Episode 13: What Would Shingo Do?

In this episode of the Shingo Principles Podcast, we hear from Drew Dillon, author and Shingo Faculty Fellow, as he shares his insights on, “What Would Shingo Do?” The upheavals of the current age are both terrible and clarifying. A pandemic has shaken complacency and exposed deep faults in how we think, how we treat one another, and how we go about our business generally. At the same time, the urgent need to deal with climate change is sending us a similar message: for many years and in many ways, we have been deluding ourselves. Shigeo Shingo would hardly have been surprised. He was a connoisseur of delusions and, in particular, he made it his life’s mission to unmask and correct fundamental flaws in business as usual. Shingo was in no way all-knowing, but it is notable that many of the dysfunctions he signaled in his lifetime are ones that underlie today’s crises. In a world of shattered supply chains and degraded work life, much of Shingo’s guidance turns out to be strikingly prescient. Shingo is no longer with us, of course, but getting into his head a bit and recapturing his understanding of the roots of our dysfunctions can tell us a great deal about what to do next. With this in mind and with particular reference to the Shingo Guiding Principles addressing Respect Every Individual and Think Systemically, this podcast will focus on how we can enhance the resilience and sustained prosperity of our organizations and communities.