Creating a Kaizen culture - of Continuous Improvement ..

While being busy with our daily chores where ever we are working, most of us forget the fact that in the rut of daily decision making and performance issues, we forget to keep tab of improvements that need to happen at our workplace. The Japanese and specially Toyota brought this to the fore with the concept of Kaizen, or Continuous Improvement. 

We need to make Continuous Improvement part of the DNA of organisations. 

Managers mostly talk about it but fail to practice and implement it on the shop floor. Managers generally lack the commitment to implement Continuous Improvement on the shop floor.

What greater way to promote this concept than by practicing it on the shop floor. At Alliance University, Bangalore, we have the good practice of getting interested Professors research and present initial findings of their research study with their colleagues in the department for the feedback. We do this activity once in a fortnight in the Operations area in Alliance School of Business and shortly plan to get this working in other areas as well. Just a small step, but we are sure in the long run, it will help improve the teaching and research output from the area. 

Arvind Chandrasekhar of the Ohio State Fisher College of Business and John Touisant in their HBR article of May, '19 speak (click here) of the 5 steps that can help organisations sustain a culture of Continuous Improvement in the organisation. 

1. Include TPS in succession planning - this is done so that lean practices are not forgotten once the initiators leave the organisation. Ensure that the successors are well aware of TPS and Lean principles

2. Installing lean behaviours in managers at all levels - leading with humility and putting them through training frequently, insisting on managers or doctors in hospitals practicing Genchi Genbutsu, as front line warriors going to the problem area and seeing problems and issues for themselves to come up with effective long term solutions identifying the root causes, engage in huddles to solicit discussion of problems seeking solutions etc.. Implementing 5S or orderly work place management and implementing policy of reducing wastes etc can be very effectively implemented o the shop floor.

3. Practicing and creating one's own success stories -  very frequently, instead of mentioning about other success stories, it creates better impression if one has their own success or failure stories of lean practices and continuous improvement to highlight. 

4. Finally establishing a Lean TPS operating system in the organisation by institutionalising Lean Implementation and Continuous Improvement across the organisation, giving frequent training to employees and motivating even small successes and dissecting failures to understand what can be avoided can result in establishing systems that last and bring value. 

Not being complacent and not resting on one's laurels is the guiding light to ensure success for Continuous Improvement in the organisation. 

George