統覺測驗

主題統覺測驗Thematic ApperceptionTest（簡稱TAT）屬於投射法個人測驗，是美國心理學家亨利．默瑞於1935年發明的。 TAT通過素描圖像激發測試者投射出內心的幻想和精神活動，無意中成為呈現測試者內心和自我的X光片。下面這個測試就是利用TAT的原理進行的內心X光測試，請憑第一感覺回答問題。 1、圖中的女人為何! 掩面？她的情緒是怎樣的？ A：悲傷，女人發現丈夫的婚外情 B：憂慮，丈夫酒醉在床上 C：關心，丈夫病重躺在床上，可能即將死去 2、床上女子狀態怎樣？ A：身患重病 B：沉睡 C：已死去 3、圖中戴領結的男子是女子的什麼人？ A：秘密情人 B：老闆或者頂頭上司 C：可以幫助她的有權有勢的人 4、圖中老婦人的眼神流露出怎樣的情緒？ A：邪惡，她們之間可能隱藏著衝突 B：同情 C：焦慮，關心 5、圖中的女子正在打開房門，她打算做什麼？ A：男友的房間，她一直很想看看房間裡的布局陳設 B：下班，剛剛回家 C：拿東西，然後回廚房做飯 6、圖中這個人物打扮成這樣是為什麼？ A：打扮成別人認不出來的樣子去襲擊仇人 B：搶劫商店 C：參加萬聖節假面舞會 7、圖中這個女子化妝是為什麼？ A：遮掩已經衰老的面容，並希望能夠輓救婚姻危機 B：以更加飽滿的精神狀態去見大客戶 C：、去和男朋友約會 A1分 B2分 C3分 結果及分析 7分－11分：你非常善於隱藏自己，沒人知道你心裡到底在想什麼。同時你防禦心理較強，對事物懷著消極的態度，不願意輕易相信別人，大多時候寧願自己獨處也不願意和其他人在一起。也許你的魅力就在於神秘吧，很多人都想接近你，但你內心與外界的距離感始終存在。你只有擺正對生活的態度，才能過上正常的快樂生活。朋友的建議對你影響很大，你需要對這些建議進行過濾，有選擇地採用，不要被這些建議搞得焦頭爛額。 12分－16分：能想到就能做到，恐怕是你的人生信條。你屬於現實主義者，浪漫色彩非常淡薄，對金錢有一定的執著心。頭腦清晰，有很強的獨創能力。踏實、勤奮是你的一慣風格，但缺乏挑戰新事務的勇氣，對人情世故不太清通，再加上你平時比較少言，給人感覺比較冷漠，往往需要一段時間才能融到團體中。建議不要凡事都顧及眼前,要學會規劃人生。過分謹慎也會錯過很多機會。 17－21分：你性格開朗、樂觀、平易近人，和朋友交往中能設身處地地為他人著想，另外善於在公眾面前提升自己的形象，因此深受大家的信任，在群體中是個受歡迎的中心人物。你做事很慎重，謙恭有禮,即使再棘手的事情也能處理得恰倒好處。誠信是你重要的處事原則，你具有壓抑自己為別人著想的品質。不過此類型的人難以做出特別大的成就。建議適當學會拒絕，會讓你更快樂。

為何要彈貝多芬？

焦元溥

最近拿下奧斯卡最佳影片、最佳導演、最佳男主角與最佳原著劇本等四項大獎的電影《王者之聲》 (The King’s Speech)，講述本非英國國王第一順位繼承人約克公爵，也就是後來的喬治六世，從小口吃結巴，卻因哥哥艾德華八世不愛江山愛美人，最後只能擔任英國國王，努力克服口吃，甚至肩負二次大戰時以演講鼓舞英國軍民的故事。就實際史實而言，《王者之聲》其實稍嫌誇張，也巧妙避開許多殘忍真相--比方說喬治六世的登基演說，大概是史上最慘不忍聞的國王演講。也正因為喬治六世缺乏語言魅力，內閣才會特別強化他妻子的母親形象，成為大戰時期人心的溫暖支柱。 不過就電影而言，《王者之聲》令人玩味之處，在於其中引用諸多古典音樂，包括貝多芬《第七號交響曲》、《第五號鋼琴協奏曲》，莫札特《費加洛婚禮》序曲、《單簧管協奏曲》，布拉姆斯《德意志安魂曲》----等等，怎麼選了那麼多曲子，選的卻都是德奧作曲家？在片中特別搶戲的兩段配樂，包括喬治六世演講時的背景，用的更都是貝多芬。真奇怪，國王和德國宣戰，音樂卻播放德國作曲家的作品，這真的算是忠於英國嗎？ 我總覺得，《王者之聲》之所以選用貝多芬，或是不怕選用貝多芬，原因在於偉大鋼琴家海絲夫人（Dame Myra Hess，1890-1965）的戰時故事。這位十四歲就出書介紹貝多芬的早慧音樂家，在納粹轟炸倫敦，音樂廳在砲火威脅下奉令關閉時，堅信藝術方是戰亂中安身立命的寄託。她不畏德軍攻擊，贏得政府同意在國家藝廊策劃音樂會。到一九四六年八月十日，六年半中她竟策劃一千六百九十八場音樂會，計約七百音樂家和八十二萬聽眾參與，成為英國戰時藝術精神象徵。 海絲以音樂鼓舞人心，而她最擅長的曲目之一，也是在戰時所演奏的名曲，就是貝多芬《熱情》奏鳴曲。又有什麼不行呢？沒有人質疑海絲為何演奏貝多芬--愛英國與對抗納粹，和她演奏那一位、那一國作曲家並沒有關係，而熱愛她的聽眾，也和海絲一同證明，音樂中真的沒有國界。 對了，雖然海絲夫人沒說，大概所有英國人都知道，她是女同志的事實。只是即使在烽火連天的戰爭時期，英國也沒人以「國家忠誠」為名，要終生未婚的海絲夫人，得先談自己的性傾向才能上台演出。 可以忠於貝多芬，也可以忠於英國。七十年前英國人就已經知道的事，我們現在若能好好學習，或許還不算太晚。

加強腦力的七個簡單方法

加強腦力的七個簡單方法

文/Elizabeth Svoboda；譯/陳靜妍

某些研究認為，大腦大約在三十歲時，便開始緩慢、穩定的退化；然而，也有報導指出，一些簡單的活動其實就能加強腦力，對抗腦部的老化。以下是七個簡單的方法，讓你的大腦維持敏捷，充滿活力。 一、經常上網搜尋 加州大學洛杉磯分校的科學家指出，按幾下滑鼠，也許比閱讀更能刺激大腦。他們的研究發現，上網搜尋，會運用到閱讀時沒有啟動的大腦神經迴路?──?但僅限於之前曾使用過網路的人。核磁共振攝影的結果顯示，經常使用網路搜尋者的腦部活動，比初次使用網路搜尋的人高出三倍。這項結果表示，長期下來，反覆的搜尋能加強認知能力。 祕訣：每周數天，花大約二十分鐘搜尋想學習的主題。無論你搜尋的是音樂、文學，或只是名人的八卦，都同樣有益於大腦。 二、運動 運動可以避免或延遲失智，但你知道運動其實也可以反轉大腦的老化嗎？伊利諾大學貝克曼學院的研究小組，日前審閱了十幾項過去的研究，發現心肺運動不但可以增加思維的速度，也可增加大腦組織的容量。只要每次快走五十分鐘，每周三次，就能達到擴張腦部的效果。 祕訣：選擇到公園快走，事半功倍。密西根大學的研究人員發現，在樹林快走者的記憶力、注意力，比起在都市中快走的人優秀百分之二十。 三、刷牙並使用牙線 英國的心理學家和牙醫認為，口腔衛生顯然和大腦的健康有關。這項實驗研究了數千名二十到五十九歲的對象，發現齒齦炎、牙周病和較差認知能力之間的關係不僅止於老年，而是從成年時期開始。 祕訣：遵從牙醫指示，每日使用牙線，每天至少一次刷牙兩分鐘。 四、飲酒節制 把喝酒的量控制在安全和健康的範圍內：一天不超過一杯。衛斯理學院最近的研究指出，酒喝愈多的人，全腦容積愈小。這樣的影響在女性身上尤其明顯，因為身材嬌小的人，較容易受到酒精的影響。 祕訣：喝白酒時，可加入一點氣泡礦泉水，減少酒精的攝取。 五、多吃藍莓 最新研究顯示，多吃紫色的水果，或許能增強思維敏銳度。國家老化研究所和塔夫斯大學的研究人員發現，比起沒有餵食藍莓精華的老鼠，有餵食的老鼠在迷宮裏的表現較好。 在另一項研究中，科學家發現服用藍莓的老鼠，牠們的大腦海馬迴區域出現細胞生長增加的現象。研究人員推測，藍莓中的花青素是這些認知改變的原因。 祕訣：多買一些藍莓，灑在早餐麥片或優格上，或打在果汁裏。此外冷凍的藍莓和新鮮的一樣有營養。 六、玩拼圖 拼圖可以讓人的認知年齡年輕十歲。阿拉巴馬大學調查將近三千名老人，他們參加十次六十到七十五分鐘的刺激大腦練習，增加心智的敏銳度，最後他們的表現相當於年輕十歲的人。 祕訣：從基本的小拼圖開始練習，隨著技巧愈來愈好，再嘗試更有挑戰性的智力測驗。 七、打坐 打坐不只可以紓壓，也可以加強大腦的灰色物質。波士頓麻州綜合醫院一項新研究顯示，打坐者的大腦皮質區會產生成長，這個區域主要控制記憶、語言、處理感覺。除此之外，肯塔基大學也請受試者進行心智敏銳測驗，結果發現有打坐者的表現較佳。 祕訣：最近一項研究的參與者，每天平均打坐四十分鐘。不過大家可以從上班前、午休時的十五分鐘開始練習。坐直身體、閉上眼睛、專注在目前所體驗的事物上，不論是遠方的鳥叫，或是自己的呼吸聲。

The Toyota A3 Report

Most problems are dealt with in superficial ways. Very few people and organizations actually arrive at theroot cause of their problems. At Toyota, they employ Root Cause analysis in almost everything they do. One problem solving approach they employ is the A3 Process.

A3 is a paper size, typically 11″ x 17″. There are actually several A3-type paper sizes, and Toyota believes that when you structure your problem solving around 1 page of paper, then your thinking is focused and structured.

Below are the steps of the A3 process, followed by a real-world example of an A3 collaborative problem solving that I was a part of while I spent a short time at Toyota. The steps below are taken from Dr. Durward Sobek‘s very informative site:

Identify Problem or Need

Whenever the way work happens is not ideal, or when a goal or objective is not being met, you have a problem (or, if you prefer, a need). The best problems to work on are those that arise in day-to-day work and prevent you from doing your best.

Understand Current Situation

Before a problem can be properly addressed, one must have a firm grasp of the current situation. To do this, Toyota suggests that problem-solvers:

• Observe the work process first hand, and document observations
• Create a diagram that shows how the work is done – a value stream map will be helpful here.
• Quantify the magnitude of the problem (e.g., % of customer deliveries that are late, # of stock outs in a month, # of errors reported per quarter, % of work time that is value-added); if possible, represent the data graphically.

Root Cause Analysis

Once you have a good understanding of how the process (i.e., the one that needs to be fixed) currently works, it’s time to figure out what the root causes are to the errors or inefficiency. To accomplish this, first make a list of the main problem(s). Next, ask the appropriate “why?” questions until you reach the root cause. A good rule-of-thumb is that you haven’t reached the root cause until you’ve asked “why?” at least five times in series.

Main Components of an Ishikawa Diagram

1. At the head of the Fishbone is the defect or effect, stated in the form of a question.
2. The major bones are the capstones, or main groupings of causes.
3. The minor bones are detailed items under each capstone.
4. There are common capstones, but they may or may not apply to your specific problem. The common ones are:

• People
• Equipment
• Material
• Information
• Methods/Procedures
• Measurement
• Environment

After completing your Fishbone Diagram excercise as a group, it is helpful to test your logic by working the bones: top-down OR bottom-up like:

this happens because of g; g happens because of f; f happens because of e; e happens because of d; d happens because of c; c happens because of b; b happens because of a.

The excercise above is crucially important — you must test your logic so that it makes pragmatic sense and that the atomic root cause is actionable — that is, you can do something to correct it, reduce it, or eliminate the root cause.

Once you or your team arrive at a root cause for a specific capstone, then you typically “cloud” it to identify it as a root cause. A good rule is that there is typically *NOT* 1 root cause for a problem, but potentially several. Below is a diagram of one fishbone, decomposed:

Countermeasures

Once the current situation is fully understood and the root cause(s) for the main problem(s) has been unveiled, it’s time to devise some countermeasures. Countermeasures are the changes to be made to the work processes that will move the organization closer to ideal, or make the process more efficient, by addressing root causes. Generally speaking, we recommend that countermeasures help the process conform to three “rules” borrowed from Steven Spear and Kent Bowen and slightly expanded:

• Specify the outcome, content, sequence, and task of work activities
• Create clear, direct connections between requestors and suppliers of goods and services.
• Eliminate loops, workarounds, and delays

Develop the Target State

The countermeasure(s) addressing the root cause(s) of the problem will lead to new ways of getting the work done, what we call the target condition or target state. It describes how the work will get done with the proposed countermeasures in place. In the A3 report, the target condition should be a diagram (similar to the current condition) that illustrates how the new proposed process will work. The specific countermeasures should be noted or listed, and the expected improvement should be predicted specifically and quantitatively.

Implementation Plan

In order to reach the target state, one needs a well thought-out and workable implementation plan. The implementation plan should include a list of the actions that need to be done to get the countermeasures in place and realize the target condition, along with the individual responsible for each task and a due date. Other relevant items, such as cost, may also be added.

A3 Example

Below is an example from an A3 project. The context for the A3 Report below is around the question “Why was the end-of-shift clean-up not being completed?” This question drove the team to follow the A3 method and subsequent root cause analysis to arrive at the root causes and implement solutions. This activity below was done proactively done by the team with full support from management.

Also, here is a video tutorial showing the elements of an A3 Report, A3 thinking, and how to complete an A3:

Understanding A3 Thinking: A Critical Component of Toyota’s PDCA Management System by Durward Sobek and Art Smalley
Pete Abilla
www.shmula.com
Book Review
MAR 12, 2006
Rating: 5/5

(from Amazon) Winner of a 2009 Shingo Research and Professional Publication Prize. Notably flexible and brief, the A3 report has proven to be a key tool In Toyota’s successful move toward organizational efficiency, effectiveness, and improvement, especially within its engineering and R&D organizations. The power of the A3 report, however, derives not from the report itself, but rather from the development of the culture and mindset required for the implementation of the A3 system. In other words, A3 reports are not just an end product but are evidence of a powerful set of dynamics that is referred to as A3 Thinking.

In Understanding A3 Thinking, the authors first show that the A3 report is an effective tool when it is implemented in conjunction with a PDCA-based management philosophy. Toyota views A3 Reports as just one piece in their PDCA management approach. Second, the authors show that the process leading to the development and management of A3 reports is at least as important as the reports themselves, because of the deep learning and professional development that occurs in the process. And finally, the authors provide a number of examples as well as some very practical advice on how to write and review A3 reports.

I highly recommend this book to lean practitioners in any industry.