Perfection is an unattainable goal and those who strive for it inevitably fail. However, small improvements and changes made over time help businesses move forward and learn from mistakes to continually get better.

This is what the Kaizen method of continuous improvement does for companies.

Kaizen is a method for constant and continuous change. It involves the entire organization rather than a handful of people, which ensures that change from within touches all departments and fills any necessary gaps.

Let’s look into the Kaizen approach and how businesses like yours can benefit from implementing it today.

Plan-Do-Check-Act as Part of the Kaizen Methodology 

Companies that implement the Kaizen philosophy into the workplace see improvements in customer satisfaction, higher quality products and services, and higher retention rates.

You can adopt the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle in the Kaizen approach to ensure continuous improvement. PDCA is a straightforward method of solving problems and effecting change by empowering businesses to come up with hypotheses on areas for change, test these hypotheses and gain valuable knowledge in the process.

Here’s how it works.

Plan: Identify Improvement Areas 

Before improvements can be made, the first step is to identify the areas or projects that need improvement.

In this phase of the PDCA cycle, companies must identify the problem and work to come up with ideas as to what is causing the issue. This data can come from those who are managing the process, the management team or even customers.

The more data you can collect on a specific project, the better you’ll be able to address the problem areas.

Once you have this data, the next step is to come up with a solution and test it.

Do: Develop a Solution 

In this step, you work toward developing and putting a solution in place. You’ll need to use the data you collected in the problem identification phase. Gather this data and then brainstorm the likely causes of the problem.

Look into solutions that will not only prevent the issue from occurring but one that prevents recurrence as well.

Then you can move forward with measuring the effectiveness of your solution, testing it and reporting on the results.

Your test should take place in a controlled, trial environment on a smaller scale to gauge effectiveness.

Check: Study the Results 

Reporting is a crucial aspect of getting better in any business. You can’t change what you don’t know. Once you’ve come up with a hypothesis and tested it, the next step is to analyze the results. Did you improve the process? If so, it’s time to move forward.

If not?

Try, try again.

Act: Plan for the Future 

Here’s where you move forward in the process. If your test was successful, it’s time to implement it on a larger scale. Document it so moving forward the new process is updated and trained on by all new employees.

The PDCA cycle is called a cycle because it’s constant. It supports the principles of Kaizen and provides a roadmap for implementing successful changes.

Maintaining a Continuous Improvement Mindset

To change your company culture to one with a Kaizen mindset, here are some tips to keep in mind.

Embrace Change

Change is scary, it’s different and unpredictable. It’s also a necessary component of continuous improvement. To change your work culture to one that embraces Kaizen, encourage an open forum for discussion and new ideas.

Kaizen is based on incremental changes over time. Encouraging your employees to speak up if they notice issues or potential issues is one major aspect of taking constant steps toward improvement.

Make Feedback a Part of the Process 

When you’re making changes, asking for feedback is necessary to get everyone’s take on whether the new process is effective. If there’s a question about a particular process or a suggestion for improvement, ensure that employees know they can always speak up and that in doing so they are playing a part in the company’s long term success.

Eliminate Waste 

By eliminating waste, you’ll get the resources to make small improvements every single day. Some items that Kaizen identifies as waste include defective product, wasting time and wasted knowledge.

By streamlining all areas of business you’ll minimize waste in these and other areas.

Gauge Job Satisfaction

In order for employees to take an active part in helping the company evolve and change for the better, they have to like their jobs.

If they truly enjoy what they do, they’ll want to improve not only their job performance, but they’ll want to offer suggestions for improvements in other areas.

Reaping the Benefits of the Kaizen Philosophy 

Toyota is one company that’s known for implementing Kaizen methodology. In fact, it’s a core principle of the Toyota production system. If any abnormality is found on the production line, any employee is expected to call attention to it and suggest ideas for improvement. This shows respect for each line worker’s opinion and empowers them to speak up when they notice an issue.

You can adopt these principles within your organization and see the power the Kaizen model has to change the mindset within your company so you can reap the benefits of continuous improvement.

Remember, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Including all employees into every aspect of the business in your continuous improvement initiatives will ensure that nothing is overlooked and that everyone has a voice.

Recognizing employees that go above and beyond with Kaizen principles will encourage others to adopt the mindset as well. Check out our blog on different types of employee rewards and recognition for ideas.