Working Language

The president of our company wants me to read The Toyota Way.

Alright, fine, I'll read it. I looked over a couple chapters yesterday and quickly picked up a few, very commonsense, points about improving efficiency and job satisfaction. So I wrote him a brief email listing those points as they could apply to our bidding dept. Here's what he wrote back:

"Can you value stream map the process?"

Alright, I get it. You've bought into the whole LEAN philosophy. You're going ahead full steam and really want to make a difference. But this is my problem with "innovation" in the workplace. In the end it usually boils down to the same boring procedure. You HAVE to follow this and this and this step. You have to talk in the stupid language, even though these complicated-sounding names belong to commonsense ideas. You have to make things complicated to make them simple. I just.....don't understand how so many people buy into this sort of thing. Scientology is a lot like this. Confusing language explaining old or meaningless concepts. I really would love to work in a place where people are A) Aware and willing to make changes as they become necessary or beneficial and B) There's no bullshitting around with extra language, graphs, meetings..... The only benefit I see to LEAN right now is it's bringing everyone's awareness to some major problems. Problems that maybe are easier for me to see since I'm new to the place (not just this job, but to the business world in general).

I'll make him his stupid chart. He's a nice guy, very earnest, so I don't have the heart (or the guts) to tell him we're adding an extra step to an otherwise straightforward process. It's his company and he's been doing it for 30 years, so ok. But it's silly.

Anyway. Thinking about work is actually making me feel a lot better. This is the worst week I've had (depression-wise) in about 3 years (individual days have been worse but a day is a day and a week is fucking forever). I have a lot more tools at my disposal for dealing with this sort of thing, so I'll get through it ok, but it's a little upsetting that even with my positive-view on life, my wonderful peeps, and the exciting things in my future, that I can still get like this. I'm dissappointed with my brain.

The cat's still gone and seasonal allergies have blown in. Maybe that's why I feel this way. I dunno. I'm starting Tai Chi next week with Leila so that should help too. Body awareness gets my mind off my mind (in my head I see a small brain wriggling around on top of and kind of humping or attacking a larger brain. Have you ever seen Naked Lunch? It's in that style.).