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HR Zone » Grievance Management » An interesting case study on Japanese Management-A case of empty soap box

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An interesting case study on Japanese Management-A case of empty soap box
Pradeep
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Posted 06-06-2009Reply

One of the most memorable case studies on Japanese management was the case of the empty soapbox, which happened in one of Japan's biggest cosmetics companies.

The company received a complaint that a consumer had bought a soapbox that was empty.

Immediately the authorities isolated the problem to the assembly line, which transported all the packaged boxes of soap to the delivery department. For some reason, one soapbox went through the assembly line empty. Management asked its engineers to solve the problem.

Post-haste, the engineers worked hard to devise an X-ray machine with high-resolution monitors manned by two people to watch all the soapboxes that passed through the line to make sure they were not empty.

No doubt, they worked hard and they worked fast but they spent whoopee amount to do so.

But when a rank-and-file employee in a small company was posed with the same problem, did not get into complications of X-rays, etc but instead came out with another solution. He bought a strong industrial electric fan and pointed it at the assembly line.

He switched the fan on, and as each Soapbox passed the fan; it simply blew the empty boxes out of the line.

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When NASA began the launch of astronauts into space, they found out that the pens wouldn't work at zero gravity (Ink won't flow down to the writing surface).

In order to solve this problem, it took them one decade and $12 million. They developed a pen that worked at zero gravity, upside down, underwater, in practically any surface including crystal and in a temperature range from below freezing to over 300 degrees C.

And what did the Russians do...??? The Russians used a Pencil!!!

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Moral of the story:

Devise the simplest possible solution that solves the problem :-)

So, learn to focus on solutions not on problems.

"If you look at what you do not have in life, you don't have anything"

"If you look at what you have in life, you have everything"

Rahul
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  Rated 0 | Posted 06-06-2009

It really nice one... looking at solutions in the simplest way..

Dharni
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  Rated 0 | Posted 08-06-2009

nice article thanks for sharing

Prabha
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  Rated 0 | Posted 08-06-2009

Excellent one Pradeep! thanks for sharing....

Prabha

Priya
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  Rated 0 | Posted 08-06-2009

Good one!!

Sabitha
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  Rated +1 | Posted 10-06-2009

Traditional thinking will cost u more, but being little innovative and think beyond the miles makes a lot of difference..

Thank you for sharing..

Ripal
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  Rated 0 | Posted 13-06-2009

hello ,

Nice article....thnx 4sharing such an interesting one..

Pradeep
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  Rated 0 | Posted 13-06-2009

Thank you friends for all those wonderful words of appreciation.

Anurana.s
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  Rated 0 | Posted 17-06-2009

Very Nice Good Job

Ayesha
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  Rated 0 | Posted 18-06-2009

Really gud one Pradeep..........
Thnx for sharing....

Russian's were really gud at solving the problem........

Kamlakar
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  Rated 0 | Posted 19-06-2009

Very Nice Topic Pradeep,

Thanks for Sharing..



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