How to Practice Kaizen

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Take small steps forward.

   The most basic premise of kaizen philosophy is to institute incremental improvements over time.
   
   It calls for an ongoing, collaborative process of gradual enhancements to optimize productivity, efficiency, and/or quality.This means that you need to respect the process and commit to it in the long-term.
   
   Kaizen functions best when it’s adopted as a lifestyle or culture.
2. 2

   Step 2: Focus on specific

   You may be overwhelmed by the big-picture and the scale of overall changes that you’d like to make.
   
   Kaizen makes the big-picture whole manageable by breaking it down into measurable, targeted improvements.
   
   Doing so enhances your chances of succeeding in the short-run and long-term as well as your ability to measure your successes along the way.For example, instead of trying to do a complete overhaul of your sales strategy, you might focus on improving one thing at a time through a specific method, like boosting sales to a particular demographic through retargeting applications or special offers.
   
   Change can feel risky and generate resistance.
   
   This approach can be especially helpful in collective settings because it allows everyone to get “on board” with changes since they’re not alarming or drastic.
   
   This philosophy also requires people to hone in on processes instead of dwelling on results.
   
   While the ultimate goal is to improve results, you’re more likely to get there when you focus on how to improve the process. , One of the best ways to improve a given process, according to kaizen, is to figure out which steps you can take to reduce any wasted time or resources associated with it.For example, if you’re trying to improve your personal time management, you might identify the things that you spend the most time on and evaluate how much value each activity adds to your life and/or career.
   
   If you find that managing your emails is taking up too much time in comparison to the value that they offer, you can take steps to ensure you spend less time in your inbox. , Following kaizen principles, you should devote your mental energy towards thinking about how to do something, not towards making excuses about why it can’t be accomplished.
   
   The principles call on you to do what you can do now and to come up with new solutions for those things that have traditionally been seen as impossible to change.When you’re taking action to make positive changes, kaizen asks people to disregard the limitations of conventional or status-quo thinking.
   
   Instead, you should approach each problem or goal on its own terms. , According to kaizen philosophy, your most important resource to create good changes should be wisdom rather than money.
   
   As a strategy, it focuses on tapping collective wisdom versus deploying a big budget to fix things.The easiest way to do this is to gather your peers or coworkers to brainstorm solutions for particular problems that could be implemented immediately.
   
   For instance, if you’re trying to improve your in-house communications, you could work together to come up with internal listservs, filters, tagging systems, and/or protocols that would solve many of your issues without relying on buying new software or hiring a consultant.
   
   In the long run, you may need to make some monetary investments, but kaizen offers you the opportunity to make the best use of the resources that you already have available.
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   Step 3: actionable processes.

4. 4

   Step 4: Eliminate waste and excess.

5. 5

   Step 5: Take action.

6. 6

   Step 6: Draw on your mental resources.

Detailed Guide

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