Kaizen

A pathway to innovative, growing and sustainable business!

I have often heard people talk of challenging business environment and that modern business environment being full of challenges and stress. But scarcely have I heard of people finding a solution to make it a fun and amiable business environment! Or people say how much they enjoy their work! It's a challenge for business owners and HRMs to make work-life of the people in the Amicable. It is absolutely necessary that people enjoy their work, because if they enjoy the work, they'll do it with their whole hearts. They'll come up with creative and innovative solutions; moreover managing them will be a cake walk. But the question is how to make it possible! The answer is Kaizen. Kaizen means change for better, and it implies continuously changing for better. Kaizen makes work-life simpler, fun and innovative. How to apply kaizen? Kaizen is simple. It works on the principle of making one enjoy in doing what he's doing at the moment. It does not go after large world changing innovations, but each day it makes small changes and innovations that lead to a great change in the world. Application of kaizen: Kaizen is nothing but falling in love with your work and being proud of what you do. If you want to apply kaizen in your organization, just follow the given steps.

Empower/comfort employees: Give employees the power to make small changes in their work, so as to make it comfortable and easy. Ask them to find ways and means to do the work in easiest way possible and make it perfect. Ask them to concentrate and master in the work they are doing.

Ask Question/Group Meetings: Employees are always comfortable in learning from their peers. Encourage employees to ask questions, and put forward all the queries. If they don't understand something ask them to get it solved by taking the help from someone else. This can be done by means of quality circles i.e. group meetings of the peers.

Record the change: When an employee will start doing the things in their own way, they'll surely fall in love with their work. This will lead to some small changes may be in production, time taken, or the way the work is done. Record these changes and see how the progress has been and how the world has taken an upper turn.

Appreciate/recognize: Once you see the changes appreciate them. Go meet the employee and say how the organization has benefited by small idea, and specifically point out the benefits. When done, see the glow on the face of employee. Look out for the happiness. The employee will be happier and content, and

will be proud of his work.

Make him share: Kaizen just aims at making people prouder and making them love what they are doing. It also aims at inspiring people and learning from each other. Hence making workplace fun! When an employee shares what is done or how he has improved his skills or come up with a better idea to do that particular task, he feels proud of his work, and his chest swells from the appreciation. This also is a fact all peers, as they too will be inspired from their colleague and would want to share their experience once.

Note it down: To take recognition a step further, note down the activities, impacts and results somewhere along with the name of the employee, and display to all the other employees. This will make them appreciate, love and be proud of themselves and their work.

Gifts: Kaizen does not ask you to give the gifts, as the above factors are sufficient to inspire the employees, yet, it all depends on the management how they want to recognize. I would personally suggest to give a memento to the deserving.

Involvement of management: Kaizen means loving what you do. This doesn't only apply to the employees, but also to the managers. Manager must work hand-in-hand with the employees. They should each day visit the workplace, greet people, and appreciate them. Involvement of management will act as a fuel to that happiness. Kaizen is all about loving what you do and hence, improving it. It also aims at improving yourself and being best at what you do. It treats a human is a human, rather than looking a human down upon. It emphasizes on humans being an asset of the company!