When we say that a change has occurred in an organization, is it a significant change, or is it a continuous process that has led to a switch? You know, this question is a tricky one, but if you understand the importance of change and how it occurs, then you will be able to realize the importance of a principle we are going to discuss here.
Yes, we agree that some types of changes are inevitable and need some major projects, where you have to put forward months of hard work, need big budgets, and upheaval.
But the alternative method of bringing these significant changes is by opting for the continuous improvement method. The process goes on for years, and improvement is subtle. The approach is not valued much in reality. But if you take our suggestion, then it is the best way of bringing growth to your organization.
We also need to answer a question that once the new change is put in place, will the system work correctly? Will there be no need for any changes further? Will the process set stay for years till the next significant change occur? Not, right? If you are working with this attitude, then there will be a gradual decline in the benefits you are planning to reap after bringing a significant change in your organization’s process.
You know there is a room for change always. You and your team members make small improvements to challenge the status quo, and even you won’t call it an evolution or continuous improvement. You might already be reaping the benefits of the constant improvement approach your organization adopted. Overall, in the end, these constant changes add to your interests and bring a significant positive impact on your team or organization.
One approach to continuous improvement is Kaizen that you learn while opting six sigma black belt certification Bangalore. The word Kaizen originated in Japan, and it means to change (Kai) for good (Zen).
Kaizen is based on a philosophical belief that everything can be changed; everything can be improved! You can look at a situation in your organization in two ways,
- The process is working fine, and there is no need to change it.
- The process can be improved continuously to reap significant benefits.
It means that nothing can be seen as a status quo – everything needs to be changed by the time, and you see some inevitable continuous changes occurring in the process. These changes add to the substantial changes over some time and avoid the usage of any revolutionary innovation. It is a much more comfortable and employee-friendly way of bringing the changes as it will help employees adapt to the changes brought in as time spans.
Understanding the Kaizen approach
Since Kaizen is a philosophical approach and not any tool of bringing the changes, its approach is found in many improvement methods like in total quality management (TQM), or employee suggestion boxes. Under Kaizen, everyone in the organization is responsible for bringing the changes by identifying the gaps and inefficiencies, at every level in the organization, and suggest the need for change.
Kaizen aims at improving productivity, safety, efficiency, effectiveness, and waste reduction. The people who follow Kaizen find a whole lot of return by adopting the approach.
- Lesser Waste – Inventory is better used in an organization just like the employee skills.
- People feel satisfied – People are more involved in the approach, and they feel confident after doing something great for the organization. They have a direct impact on the way things are done in an organization.
- Improved commitment – This approach might lead to an improved commitment level from the team working on the improvement method.
- Improved retention – Satisfied employees stay with the company for a longer duration.
- Improved competitiveness – With the changing environment and approach, the people working in the team become more efficient. It leads to lower costs and higher quality products.
- Improved consumer satisfaction – A better and higher quality product leads to better customer satisfaction at the end.
- Improved problem-solving – Process makes an employee look at the problem in a much simpler way and can find the solution much faster than in any other approach.
- Improved teams – While your team is working together to solve a problem, it creates a bond between the team members and leads to make a much better and efficient team.
As said earlier that Kaizen is a philosophical approach developed in Japan. The procedure was initially built for all the manufacturers in Japan, because of which they started getting better products at lower costs. However, you can reap the benefits of Kaizen in any field, whether at the personal level or the organization/team level.
You can learn more about Kaizen and its waste improvement methodology in six sigma black belt certification Bangalore. As said, that much of the approach in Kaizen is based on reducing the waste; this waste can take several forms like,
- Movement – Moving the articles from the manufacturing unit to the end consumer before adding the value to it.
- Time – Increase in the wait time.
- Defects – The process leads to a re-work on the defective products, or that leads us to throw the product away.
- Over-processing – Processing a product more than it requires. It is done to add more value to it, but it leads to waste.
- Variations – When you have a better plan in mind and already working for your product, you must continue with it. It is harmful if you try to bring some variation in the program at such a point in time.
We say that when you think there is a need for change, list all the possible methods to bring the change and then try to decide the best optimal way of bringing the change. And once you have started with an approach, don’t try and disturb it with variations. You must understand all these essential tips you can learn in six sigma black belt certification Bangalore, since it leads you to a better product and satisfied consumer.