Use This Japanese Productivity Technique to Improve Your Workflow
Many productivity methods and organizational techniques claim to make work easier and more efficient, and they do, but you need to find the right one for you. Several methods originating in Japan have proven particularly popular—for example, the Toyota-endorsed Kanban planning method —including one of my favorites: kaizen.
The man who made this philosophy mainstream, Masaaki Imai , died two years ago, but he left behind a legacy of productivity and efficiency that we can all learn from, because this technique not only helps you get more done, it helps you do things better.
What is kaizen?
In Japanese, the word “kaizen” translates as “improvement,” and this is the primary goal of this method, which encourages people at all levels of the organization to work together to continuously improve all aspects of the company. The idea is that when everyone, from the manager to the intern, participates in the plan, work becomes more efficient and everything improves continuously. This is achieved through standardization and the implementation of unified processes.
A good example of this is the Toyota Production System: if any worker in the plant detects a problem or deviation from the norm, they stop the production line, and the employees work with managers to resolve it. As Toyota puts it , this “humanizes the workplace,” and the accompanying standardization gives every employee within the organizational structure the opportunity to make meaningful changes. All of this is part of the “Plan, Do, Check, Act” system (commonly referred to as PDCA), which works perfectly within the framework of kaizen .
The PDCA cycle is iterative, meaning that once you’ve planned, you continue to do, check, act, and plan again, taking into account your results, so you’re constantly improving. (If you’re familiar with action analysis , which calls for analyzing what you did well and what you did poorly, and then using this information to plan how to improve in the future, this is a useful framework for understanding PDCA.) And while you’re doing all this, you should keep the principles of kaizen in mind.
How does kaizen work?
In addition to the implementation of PDCA, kaizen has its own set of five fundamental principles :
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Know your customer: Satisfy your customers and clients, identify their needs and interests, and how you can serve them at every level. Even a cashier who deals with one customer at a time can have a broad positive impact by paying close attention to each one. A CEO who never interacts directly with customers can meet their needs by basing company decisions on data and customer feedback. In short, everyone can know the customer and serve them better. Think broader here: you may not have a “customer” per se, but your job may still require you to think about who you’re serving. Let’s say you want to use kaizen to clean the house before your mom comes to stay for the week. Your mom is the “customer” you need to impress.
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Keep it flowing: eliminate waste, both physical and theoretical, by avoiding unnecessary steps, keeping space clear, and doing what needs to be done in a straightforward manner. Regardless of what you’re working on or how many people you’re working with, Kanban can be a useful addition because it forces you to think through the steps needed to achieve a goal. Once you’ve determined what needs to be done and when, consider how you can reduce each task to its most important, actionable elements.
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Go to gemba: Gemba is a Japanese term meaning “real place.” This means you should always be goal-oriented and straightforward to get where you need to go—which is likely where the action is. Don’t delegate what you don’t need to do, don’t wait, and don’t sit on the sidelines.
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Empower people: Inspire your organization’s employees, whether you’re their boss or your colleagues, and ensure everyone shares the company’s common goals and commitment to progress. If you’re using a modified version of kaizen for a personal project, you can still take this step by not only encouraging yourself but also making sure you have everything you need before you begin. For example, if you’re cleaning your house, make sure you have all the necessary tools and take enough breaks to avoid burnout.
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Be honest: demonstrate your productivity by providing reliable data and results, and ensure everyone is aware of processes, changes, and goals. There are many ways to do this, even if you’re working alone. Personally, I like to take before and after photos at the beginning and end of a project because seeing the finished product motivates me.
According to kaizen adherents, implementing all five principles into the work environment is the key to creating a culture of continuous improvement. If you want to learn more, there are dozens of books on this methodology, but a good place to start is with the original: “Kaizen: Japan’s Key to Competitive Success” by Masaaki Imai .