Chalk Circle

One of the most commonly told stories about Lean is of the chalk circle. Taiichi Ohno, the father of modern Lean, would draw a circle on the floor in chalk and tell his engineers or managers to stand in it to watch an operation. His instruction was simply “Watch.”

After a period of time, he would return and ask a few questions. If the answers did not show sufficient understanding of the issues, he would have the person continue to watch.

Reportedly, people would stand in the chalk circle for hours or entire shifts, just watching an operation.

The Chalk Circle Forces Quiet Observation

The point of this technique was to get people to watch long enough to start to pick up on patterns. Standing quietly in a chalk circle puts the person into a receive-only mode.

If the observer was to stand in a work area talking to the operator, two things happen. The first is that the observer tends to form opinions that reflect in the questions. A line of questioning is, more often than not, used to confirm a theory rather than to simply gather information.

Those questions also act to change what you are observing. If a person in a work cell is answering questions, they are not doing their work in the usual way. In addition, the observer tips their hand with the line of questioning. If the questions are related to a problem, the operator may become defensive, and can change how he or she operates.

This is a very effective technique when done right, and a very poor technique when done wrong.

When done correctly, the observer learns about the process, but more importantly, about how to observe and improve a process. Putting someone in a chalk circle means you will have to be willing to mentor them and discuss what they learned. You have to be prepared to spend a fair amount of time making sure the person learned what you wanted them to learn without just telling them. If telling them what to do was the point, there is no reason to make them observe. The goal of having people stand in a chalk circle is to teach them how to think about processes. Good leaders make sure the time in the circle is well spent.

On top of the mentoring, having them stand, uninterrupted, in a chalk circle removes distractions and focuses them. Most people are harried and have to face a barrage of information. It can be hard to simply settle one’s mind down for a brief time and focus on a process.

As a leader, you’ll know you’ve done well with your mentoring when you see people simply standing and watching processes for extended periods in their own imaginary chalk circles.

So, how is it done ineffectively? If there is no learning and feedback attached to the exercise, people can…

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Key Points About Using the Chalk Circle

1. Observing should not interfere with a process. If it does, you are not observing the actual process anymore.
2. Repetition uncovers patterns and variation. If you watch once cycle, you get a very basic understanding of the process. If you watch several cycles, you begin to understand the way work flows in good circumstances. If you watch for hours, you start to notice the barriers to flow and the variation in the process.
3. The chalk circle is only partly about learning about a process. It is more about teaching leaders how to think about processes.