Kaizen (改善), is a Japanese term meaning “improvement” or “change for the better”, and refers to a philosophy or practices that focus upon continuous improvement of processes in manufacturing, engineering, supporting business processes, and management. In order for continuos improvement to become a habit / behavior it requires a series of transition states beginning with a receptiveness to change and evolving to a transformation and operational transition formed by new habits.
Kaizen in the workplace refers to activities that continually improve at all functions, and involve engages every employee from the CEO to the assembly line workers or receptionist. It also applies to all processes, such as purchasing and logistics, that cross organizational boundaries into the supply chain.
As with any effective process, S.M.A.R.T.E.R. criteria and engagement models must be applied in order to motivate, align and get the necessary buy-in for the people who have to execute successfully in order to deliver predefined results.
S.M.A.R.T.E.R. criteria based strategies are proven to engage employees as an emotional level and therefore provide accelerated and long lasting results because they become opt-in new behavioral patterns.
Rhythmic Pulse Checks
The secret to transforming any new practices into a ingrained habit is through continual practice, and so in order to effectively foster fast-growth in your business you need to follow the following rhythmic pulse checks, feeding back into you organization the continual improvement opportunities you find.
Daily; 15 minute stand-up Daily Huddles that ensure your team is focused on the right stuff (what’s up & metrics for today) and escalating anything big rocks (stucks) that are getting in their way.
Weekly; 30 – 60 minute Weekly Strategic Meetings where you spend 80% of your team’s valuable time working on solutions instead of discussing status. Review the week just past.. what’s working (do more of that), what’s not working (do less of stop doing that all together) and apply what you’ve learned toward next week’s strategic plan.
Monthly; a 2h strategic session working on the critical adjustments needed to achieve your Quarterly Goals.
Quarterly; by the 15th day of every 3rd month, you should be looking back on the current 3 month results and developing a winning plan for the next 90 days ahead.
The Strategy in a Day format followed by a One-Page Strategic Plan is the ideal way to run your Quarterly, Semester, and Annual S.M.A.R.T.E.R. Strategic Meetings.
If this sounds like a program you think your organization will benefit from, click here to request your exploratory session and see how we can work together in getting you to your next stage.
