Kaizen - steps to change for the better

I've been thinking about Kaizen and how I apply it to my business processes

This week, I’ve been thinking about Kaizen – the Japanese approach to improvement or change for the better – some business places may know this better as ‘continuous improvement’, but it is also a word meaning ‘small changes’ for optimal results.

There are five traditional elements to the practice of Kaizen which include teamwork, personal discipline, improved morale, quality circles and suggestions for improvement.

But I see it as a whole practice which looks at ways to improve our workflow or work practices to achieve the best outcome – and we do this by taking small steps towards our end goal.

Sometimes we must also look at improving single steps towards our goals more than once in order to perfect that step.

Kaizen has been used successfully by many major businesses and there are plenty of examples if you fancy a Google search, but in simple terms the practice can be used in our own small business routines and even for our personal lives.

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and starting on the first one.” ~Mark Twain

For practical application there are also another steps of Kaizen – 5 S’s:

·        Seiri (Sorting) – putting your work in a designated area and then keeping it organised there

·        Seiton (Systematic Arrangement) – putting items together in the best way for the most efficient retrieval.

·        Seiso (Shining) – making sure your workspace and any equipment is clean.

·        Seiketsu (Standardising) – using a standard process you have developed, or which has been previously developed which can be repeated, tested and fixed to improve its efficiency.

·        Shitsuke (Sustaining) – keep doing the previous four S’s

You can apply the principles to everything – for instance if you want to attain Inbox Zero, you could take the following steps –

·        Seiri (Sorting) : Set up folders and sub folders in your email management system.

·        Seiton (Systematic Arrangement) : Setting up ‘rules’ so emails of a certain type, from a certain sender or which have certain content are automatically sent to the folders and subfolders you designate.

·        Seiso (Shining) : Delete all unwanted subscriptions as they come in to maintain an uncluttered/clean environment.

·        Shitsuke (Sustaining ) : Rinse and repeat!

But the ultimate trick to practicing Kaizen is to not leave your process at the final step – always be alert to ways you can optimise your steps to make them even more effective. For instance, regarding emails, is it better to have someone else manage the sorting and checking for you to save time and have then flag emails of importance, rather than having to check through everything yourself, or do you have to set aside a certain time every day to go through those folders and files and action items? How can you best do that to adhere to the principles of Kaizen?

Where our general office management or home management practices can fall down is forgetting about the continuous improvement aspect of the systems we have set up. What was good and efficient when we initially envisioned it, may have improved technology available, or we have thought of a better way.

Always go back to the start and take another look – it’ll be worth it in the long term!

- Nan Berrett

Word Solutions

January 11 2022