What’s wrong with Ohno’s chalk circle?

August 27, 2024 | 12:00am

Imagine the situation of a neophyte engineer at Toyota during the time of Japanese engineer Taiichi Ohno (1912-1990), the inventor of the Toyota Production System that solved the most common types of muda (waste). That was in 1945 when Japan lost the war, resulting in scarce resources that made car manufacturing a difficult process. It made sense. If you don’t have the resources, then the only option is to discover wastes and eliminate, if not reduce, them. Ohno came up with many approaches to solve Toyota’s predicaments.

One solution that he devised was the stationary chalk circle that required engineers to stand inside it for several hours to list down all issues they perceived to be a form of muda. The chalk circles were commonly used as part of a proactive stance to discover different sources of waste in both the production and service work areas at Toyota.

The lesson of using the stationary chalk circle had become synonymous with Ohno. I’m almost sure it created a lot of resentment among Ohno’s engineers, except that no one complained about it. They understood everything, even if it meant a representation of what you can do to an errant child who must stand and face the wall.

Today, the stationary chalk circle would be very difficult to practice, even if the desired outcome of identifying muda is a well-understood exercise. It’s like eating more vegetables and fruits, which are proven to be healthy so we can live longer, like the French woman Jeanne Calment (1875-1997) who lived up to the age of 122 years—except that a Russian mathematician, Nikolai Zak, is not convinced by her story. But that’s another story.

Issues

With a kaizen mindset, it has become almost a hobby for me to challenge established management principles that were popular many decades back. So, what’s wrong with Ohno’s chalk circle? When I examined it recently, I discovered at least two faults that we can’t perpetuate in the modern world.

One, extended standing for several hours can cause many potentially serious medical conditions. These include lower back and leg pain, cardiovascular issues, fatigue and discomfort, according to the National Library of Medicine. That’s not all. Our family doctor opines that prolonged standing can cause varicose veins.

But why do we continue to observe cashiers, sales merchandisers and related personnel in establishments standing for several hours during their shifts? Even security guards are forced to do it. My quick answer to that is we’re still living in an employers’ job market. There’s no choice for an ordinary minimum wage earner but to accept it as part of 5-5-5 jobs. The moment they reach their 5th month in office, they would be routinely replaced by another set of workers with a newly-signed employment contract that’s good only for five months.

Two, extended standing at work is against human and labor rights. This means standing more than eight hours per day with minimal body movement except by walking. It’s an issue commonly raised by workers through labor unions. That’s the reason why unprincipled companies don’t want unions in their midst.

How about the medical profession? The trouble is that doctors and nurses are required to work standing while performing surgical operations. Are they not allowed to adjust the operating table so they can do their work while sitting? At the moment, the best they can do is wear shoe inserts and compression socks.

Gemba Walk

If prolonged standing is bad, prolonged sitting is equally harmful. “(S)itting is worse than smoking,” says columnist Emma Beddington of The Guardian. That is, if you do it for more than 12 hours a day. Am I worried? Yes, of course. As a writer for more than 31 years and counting, I consider myself the Michael Jordan of prolonged sitting, even when I was active in the corporate world at the time when Management by Walking Around was popularized by Tom Peters, who was probably inspired by the Gemba Walk of the Japanese.

Incidentally, the Gemba Walk was created by Ohno to emphasize the importance of frequent walking on the shop floor. If you’re inside the comfort of an executive suite, then you’re not adding value. That’s the presumption. This brings me to an excellent idea. If standing inside a stationary chalk circle is objectionable, then why can’t we do the Gemba Walk instead?

I recommend the mobile chalk circle. We can do it while walking, starting from the reception area where you find the raw materials, all the way to production and down to the shipping area. Indeed, both prolonged standing and sitting are bad for our health. Therefore, the best antidote is to alternate sitting, walking and standing every 30 minutes to one hour. If you sit for 30 minutes, it’s best to respond by doing at least 30 minutes of standing or walking.

Many times, I found that walking could offset the harmful effects of extended sitting. It is best tested when after sitting for one hour at home, I would start walking for 30 minutes followed by 10 minutes of brisk walking inside the covered basketball court, which is conveniently located 100 meters away from my residence.

In conclusion, there’s no question that alternating standing, walking and sitting for 30 minutes each is good for us. Therefore, Ohno’s stationary chalk circle must be avoided at all times.

Rey Elbo is a quality and productivity improvement enthusiast. Contact him on Facebook, LinkedIn, X, or email [email protected] or via https://reyelbo.com.