I learned about "manufacturing industry" in Japan, making value that can not be quantified.
First of all, it is about the word "professional". Actually I do not like this word very much. Let me explain. Professional refers to a person who has skills and can perform competent work.
However, I feel that humanity lacks there. It is because it can be an interchangeable image with no personality there with the professional. To put it more, it can be a mere commodity, "thing". That is why I do not like the word professional.
I need a new word pointing to a person who works as a professional. So I would like to use the word "craftman", craftsman. Craftsman is a human craftsman who combines his own skill and personality (humanity), who devotes himself to his work with enthusiasm.
"Difference between" improvement "and" refinement "
It is to work while having fun. I sincerely believe that work does not mean it is painfully thoughtful. It is close to the concept of Buddhism (Zen). Find joy and significance in work. The foundation of craftsman's work is pleasure and exciting. My heart will not suffer. This is the concept of craftsman.
And the spirit of continuous refinement is also included in the concept of craftsman. The word "refinement" is important. I often hear the phrase "continuous improvement" in the business place. I am from this phrase, but these two are very different.
"Improvement" can be measured with visible figures, metrics and statistics. 5% improvement, 8% reduction etc, improvement, numbers are indispensable. In comparison, "refinement" is an aesthetic sense and can not be measured with numbers. I propose that not focusing too much on improving reliance on numbers but working with aesthetic sense.
In manufacturing industries and other industries, of course, improvement that can be measured with numbers is also necessary. But in creative work like agricultural production, uniqueity and personality are necessary. "Sophistication" is creativity, that is, my knowledge. It is not only industrial process, continuous improvement, but also continuous refinement. "Knowledge. It's my craft." (Knowledge is a craft for me) "This is my belief.
A sense of "manufacturing" rooted in Japan
Work is art. Steve Jobs is also talking about the same concept. This way of thinking already existed in the spirit of a good old Japanese craftsman. Continuous sophistication is the Japanese word "manufacturing," which is exhausted. This is an artistic process that can not be measured with numbers.
I can never measure work as art by figures. I think that we should broaden the concept of "MONOZUKURI". "Improvement" has been promoted by industrialization, but now I think that it is time to return to the way of thinking "manufacturing" again.
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