The Two Driving Questions in a Visual Workplace
A visual workplace is populated by hundreds or thousands, of visual devices and mini-systems, invented by a workforce that knows how to think visually.
A visual workplace is populated by hundreds, even thousands, of visual devices and mini-systems, invented by a workforce that knows how to think visually-a workforce of visual thinkers.
What is a Visual Thinker?
A visual thinker is a person who recognizes motion and the information deficits that cause it-and knows how to eliminate both through solutions that are visual. The visual workplace is about answering all the questions that anyone has related to work-questions about what is known as well as unknown, questions spoken out loud as well as those on a sub-vocal level, questions that are commonplace as well as those so specialized that others would have never thought, in a million years, to ask such a thing.
To the uninitiated, this sounds a daunting task. To a visual thinker, it is business as usual. The visual thinker knows that all questions devolve into only two:
1. "What do I need to know?" What do I need to know that I do not know right now in order to do my work - or do it better? 2. "What do I need to share?" What do I know that others need to know in order for them to do their own work - or do it better?
These two questions drive workplace visuality. They make it happen. Once you understand these two questions and get people to apply them, you have practically all the tools you need to achieve a fully-functioning visual workplace that is lastingly sustainable.
Gwendolyn Galsworth is the author of Visual Workplace-Visual Thinking.