The concept of Kaizen and its focus on gradual improvement is an incredibly sound business practice. The essence of Kaizen is that everything can improve continually and the status quo must be tested. The Kaizen approach seeks to find problems, create a solution, Test the solution, analyse the results, then standardise positive results, then repeat the process on an ongoing basis. At the core are the people within an organisation and the systemised execution of processes. The same could be applied to our personal lives and endeavours.
At the heart of Kaizen is the respect for people which further delivers on the cultural premise that your organisations greatest asset is the people within. Sir Dave Brailsford the man attributed to the massive success of the Great Britain Olympic cycling team’s gold medal tally rise has further translated this concept referring to it as the “power of culture by marginal gains” (Harvard Business Review, Eben Harrell, Oct 2015) or the Power of 1%.
The power of an organisations culture when the common purpose is aligned to the improvement process can produce incredible results. At the very core is the focus on “critical non-essentials”. Some non-essentials could be random areas of your business or process that you may never have considered previously such as work environment, desk space, food availability, repetitive or menial processes, or excessive management reporting methods. Collectively they all have a psychological and productivity impact. Many SME businesses do not pay attention to the critical non-essentials as they take a reactionary approach and always responding to crises and firefighting within their business. A shift in mindset can lead to a fundamental change in how the business is run and how decisions and responses are handled provided the groundwork is continually improved.
Some additional points that Sir Dave mentions are: *Invest in people * Recruit the best * Give people ownership * Provide absolute clarity of the roles * Provide clear standards on what is expected with regards to Behaviours and performance *Accountability * Provide a happy environment where happy people operate in a safe environment that encourages and accepts constructive criticism and feedback.
Some may subscribe to the view that 1% improvements are no match for large impactful changes. Perhaps the long-term sustainability of large implementations could be challenged. Gradual change perpetuated by all those involved is undoubtedly more sustainable and perhaps significantly better for culture, buy-in, and retention. There is no doubt that some old workplace paradigms are going to change as a result of the CoVid-19. CoVid is a dramatic event with a deserved focus on essential issues, however, when things return to normal a stronger focus collectively on ‘critical non-essentials’ could provide some huge business benefits for all in the Brave New World.
What is your view?