Japanese speakers are not confused when they hear the word mondai. But in literature class, they are essay questions and in history, multiple choice questions, rather than problems. Indeed, we call arithmetic questions “math problems”.

It is possible that other languages share words for problem and question. It also means “issue” and also “question”, in the sense of questions on a written exam. The Japanese word for problem is mondai (問題 ). This is why lean thinkers encourage people not to refer to problems more positively as challenges, situations or opportunities. This allows deviance to be accepted as normal and we eventually lose our ability to sense right from wrong. We lose our ability to respond to current problems and anticipate future risks. When everything seems to be going so well that we don’t see any problems, we lower our sensitivity to deviations. Clearly so, if we are blind to an imminent crisis. A state of complacency, satisfaction with the status quo, or willful blindness to problems is arguably the greatest problems an organization’s culture can face. The expression, “To not have problems is the greatest problem” has been attributed to various lean gurus from Toyota. How is it then that many organizations, even those claiming to be strongly committed to both lean operations and innovation, shy away from using the word “problem” to talk about their gaps? Whether we are correcting customer complaints or creating new products and services to fulfill as yet unrealized needs, when successful, we are solving problems. In the case of innovation, a gap between the acceptable or accepted current situation and a more desirable future. In the case of problem solving, closing the gap between a standard or expected performance and the underperforming actual situation. Organizations remain vital through a combination of innovation and problem solving. Aversion to the p-word is understandable. These alternatives have a more positive ring to them. Being handed responsibility for a problem hints at possible punishment. For opportunities or challenges, hint of reward. Unlike in lean organizations, bad things follow the discovery of a problem within traditional organizations. What’s another word for “problem”? Opportunity? Situation? How about challenge? Whenever I hear this question, it’s an indication of a cultural problem.

Another word for issues