Kaizen and the Art of Creative Thinking - The Scientific Thinking Mechanism [Hardcover]

Shigeo Shingo (Author), Tracy S. Epley (Editor), Collin McLoughlin (Editor), Norman Bodek (Editor), Ken Shiwram (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Book Description

Once again Dr. Shigeo Shingo will amaze you. Along with Taiichi Ohno, Dr. Shingo co-developed TPS (LEAN) with his deep understanding of how to improve the overall process of production. Dr. Shingo reveals how he taught Toyota and other Japanese companies the art of identifying and solving problems.

Many companies in the West are trying to emulate Lean but few can do it. Why not? Possibly, because we in the West do not recognize, develop and support the creative potential of every worker in solving problems. Toyota makes all employees problem solvers. Dr. Shingo gives you the tools to do it.

It is an easy to read brilliant book!

Dr. Shingo presents six unique models, the sum of which he calls the Scientific Thinking Mechanism.These frameworks allow groups to deconstruct problems and rebuild them into powerful improvement ideas. This concept is central to Toyota Production System (TPS) and provides the necessary foundation for any Lean Initiative to be built upon.Praise for the Book

“Dr. Shingo was a master of Kaizen, he had the scientific training and innovative genius to deeply understand processes and the humility to realize that he needed the operators to take ownership. We are fortunate to have this new opportunity to gaze deeply into the thinking of one of the true geniuses behind TPS —Dr. Shigeo Shingo.”
From the foreword by Jeffrey K. Liker, Ph. D.,
New York Times best–selling author, The Toyota Way

“This book contains a myriad of case studies taken from office examples as well as the shop floor. It is a gold mine of improvement ideas that cumulatively must have saved millions, and could still do so today!”
Don Dewar, President & Founder, Quality Digest Magazine

“Kaizen and the Art of Creative Thinking is a revealing book and is the genesis manuscript to the Lean Manufacturing mindset. It captures the fundamental thought process to structure problem solving activities and is the foundation to all essential aspects of the Kaizen philosophy. Truly a wealth of knowledge, wisdom and frameworks to embolden you to change existing practices!”
Michel Mestre, Ph.D. Professor, Northwest University

“For those of us who have revered the work of Dr. Shingo, this is an exciting work. More so than any other of his books.”
Bill Kluck, President, Northwest Lean Network

“Practicing Kaizen (the habit of making small improvements) eludes many people. Dr. Shingo’s Scientific Thinking Mechanism replaces the hope for a flash of creativity with a reliable and learnable habit-building approach. Thanks for making this Rosetta Stone for Kaizen available to the world.”
Hal Macomber, Principal, Lean Project Consulting, Inc.

What you will learn from Shigeo Shingo?

Dr. Shingo explains the ethos of Toyota’s production system, with examples of how other companies benefited and struggled with these principles. Kaizen and The Art of Creative Thinking is the genesis guide to the foundations of the Toyota Production System.

• How to create an innovative company and culture
• How to manage a creative environment
• How to focus your resources for successful growth
• How to create an internal engine of idea generation
• How to harness the true value of improvement, and
• How to unlock human potential

Dr. Shingo’s Scientific Thinking Mechanism was born in the 1950’s and has never been fully revealed to the West. This is Toyota’s secret weapon. From this day forward you will now have the power and knowledge to start the process of implementing your own Lean system.

--From the Publisher

About the Author

Dr. Shigeo Shingo along with Frederick Taylor, Henry Ford and Taiichi Ohno are probably the four greatest manufacturing minds in the last 100 years. Dr. Shingo was born in 1909 in Saga City, Japan, graduated from Saga Technical High School and earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Yamanashi Technical College and received an honorary doctorate degree from Utah State University. He taught over 3000 Toyota engineers in the principles stated in this new book Kaizen and the Art of Creative Thinking — The Scientific Thinking Mechanism.

Dr. Shingo authored over 20 books, six in English:

• A Study of the Toyota Production System
• Revolution in Manufacturing: The SMED System
• Zero Quality Control: Source Inspection and the Poka-Yoke System
• The Sayings of Shigeo Shingo: Key Strategies for Plant Improvement
• Non-Stock Production: The Shingo System for Continuous Improvement, and
• The Shingo Production Management System: Improving Process Functions.

He died in 1990, one week after his last consulting assignment. We should all be indebted to Dr. Shingo for helping to improve the world’s manufacturing processes.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 281 pages
• Publisher: PCS Inc. and Enna Products Corporation (October 28, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1897363591
• ISBN-13: 978-1897363591
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #699,800 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth every penny is an understatement, December 29, 2007

By 

Mike T. "C.I. Leader" (IA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Kaizen and the Art of Creative Thinking - The Scientific Thinking Mechanism (Hardcover)

Having practiced Lean for over seven years, my biggest complaint has been the difficulty of finding books written simple and direct. Dr. Shingo's book is easy to read, simple, full of real-world examples not theory, and yet provides deep insight into a difficult area that all western manufacturers struggle with - continuous improvement at all levels.

People with different reading styles will appreciate his graphical representations. Although, at times I found them less useful (personal reading style).

Read this book once for the simplicity, then read it again to see the insights behind the simplicity. Then share it with everyone in your organization if you truly want to become a world-class manufacturer.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Shingo's Kaizen For Manufacturing Reflections, April 10, 2009

By 

bnieman (Wheaton, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kaizen and the Art of Creative Thinking - The Scientific Thinking Mechanism (Hardcover)

There are many interesting insights on the structure of creative thinking about Kaizen (Improvement) in this book. But the bulk of the text is anecdotal reflections on problems the author has solved or encountered during many years of worrying about manufacturing problems. For me the key messages of the book are:

1. Be sure you define the problem carefully
2. Make sure you define the purpose of your solution activity carefully
3. Be sure you suspend judgement during brainstorming
4. Don't stress about not reaching a root cause right away

I didn't find most of the many anecdotes very valuable or interesting, except that the illustrate the tenacious focus of Shingo on Kaizen. I don't recommend this book except as a historical reference to the subject of Kaizen.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Essence of Lean Thinking, June 6, 2008

By 

John L. Cairo "John C" (Grosse Ile, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Kaizen and the Art of Creative Thinking - The Scientific Thinking Mechanism (Hardcover)

In this book, the reader is taken back behind the proverbial " curtain", to be shown the essence of the thought processes used by one of the profound geniuses of lean thinking in the 20th century.

This book will have the heaviest impact upon those who have a great difficulty grasping how to think unconventionally. It will only help those people, when they are truly ready to loosen their grasp upon their traditional paradigms.

What particularly impresses me when I read this book is that it is not overly complicated, and in fact, is in many ways very simple. It takes the reader to the threshold, to touch the ability to open up and allow oneself to be receptive to thinking differently.

By thinking differently, the mind ends up in a different place. This "place" is subtle, yet the implications are profound.

One thing that really did surprise me about Dr. Shingo's presentation was his creative assimilation of western thought. Almost all of his references in the development of his thought processes come from western thinkers - not the ancient Buddhist Japanese texts, that students of Zen and eastern thought might be inclined to think were the sources, but rather, a solid reliance upon the same people that many of us were exposed to in our education. The profound realization herein is that while Dr. Shingo read the same books, he got entirely different messages from the reading. That, in and of itself, gives me much pause for reflection.

This is not a book to be read once and then put down - the real value comes from beginning to "live with it", as a companion.

As a final thought, don't try too hard to understand what is being said - simply open up, allow the mind to relax, and let the mind be taken to new and different places - this might be scary to some, but can be accomplished if you allow yourself to trust ultimately in truth for the sake of truth.

Happy reading!