Principle: “Embrace scientific thinking.”

On first glance this seems like a strange thing to say. How does one “embrace” scientific thinking? Furthermore, why would they? To answer these questions let’s first remind ourselves that innovation and improvement are the consequence of repeated cycles of experimentation, direct observation and learning... the scientific method. A relentless and systematic exploration of new ideas, including failures, enables us to constantly refine our understanding of reality.

It’s also important to note what a principle is. The Shingo Institute defines “principle” as “a foundational rule that has an inevitable consequence.” If something is a principle, it is universal and timeless, it is discovered and understood rather than invented, at some level it is intuitive, and finally it is action-oriented and thus influences an outcome or consequence.

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