What is the Kaizen philosophy?

Kaizen is a compound of two Japanese words that together translate as “good change” or “improvement,” but Kaizen has come to mean “continuous improvement“: is therefore an approach to creating continuous improvement based on the idea that small, ongoing positive changes can reap major improvements.

The core of this philosophy, that is often applied in companies’ human management, is established in these 10 points:

1. Let go of assumptions.
2. Be proactive about solving problems.
3. Don’t accept the status quo.
4. Let go of perfectionism and take an attitude of iterative, adaptive change.
5. Look for solutions as you find mistakes.
6. Create an environment in which everyone feels empowered to contribute.
7. Don’t accept the obvious issue; instead, ask “why” five times to get to the root cause.
8. Cull information and opinions from multiple people.
9. Use creativity to find low-cost, small improvements.
10. Never stop improving.

Kaizen is based on the belief that everything can be improved and nothing is status quo. It also rests on a Respect for People principle. Kaizen involves identifying issues and opportunities, creating solutions and rolling them out. Kaizen is a way of thinking and organizing everything more than a to-do list.

So this week, learn how to Get Better at Getting Better. Good luck!

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