Use the Kaizen Productivity Method to Improve Your Workflow

Many productivity techniques and organizational tips claim to make work easier and more efficient, and they actually can, although you have to find the one that works for you. A few methods originating in Japan have proven particularly popular (think Toyota-approved Kanban planning), including one of my favorites: kaizen.

The man who introduced the mainstream philosophy, Masaaki Imai, died two years ago, but left behind a legacy of productivity and efficiency that we can all learn from, because this technique not only helps you do more, but helps you do everything better.

What is Kaizen?

In Japanese, “kaizen” essentially translates to “improvement”, and it is the goal at the heart of the method itself, which encourages individuals at all levels of an organization to work together to continually improve everything about a business. The idea is that when everyone from the boss to the intern is on board with the plan, the place will simply be more efficient and everything will always improve. This is done through standardization and the implementation of uniform processes.

Toyota’s production system is a good example: if a problem or anomaly is detected by a worker in a factory, they stop the production line and employees and supervisors work together to resolve the problem. As Toyota says, this “humanizes the workplace” and the standardization involved allows each individual in the organizational structure to make meaningful changes. This is all part of a system called Plan, Do, Check, Act (commonly known as PDCA), which works perfectly within a Kaizen framework.

The PDCA cycle repeats itself, meaning that once you have planned, you continue to do, check, act and plan again, taking into account your results, so you are always improving. (If you’re familiar with an after-action review, which asks you to review what you did wrong and what you did right, then use that information to plan how you will improve in the future, it’s a useful framework for understanding PDCA.) And while you’re doing all this, you should keep the kaizen principles themselves in mind.

How does Kaizen work?

In addition to incorporating PDCA, kaizen has its own set of five fundamental principles:

• Know your customer: Respond to your customers and take care to identify their needs and interests, as well as how you can serve them, whatever your level. Even a cashier who deals with only one customer at a time can have a significant positive impact by ensuring that everyone receives individual attention. A CEO who never deals directly with a customer can meet their needs by basing company decisions on data and buyer feedback. In short, everyone can know the customer and serve them better. You can think broadly here: maybe you don’t have a “client” per se, but your work may still require you to think about the person you’re doing this work with. For. Let’s say you want to use Kaizen to clean your house before your mother arrives there for a week’s stay. Your mother is the “client” you need to impress

• Let it flow: Eliminate waste, both physical and theoretical, that is, don’t take unnecessary steps, don’t clutter the space and be direct in what you need to do. No matter what topic you’re working on or how many people you’re working with, this is where kanban can be a useful addition, as it forces you to think about your action steps when looking to achieve a goal. Once you’ve identified what needs to be done and when, think about how you can reduce each task to its most important and actionable elements.

• Go to Gemba: Gemba is the Japanese term meaning “real place”. This means you always have to be determined and direct to get where you need to be, which is probably where the action is happening. Don’t delegate what you don’t have to, don’t expect anything, and don’t stay on the sidelines.

• Empower people: Encourage people in your organization, whether you are their manager or your peers, and make sure everyone is aligned on common company goals and moving forward. If you’re following a modified version of Kaizen for a personal project, you can still take this step by not only giving yourself positive pep talks, but making sure you have everything you need before you jump in. If you’re working on this household project, make sure you have all the right tools and take enough breaks so you don’t burn out, for example.

• Be transparent: Demonstrate your productivity with concrete data and results and ensure everyone is always up to date on processes, developments and goals. There are many ways to do this, even if you are working alone. Personally, I like to take before and after photos when I start and finish a project because seeing a finished product motivates me.

Implementing these five elements in a work environment, according to kaizen adherents, is the key to unlocking a culture of continuous improvement. If you want to learn more, there are dozens of books on the methodology, but you should start with the original: that of Masaaki Imai. Kaizen: the key to Japan’s competitive success.