The Caucasian Chalk Circle is a parable inspired by the tale of King Solomon and a child claimed by two mothers. Literature , Art and Performance. Few authors have had as dramatic an effect as Bertolt Brecht. His work has helped to shape a generation of writers, theatergoers, and thinkers, and his plays are studied worldwide as texts that changed contemporary theater.
A chalk circle is metaphorically drawn around a society misdirected in its priorities. Eric Bentley, one of the foremost authorities on the modern theater, is a recognized playwright, critic, and scholar, and a longtime intimate of Brecht. University of Minnesota Press Coming soon. Home Current Catalogs Blog. View Cart Checkout. I spent around half a day for an overview of the process, followed by a full day for one sub-process others watched other sub-processes. This helped me to understand not only the normal process, but also the multitude of problems that come with it.
We are always short on time. The chalk circle, however, is quite time consuming. Luckily, there is a shortcut. You pick the brain of a person who has already observed the process for a longer time — the worker! He has spent literally months with the process and knows a lot of the problems. You should simply ask him while observing. This way you will get a lot more information than you could ever see in a day. It even has a fancy name: contextual inquiry.
Overall, there is great value and insight in a prolonged observation. Many problems that are near impossible to solve become quite easy to understand if watched in detail. If you are into lean, you should know already the value of going to the shop floor, or Genchi Genbutsu. The chalk circle is the essence of Genchi Genbutsu. Naturally, it works not only for shop floors but also for administrative processes, logistics, and many others.
As long as you can observe it, it can help your understanding. Now go out, speed up your improvements by standing still, and organize your industry! Dear Christoph, Thank you for sharing in detail the process and emphasizing on the point that it is not so important for a trainee to undergo the experience of standing in a circle and observe but why it is being done and what to expect with repeated cycles of checking back and confirming what was observed or suggesting to watch more…….
I believe next week or next month there will be software upgrades :-D. This article took me back to my work-study engineering days. Observing the operation and improving the process. Back then I was one individual on a floor of operators and support staff What I have learnt over the years is that our front line and support people stand in a circle at their own work area several hours every day. We must then give them time to apply what they have been taught.
This shows the results achieved on a two day workshop. On day two they go to their own work area and apply what they have learnt. On the video you will see a one piece flow cell designed, built and running in 7 hours. As always the results were amazing, Lead time before three weeks — after 48 seconds.
Distance travelled. B pairs. Written guarantee of no job losses. Well are these people called Heroes. The people with first-hand regular practical experience of all the elements of the situation to be improved.
Notify me of new posts by email. Ask me a Question! The first level would be simply walking through the shop floor : The person knows there is a shop floor and may remember some disconnected details.
The next level would be observing a few cycles , usually no more than 30 to 45 minutes. This is also when the average engineer or manager gets bored. The manager thinks he understands the process, but he understands only a bit and only about the regular process. He still has no idea of the problems that can happen. One step up would be observing an entire shift , or from 4 to 8 hours.
Now the observer gets a deeper understanding of the process, including the problems. This is a good starting point for an improvement process.
The last step is observing multiple days. Usually, this is doable only for the people who work there, although for tricky problems it may also be necessary for managers and engineers to do multiple observations. How to Use the Chalk Circle for Teaching The chalk circle is a good tool for teaching the value of details. Selection of Area Great view The exercise should be related to a problem the trainee is trying to solve.
Follow me … In some cases the process of interest is mobile i. Selection of the Trainee You should also select a suitable trainee. Progress Updates What did you see?
A Shortcut — Contextual Inquiry Ask us! A few things are important for this contextual inquiry to work: It works only where workers have the time to answer your questions, e. A closely balanced line does not give the worker time to answer your questions. In any case, you must not interrupt their work.
You still need to observe the process. Ask only whenever something is unclear. Everybody sees the world through their own eyes. Hence, what may be significant to the worker may not be to you, and vice versa. Take everything with a grain of salt. It still takes time. We are talking maybe four hours for the contextual inquiry instead of eight for the classical chalk circle. For one thing, it is to establish a relation of trust with the worker. For another, you can verify and understand what he tells you if you see it happen.
Summary Overall, there is great value and insight in a prolonged observation. See also my Academic Writings Roser, Christoph. Roser, Christoph.
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