Kaizen

1
Kaizen

• Constant Never Ending Improvement -

• Élan Enterprises LLC

2
What is Kaizen?

• Kaizen (Kyzen)
• Kai means change
• zen means good (for the better)
• Pronounced 'Gai San' in Chinese -
• Gai - The action to correct
• San - An action that truly benefits society or
  all people rather than one individual
• ???
• Kaizen means Gradual, orderly, and continuous
  improvement -
• Ongoing improvement involving everyone

3
Conventional Thinking VS Kaizen
Conventional Thinking Kaizen

• Quality improvement saves time and money
• Work is an integrated process
• Quality means constant improvement
• Only 100 is terrific
• Customers are an integral part of our company

• Quality improvement takes extra time
• Work is a series of separate events
• Quality means hitting goals
• 95 is terrific
• Customers are who we sell to

4

• If better is possible,
• good is not enough.
• Anonymous

5
Roadblocks
The Way Out

• This wont work
• We've always done it this way!
• Scotomas
• Stuck Paradigms

• Possibility thinking
• Ask questions
• Use lateral thinking
• Look at old processes with new eyes

6
Scotoma

• Its not what we know thats killing us its what
  we know that isnt so thats killing us.
• ?
• It is our fundamental assumptions that get in
  the way of kaizen.

7
Paradigms(Assumptions, staunch opinions belief
systems)

• Filter incoming data and experience
• Establish mental boundaries
• Influence our perception
• Act as filters that screen information as it
  comes in and cause selective seeing/hearing

8
The Paradigm Effect Thomas Kuhn

• Everyone has a paradigm, either consciously or
  unconsciously.
• ?
• If incoming data doesnt match data that fits in
  their paradigm, people dont see it.

9
The Paradigm Effect...

• We see best what we are predisposed to see and
  we dont see what were not predisposed to see.

Swiss watchmaker story
The world is flat!
16th Century Copernicus the sun
WWII - Women In the Workplace Rosie the Riveter
Wright Brothers
10
The Way Out!

• Every person has to see himself or herself as a
  mini-CEO. They have to conceptualize what has to
  be done in the same way the CEO has. Then it
  cascades (down throughout the organization).

Michael Walsh former CEO, Tenneco
11
The Kaizen Secret

• Working ON the system and not IN it

IN
Reactive Crises Management Overwhelmed Sucked
Into It
Proactive Preventative Anticipatory Predictive Fut
ure Focused
ON
12
Question Your Process
Ask the question that every child asks and every
adult forgets to ask..
WHY?
13
Questions Worth Asking

• Why are we doing what we're doing?
• What IS working?
• What COULD BE WORKING Better?
• How can I (we) improve our products or services?

14

• Give people a big enough
• WHY?
• And they can handle almost any
• HOW?

15
The Way Out!

• Quality is never an accident it is always the
  result of high intention, sincere effort,
  intelligent direction and skillful execution it
  represents the wise choice of many alternatives.
• Willa A. Foster

16
KISS - Keep It Simple, Sam!

1. Individual reflection on those systems and
   services that work well and those that need to be
   improved. (Use Kaizen 1 handout)
2. Team develops a collaborative list of items they
   feel need to be improved. (on butcher paper or
   integrated typed list)
3. Team picks one item to work on a win-able.
4. Brainstorm ideas for improving the system or
   service.
5. Organize and prioritize the items.
6. Do it! Team works on action steps.
7. Study the results and continue Kaizen improvement
   process from there.

17
Kaizen Incremental Never Ending Improvement

• Teach people to walk in the customers shoes and
  view what they do from the customer's
  perspective!
• The level of detail necessary is to make a
  promise to both our internal and external
  customers and then keep it!
• Consistently improve systems and services.