Moleskine Skitch by @topgold
I BELIEVE IN KAIZEN (改善) (improvement) because it is a philosophy that ruthlessly measures "change for the best" through a practice that focus upon continuous improvement. I apply kaizen to the improvement of self.
Coaches and trainers also apply kaizen to processes in manufacturing, engineering, and business management. I'm incorporating kaizen to several third level modules, specifically targeting improvement in professional communications. Instead of the easily eroded values I see in civil service benchmarking, I think kaizen could be applied across all functional areas, from the top of the institution to the dedicated team that keeps our facilities clean and safe. I have a professional grievance with some of the activities and processes in my host institution--waste that would be easily identified and eliminated, similar to the approach taken to achieve lean manufacturing.
I first heard about kaizen during my study of military history decades ago. Kaizen first appeared in several Japanese businesses after the Second World War, influenced in part by American business and quality management teachers who visited the country. It now resonates in the personal productivity and coaching spaces throughout the world. I'm using focal words during 2014 to drive my better use of kaizen while getting things done in smaller and smaller bits of productive time on the job.
[Bernie Goldbach is the senior creative multimedia lecturer in the Limerick School of Art & Design.]
