Have you heard of the business term Kaizen?  If not, perhaps you are more familiar with the term Six Sigma?  Certainly, if you have been around the business or corporate world for a few years you are likely familiar with the concept of continuous improvement, which is the essence of both Kaizen and Six Sigma. 

I only recently stumbled across the term Kaizen, despite throughout my career being involved in many (too many?!) programs or projects purporting to support continuous, or even radical, improvement and change.

Having heard the term, I was interested to learn more. A little research revealed a wealth of information.

What is Kaizen? 

In Japanese, Kaizen literally means change good, as it is formed by combining the Japanese words “kai-” which means “change” and “-zen” which means “good”.

And yet, Kaizen is defined by the Oxford Language dictionary as “a Japanese business philosophy of continuous improvement of working practices, personal efficiency”, which was first utilized in manufacturing companies in Japan, post World War 2. As part of this, and how it is often used and referred to in the business world, Kaizen sees improvement in productivity as a gradual and methodical process.

Which as a student of modern history, I found very interesting. And of course, it got me thinking about how Kaizen can apply in our career, entrepreneurial business, and life too, not just in large corporations.

So, for our purposes, let’s use the term Kaizen in its purest form – simply, to change for better or for the good.

Why Kaizen and why now?

At the most basic level, the idea of ‘good change’ or ‘change for good’ feels incredibly relevant right now.  At a global level, for our planet, within our own nations and countries, locally within our communities and of course, within our homes and individually.  There has been a lot of change already happening over the past year or so in all these domains, so ensuring further change is good change or change for the better, and not change for changes’ sake feels apt.

Kaizen also seems to be a concept that ‘plays well with others’. After reading more about the original idea, I could see there are many inter-relationships and benefits associated with taking a Kaizen approach to ALL things, including our career or business, and life. 

Small changes

As mentioned above, globally, Kaizen is associated with incremental and continuous improvement. And, as I have shared regularly, ALL changes we want to make can benefit from starting small. Making small changes (that is, incremental) on a regular basis is more manageable for most of us.  And manageable change is, therefore, more likely to stick – which is especially important when we are faced with large situations requiring change, such as how our world changes to address the climate emergency and how our nations tackle the pandemic and vaccines.

At an individual level, the same holds true; making a series of small, incremental changes feels easier, more manageable, and less overwhelming. This is similar to the idea of up-levelling, where you slowly improve areas of your career or life, and in this way, the change is sustained.

Clarity and Confidence 

During times of change, often our self-confidence suffers, as we can feel unclear, uncertain and stuck.

Kaizen offers an alternative.

Taking a small steps approach to change keeps both the change we are affecting and us, focused and simple. With simplicity comes clarity.  And when we are going through a change of any sort, clarity is always key!

As well as greater clarity throughout the change experience and process, using Kaizen can also offer a confidence boost as small, incremental changes mean you make regular progress. And when we are making tangible progress that we can both see and feel, our confidence is improved.  

Forming a new identity 

Many of my clients have expressed that the events of the past year or so have resulted in some deep introspection and reflection about who is most important to them, what they truly value, and how they want to spend their time.  For many, exploring a more intentional way of living has meant reconsidering key aspects of their career, business and life, as well as reviewing previous decisions and examining their existing habits.  One client termed it as ‘forming a new identity.’

Again, Kaizen can be supportive. Incremental positive change is the essence of good habits, which is one of the key ways we can change and adjust our sense of self, or our identity. And then we reinforce our new identity with the small wins that result from the small changes.

As James Clear shares in his book Atomic Habits, “You might start a habit because of motivation, but the only reason you’ll stick with one is that it becomes part of your identity … improvements are only temporary until they become part of who you are”.

Basically, as we consider the new identity we (may) desire, the creation of this new identity can be achieved through using his two-step process;

1.     Decide what type of person you want to be.

2.     Prove it to yourself with small wins.

And the best way to achieve small wins?  By making small, incremental positive changes; the essence of Kaizen.

Prioritization 

One of the casualties of large, disruptive change is our ability to prioritize. When our world is in a state of flux, globally, nationally, locally, or personally, we can feel overwhelmed and stuck.  Knowing where to focus and what to do next can feel unclear, and our uncertainty adds to our feeling of overwhelm.

Once again, the ‘good change’ approach of Kaizen can assist.

Taking an incremental approach to (positive) change aligns with the idea I live my life by, as expressed by Theodore Roosevelt; Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.  I feel this idea is well supported by Kaizen, as it’s all about starting where you are at with what you’ve got and improving from there.  This helps with prioritising and avoiding procrastination, as once you acknowledge you can start where ever you are, using what you already have (or know), the usual barriers and excuses for not starting slip away.

(Another approach to support you with prioritizing is by connecting with your future self)

How to use Kaizen?

So now that we’ve covered the benefits of Kaizen, and how it can be used to support you in your career, business and life, how do you go about using it?

Of course, the easiest way to start is to start small. After all, that’s what Kaizen is all about – small, incremental, positive change!

Where to start with your small changes is up to you. Here are a few suggestions to get you thinking.

1.    Small daily habits are a great place to start. Maybe try some morning or evening journaling?

2.    Look at how you want to feel, and consider the small changes you could undertake to lead to these.

3.    Get clear about how you want to spend your time and take baby steps to make it your reality.

After playing around with Kaizen in my business and life, I realised it’s very aligned with my Design your Season approach.  Just like Kaizen, Design your Season is all about making small, positive changes in a defined time period.

And, like Kaizen, Design Your Season can be used at ANY time.  A self-led guided workshop, it’s an easy (and affordable!) way to dream, plan and action the small incremental and positive changes you desire, and shape ANY time period so that it feels intentional and joyful.