Every once in a while, my worlds collide with each other.  In this case, my philosophical world has met my work world.  In my previous entry on understanding I wrote about how asking questions leads to better understanding.  If you read the post, you know how I really like “why” questions.

This got me thinking about why questions and a technique that is used in business process improvement (sometimes called Six Sigma or Lean) called the “5 whys.”  This technique is part of what is called root cause analysis.  In other words, it is to understand a problem in a business or production process.  Ah yes, understanding.

Essentially, this process starts out with the obvious problem and you keep asking why until you reach the root cause.  For example:

• Problem:  My car won’t start

1. Why? – The battery is dead.
2. Why? – The alternator is not functioning.
3. Why? – The alternator belt has broken.
4. Why? – The alternator belt was well beyond its useful service life and not replaced.
5. Why? – My alternator belt was not replaced according to schedule.
6. Why? – I can’t order replacement parts because the car is too old.

Oops!  Notice, there is a 6th Why!  That’s right, there is no guarantee you’ll get to a root cause just because you use 5 whys.  You might even get to a root cause sooner than 5. “5 Whys” is only a guide.

So now that I know the root cause, I can set about fixing it.  Maybe I should get a new car, or maybe I can get someone to fabricate the proper belt, or maybe a different belt might work.  Another benefit of finding a root cause, is that it keeps me from misunderstanding the problem, or blaming something else.  For example, my car is not dead because my son left the headlights on.

So what about understanding in the philosophical sense.  Well, how about this example?

• Problem:  My brother never calls me

1. Why? – He is very busy
2. Why? – He has been working 2 jobs and going to school
3. Why? – He’s trying to send his kids to private school
4. Why? –  He wants them to get into good colleges so they can get good jobs
5. Why? –  He wants them to make lots of money

OK, so did I get to a root cause?  Maybe.  Maybe I should call him to see how things are.  Maybe he’s chasing after the wrong kind of happy.  Part of getting the right answers in asking why, is asking the right questions.  I suppose I could keep asking a sixth question:  Why? – He thinks that will make his children happy.  Hmmm, my brother is making lots of money.  Is it making him happy?  Well, it certainly is helping me understand why he doesn’t call.  It certainly is making me less concerned about me and more concerned about my brother.  Whether I got to a root cause or not, it certainly did help me understand.  This process of asking why, I think it led me to being more virtuous.  Don’t you think?

Why do they never call me?

Now, if your philosophy is not practical in your daily life, then why have it as a philosophy?  I figured I’d throw a little practical application in.

Was it useful?

(Feature photo source:  http://www.shutterstock.com/g/belovodchenko)