you finish go back to your problem statement and your answers to the 5-whys. Is there something you might be missing? Is there something that got your attention? Perhaps something you were not expecting. It could also be the case that while you listed it as a reason no evidence suggests that, in which case you can reassess. This is a step to digest and process what you’ve just done.
Remember, at this stage, you only want to have a better understanding of the problem, you’re not solving anything yet.
An example in practice
The one question to ask
If I could only ask one question to understand a problem in the public sector, it would be why. It keeps you curious and humble at the same time. Implicitly, you’re recognizing that you don’t know the solution to the problem, but you’re fully invested in understanding what’s going on and solving it.
In essence, you’re putting your detective hat on to try to understand the real issue. By asking why you can gain surprising insights that will save you time and energy in the future.
The 5-whys technique won’t solve it all, but the foundational principle behind that question is very powerful.
