In today's increasingly competitive world, businesses are constantly seeking improvement and development. Increasing team efficiency and productivity is a key goal in this pursuit.  The Asakai Meeting is a meeting technique of Japanese origin that can play a significant role in achieving this goal.

What is the Asakai Meeting?

The Asakai Meeting is a short, concise meeting held early every morning (usually between 8:00 and 9:00) with the participation of all team members. The meeting typically takes place in the production area or in an area visible to all employees. The primary purpose of the Asakai Meeting is to review the previous day's performance, set goals for the day, and identify potential problems early and develop solutions.

Benefits of the Asakai Meeting

The Asakai Meeting is a Japanese meeting technique used to improve team performance and productivity. These short, concise meetings take place every morning with all team members present and offer many benefits:

Improves Team Communication: It allows team members to share information and exchange ideas. This strengthens communication within the team and increases collaboration.

Increases Productivity: It prevents time loss and helps team members focus by ensuring that each day starts in a planned and organized manner.

Solves Problems Early: Possible problems can be addressed as soon as they arise, and quick and permanent solutions can be produced.

Increases Motivation: It ensures that team members feel their ideas are valued and that they can contribute. This increases team motivation and job satisfaction.

Encourages Continuous Improvement: Provides a platform for evaluating daily performance and identifying areas for improvement. This creates a culture of continuous improvement.

At the same time:

• It helps team members build better relationships with each other.
• It strengthens team spirit and sense of belonging.
• It speeds up the decision-making process.
• It encourages innovation.
• It increases workplace safety.

The Asakai Meeting is a simple and effective practice that can help teams unlock their full potential.

How to Hold an Asakai Meeting?

For an Asakai Meeting to be effective, it's important to follow a specific format. Below are the basic steps of an Asakai Meeting in a 250-word format:

1. Meeting Preparation:

Before the meeting, data regarding the previous day's performance is collected and presented visually on the dashboard.

The dashboard includes sections showing goals, actual performance, problems encountered, and suggested solutions.

The meeting leader prepares the agenda and expectations from the meeting.

2. Opening of the Meeting:

The meeting leader reminds the meeting's purpose and agenda.

Participants are greeted and their readiness for the meeting is checked.

3. Review of Yesterday:

The previous day's goals, actual performance and problems encountered are evaluated on the board.

Whether the targets have been achieved or not and the reasons for deviations, if any, are analyzed.

Problems and solution suggestions are discussed by team members.

4. Determining Today's Goals:

Achievable and concrete goals are set for that day.

Goals are determined according to SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) principles.

5. Solution of Problems:

Problems encountered and solution suggestions are discussed by team members.

The most appropriate solution is selected and those responsible are determined.

When and how the solution will be implemented is planned.

6. Determining Next Steps:

It is determined who will do what and when to do it to solve the problems.

Roles and responsibilities are clearly defined.

The monitoring and evaluation mechanism is determined.

7. Closing of the Meeting:

The meeting leader gives a summary of the meeting and a thank you speech.

Feedback is given to team members.

The date and agenda of the next meeting are determined.

Tips for a Successful Asakai Meeting

Keep the Meeting Short and Concise: Asakai Meetings should not exceed 15-20 minutes. Long meetings can distract team members and demotivate them.

Ensure All Team Members Participate: It's important for all team members to participate in the meeting so everyone can share their ideas and suggestions. To encourage participation, you can ask team members to think about the agenda items and jot down their ideas before the meeting.

Discuss Problems Openly and Honestly: To solve problems, you first need to define them openly and honestly. It's important for team members to feel comfortable sharing their ideas and working together to find solutions.

Be Solution-Focused: The purpose of Asakai Meetings is to solve problems and make improvements. Therefore, it is important to focus on solutions rather than problems during meetings.

Focus on Continuous Improvement: Asakai Meetings encourage teams to continuously improve. Each meeting should evaluate what could have been done better based on the results from the previous meeting.

Create a Positive Atmosphere: It's important for Asakai Meetings to take place in an open and welcoming environment. The meeting leader should be diligent in creating a positive atmosphere so that team members feel comfortable and can share their ideas freely.

The Role of the Meeting Leader: The success of the Asakai Meeting depends largely on the role of the meeting leader. The meeting leader is responsible for organizing the meeting, managing the agenda, and ensuring team participation.

Additional Tips:

• Hold the meeting standing up. This will help keep the meeting shorter and more energetic.
• Place visual aids in the meeting room. This will help team members better understand the agenda items.
• After the meeting, take minutes and share them with your team members. This will help them keep track of the decisions made and actions that need to be taken.

Common Uses of the Asakai Meeting

Asakai Meetings are a method commonly used in the manufacturing sector. However, this method can also be used in other sectors. Common uses for Asakai Meetings include:

• Software development
• Customer service
• Sales
• Marketing
• R&D

To learn more about the Asakai Meeting or to take advantage of our services, please contact us. As a Lean Model company, we are ready to contribute to your teams' success.