This quote has been sitting with me a while and I hope it is relevant for you too. So often, even a gemba experience may be different for people. Even though facts are found at gemba, people may only see certain things and not the whole picture (like the four men & elephant story). I think the Respect For People principle is at play here too because it suggests to mutually respect multiple perspectives and put together into one common view.
“Most disagreements about the right solution, decision, or course of action are really disagreements about the interpretation of current reality…Most statements about current reality are not wrong; they are incomplete. The person who adopts this principle seeks to put multiple views of current reality together to build one common and more complete view of it.” – The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Lean: Lessons from the Road by Jamie Flinchbaugh and Andy Carlino
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Hi Brian,
Thanks for reminding us of this dynamic. In order for us to share, learn, and reach consensus on what the current state is (and then what to do about it), we need to be respectful and humble enough to hear and understand. And, of course, we need to develop a common language by using universal things like value stream maps and A3’s.