Been dealing with a lot of mentally and emotionally dysregulated people in the past week ... it seems like the entire world has fallen into the sunken place that is unmanaged mental illness and I am unsure whether it's lack of available care or just an unwillingness to see how much their instability damages those around them ... no matter what the cause ... the darkness spreads rapidly in small groups and it's impossible NOT to see it corrupting everyone it touches.
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When I worked in the #anime industry in the early 2000s and ran my own business, I had the honor and privilege to meet and work with several men in Japanese business. Through those friendships I am always learning new ideas in how they handle business with such efficiency and thoroughness.
Far beyond #hansei (反省) and #kaizen (改善) which I have talked about here before ... but also in perspectives on how to see problems. With a culture that focuses so much on harmony, perspective is crucial.
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What I learned back in 2005 from them was something I ended up teaching in my communications class as well - the need to adopt more 𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨.
In life and in communication, people become better in how they relate to others and understand the world when they have learned to focus on 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙚𝙭𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙤𝙗𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙖 𝙜𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙙𝙧𝙖𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨.
And even then, conclusions are only tentative and often will 𝙧𝙚𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙧𝙚 𝙛𝙪𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜.
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These concepts on perception are complicated and there isn't enough space to completely explain them, but I will try to summarize them as best I can.
1. 𝙎𝙋𝘼𝘾𝙄𝘼𝙇 - a primary principal of the Toyota Production System is genchi genbutsu (“go and see”). Basically, you need to get up close to what is happening, to see and witness with your own eyes instead of relying on assumptions of expected outcomes or on past behaviors. You also need to step BACK and see from different directions too.
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2. 𝘽𝙀𝙃𝘼𝙑𝙄𝙊𝙍𝘼𝙇 - this one doesn't need much explanation, but this is the more psychological component of perspective.
Seeing the situation through other people's eyes, identifying and adjusting the dominant and latent emotions that are affecting the situation from all SPACIAL points of view etc ...
This one I could write a 3 page essay on (and have), so please keep in mind this is a summary based on the amount of space I have. My goal in this is just to give you a basic idea ...
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3. 𝙀𝙁𝙁𝙀𝘾𝙏𝙐𝘼𝙇 - this is another kind of self-explanatory one.
Observing what works and what doesn't, paying attention to where things are faulty in how you expect them to work and why and making changes accordingly.
If you can grasp things so far you can probably already see how SPACIAL and BEHAVIORAL observations play into EFFECTUAL ones ... and how they all combine together to give you deeper understanding of events.
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4. 𝙎𝙏𝙍𝙐𝘾𝙏𝙐𝙍𝘼𝙇 - In the way that you might understand how plumbing works or computers ... that is to say understanding the network of components that goes into the entire structure of how something works.
You want to use STRUCTURAL perspective in how you understand people and their worlds and their realities. All of the components that figure into how they communicate or how they perform actions.
STRUCTURAL is about identifying the framework the upholds a given thing and understanding it.
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Empirical perspectives are about having a more well-rounded viewpoint. These are building blocks in how to better understand the world outside of our own lens.
There is absolutely room for SPACIAL, STRUCTURAL, EFFECTUAL, and BEHAVIORAL perspectives in how you approach everyday life.
I talk often about higher order thinking, critical thinking, realism, stoicism, and now add empirical perspectives. These are all tools that aid in healthy perceptions, less delusion, and better mental regulation.
There is already a lot of information about this online especially if you look into places that focus on workplace and manufacturing safety, business restructuring and the like ... but remember that these ideas don't only apply to business, but also people.
#hansei (反省) and #kaizen (改善) were originally business ideas but evolved to become very beneficial for the emotional and psychological well-being of the Japanese public.
It's all beneficial. You just have to know how to apply it to life.
Here's some additional links if you want to dive into your own research:
https://safetyculture.com/topics/genchi-genbutsu/
https://safetyculture.com/topics/hansei/
https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1989-98038-014
https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/empirical-analysis
And of course, a lot of my own essays on thewebrecluse.com
@thewebrecluse This is exactly what I needed to read this morning, thank you very much!!
@MeditatorMom ❤️ you're very welcome. I'm glad if people can get something out of it that helps them see things in a broader way. So glad you liked it. ❤️