Glossary

At bat

This term is taken from American baseball, where an “at bat” is when a person gets a turn to swing at the ball and get a hit. An analogy might be in European football where players take a “shot on goal”. In both sports, even the best players miss more often than they succeed, so they must make multiple attempts and not be afraid to fail.

When someone says, "That's a good at bat," they mean "Go ahead, that sounds like something worth trying. And you won't be penalized if it's not a success.”

In Italian, one could say: “tentar non nuoce” (trying doesn't hurt!)

In French, one could say: “qui ne risque rien n’a rien” (who does not risk anything does not have anything).

In Japanese: 打席。打席につくこと。( バットを振ってみないと当たるかどうか分からないということから、リスクを負って新しいことを試すという意味。)

In Chinese: 敢于尝试 (这个词是源于美国棒球比赛的术语，就是指当轮到击球手击球的时候并击中。同样情况也可能在欧洲足球比赛中，就是指当一个球员射门的时候。在这两种运动中，即使最好的运动员也是击不到球或者射不进门多于成功击到球或者把球射进，所以他们必须做很多次尝试，不怕失败。)

Clock building is better than time telling

"Clock building" means that we are process oriented. We spend time improving our systems, guidelines, and procedures because we believe this is key to efficiency, speed, and quality. We care about improving the process, not just getting things done once. "Clock building is better than time telling" comes from the book, Built to Last, where it refers to the idea that having a great idea or being a charismatic or visionary leader is "time telling"; building a company that can prosper far beyond the presence of a single leader and through multiple product life cycles is "clock building."

In Japanese: 時を告げるのではなく、時計を作る。 ( 一回限りに成功を収めるより、過程を改善することで長期的に繁栄し続ける会社を目指すべきという、過程を重んじるマスワークスの理念を表している。)

Foster

Encourage, promote, cultivate…

Get the right things done well

In Japanese: 正しいことを上手にやる。

Leading edge

The foremost position in a trend or movement. (The front edge of an airplane wing is called the “leading edge.”)

In Chinese: 行业前沿 (处在行业发展趋势的最前沿)

Relentlessly

Persistently, to not give up, to keep trying

Special twist

Special twist means doing something with panache, flair, or vibrancy. When people put extra effort into an ordinary task—for example, answering an email message—it can make a big difference.

In Japanese: 自分にしかできない特別な工夫。 ( たとえ平凡な作業でも、期待以上の仕事をするという意味。)

Sweat the details

“Sweat the details” means to work hard to ensure that all the details are correct. It means to be concerned about the little things and to remember that details matter.

In French, one could say: “Avoir le souci du detail” (To have the concern of the detail)

In Japanese: 小さいことにこだわる。

In Chinese: 追求细节 (追求细节，是指尽可能去保证所有细节都是正确的。也就是要关注小事情和记住细节。)

Value productivity

Value productivity means appreciating output, results, and concrete and measurable achievements.

In Chinese: 尊重劳动价值 (尊重劳动价值是指我们应该对所有人创造的劳动成果心存感激之情。)

White space

“White space” means areas that are not the responsibility of a specific group or department. (If you imagine a traditional organization chart, the “white space” is the area on the page between the boxes and lines.) A “system-wide” solution usually requires several groups to work together to implement an idea.

Here is a simple but typical example: many years ago, we had calendars posted outside conference rooms in Natick. If you wanted to schedule a meeting, you had to walk around and look at all the calendars. The problem was solved when the web team discovered a web-based software application and worked with Office Services and SSG to implement it.

This was a “white space” problem for two reasons: first, because no group was responsible for the efficiency of the process; and second, because none of the groups could have solved it without the other groups.

We especially prize system-wide solutions such as this because they can make large and lasting improvements. That's why we should seek out such solutions. We try to find ways to do things that take the whole picture into account, look along multiple dimensions of a problem, and seize opportunities that emerge from the white space. This is where magic can be found.

In Japanese: ボールを拾う。（ 会社の組織図で線と四角以外の空白という意から特定の部門の責任範囲でなく、取り残されがちなwhite spaceを、部門間の協力で解決を見出す意味。)

In Chinese: 空白领域 (“空白领域”是指没有一个具体部门或团队负责的区域。如果你想象一个传统的组织结构图，它就是方框和连线之外的地方。一个系统化的解决方案通常需要几个部门通力合作去执行一个计划。)