Kaizen in life and business - how to make every day a step towards perfection. Your big, ambitious goals don't inspire you! Improvement cycle PDCA, SDCA

“I’ll start on Monday new life, I’ll go to the gym, do yoga, do self-massage, pump up my abs…” - each of us periodically sets some goals for ourselves and does not achieve them, postpones them to the next month, for several months, for a year. Isn’t it because this happens because we want a lot at once and plans fall on us like a heavy burden, preventing us from doing even the smallest thing in the end.

Sometimes we zealously begin to carry out our plans, but after working out, for example, 3 times a week in the gym for several hours, we give up classes for a while. for a long time. Why is this happening? Because the load is heavy, because it gets boring, and the habit has not yet been developed.

Kaizen technique or the one minute principle

There is a Japanese method called “kaizen”, which is based on the “one minute” principle. The principle of this technique is that a person is engaged in a certain task exactly One minute, but every day and at the same time. One minute of time- this is very little, which means it is easily doable for any person. Laziness will not get in your way. The same actions that you didn’t want to do for half an hour, coming up with excuses or justifications, you can easily do in a minute.

Jump rope, exercise your abs, do eye exercises, do yoga, read a book on foreign language- when time is limited to one minute, activities do not seem difficult to complete, but, on the contrary, bring joy and satisfaction. And by taking small steps, you improve and achieve great results.

It is important that you overcome self-doubt, free yourself from feelings of guilt and helplessness, and feel success and victory. Inspired by the feeling of success, you gradually increase your one-minute sessions to five minutes, and so on. Then quietly approach half-hour classes. Progress is obvious!

Kaizen originated in Japan. The word itself is a compound word, and includes two others - “kai” (change) and “zen” (wisdom). The author of this management concept is Masaaki Imai. He believes that Kaizen is a real philosophy that can be equally successfully applied in business and in personal life.

To people of Western culture, the Japanese method may seem ineffective, since in the West there is an established opinion that without much effort good results can't achieve it. But large-scale programs that take a lot of effort can break a person and remain ineffective. And the “kaizen” principle is suitable for everyone and can be applied to many areas of life. The Japanese, for example, use a strategy of gradual and continuous improvement in management.

5 Principles That Made the Japanese Management Model Successful and Continue to Improve the World

The Japanese have always been, are and will be very consistent. When I looked documentary“Jiro dreams of sushi”, I was very impressed. Especially the story of Jiro Ono that they consider it honorable to bring any task to perfection. Even if you work as a janitor, you should not complain about fate, but should bring your work skills to perfection. The Japanese do not jump from job to job in search of the perfect one; they can eventually turn any job into the job of their dreams. Because it's all about the approach.

Why not learn from the Japanese again and try their management method, which they use in their management, applying it not only to their work, but also to themselves? I looked for information about this system on the Internet and tried to build a more individual approach from the corporate approach.

Kaizen, kaizen (Japanese 改善 kaizen?, romaji Kaizen; sometimes incorrectly "kaizen") is a Japanese philosophy or practice that focuses on continuous improvement of production processes, development, supporting business processes and management, as well as all aspects of life.

The basis of the Kaizen method consists of 5 key elements, “5 S”:

• Seiri- neatness
• Seiton- order
• Seiso- purity
• Seiketsu- standardization
• Shitsuke- discipline

These principles can be adjusted both to your work and to your life. After the end of World War II, it was thanks to the use of this technique that many Japanese companies, including Toyota, managed to quickly recover and catch up with lost capacity.

Job

If you decide to try to apply the 5 principles of Kaizen to your work, then these 5 points should take their place of honor right in front of your nose and hang there until their implementation becomes the basis of your work.

1. Sorting. You have to sit down, think carefully and make a list of what you want to improve and what you think is preventing you from working more efficiently. This principle states that an employee should not do anything unnecessary, do not do his job. Which tasks are least related to your main job?

Some parts can be reduced to a minimum (checking email, working with documents), some can be delegated to someone whose specialization they are more relevant to.

For example, in some companies it is customary for sales managers to calculate the cost of services sold, issue invoices and draw up contracts. Although in fact, invoices and cost calculations are a matter for the accounting department, and contracts are the responsibility of the legal department or, again, the accounting department. Sometimes it seems that if you do it all yourself, it will be faster and you won’t have to go to the accountants. This part, for some reason, upsets everyone, and sometimes scares us the most. But in fact, if you organize the process correctly and convey to these departments that, in fact, this is their job, things will go much faster.

Think about what is unnecessary and get rid of it. And think about what simple changes can be added to the workflow. Just as the ocean is made up of drops, so too global changes starts with small changes.

2. Building and establishing order After you have discarded everything unnecessary, you can streamline the work process by arranging things in the necessary order. It will be good if, at least for the first few weeks, you keep something like your work diary, in which you will write down the tasks completed, the time at which they were completed, the amount of time it took to complete them, and note their priority. As a result, it may turn out that you spend the least time on the most important things, and routine eats up the most, although sometimes it seems that it’s easier to first sit down, for example, to make plans for the day (week, month), in order to get started, and then Having already warmed up, do the most important things. As a result, it may turn out that you again do not have time to complete the most important things.

If you know that you usually have 2-3 complex important tasks, it is better to schedule them at a time when your productivity is at its peak. We have already published an article about “prefrontal Mondays” and perhaps this option is just for you.

3. Cleaning or “polishing”. After finishing your work day, do not forget to clean your office desk and put everything back in its place. Finding the things and documents you need is much easier when everything is where it should be.

You need to put things in order not only on your desktop, but also in your head. To do this, it would be better to take a few minutes, look at your work diary and summarize, make the necessary notes and... forget about work when you find yourself outside the threshold of your office. Because the next morning you should come to work with a clear head and fresh thoughts. We have also written more than once about the benefits of distracting from a task and returning to it after some time. This way you have a much better chance of finding an interesting and fresh solution.

4. Standardization (systematization). After you have gotten rid of tasks that are not part of your responsibilities, built your workflow and put everything on the shelves not only in the workplace, but also in your head, it’s time to make a system out of it. That is, every morning you must do everything according to this structured scheme. Follow it and you will see results.

5. Maintaining practice. Once the first 4 processes are completed, they become a new way of working for you. You must stay on track and not fall back into old habits and methods.

When you think about a new method, you'll likely be thinking about what other changes you can make to improve efficiency. And thus you will again review the first 4 aspects, making changes to the process. This way you are constantly improving your working methods. And this - Right way, because the main goal of Kaizen is constant, never-ending excellence.

It is enough to be just one step ahead. Constantly

By the way, about the application of this method in business, the “guru” of kaizen, Masaaki Imai, whose book “Kaizen: the key to the success of Japanese companies” is still a bestseller business literature, told in his interview with Russian readers. A fragment from this interview published by the magazine “Own Business” clarifies a lot.

According to the Kaizen system, improvement of all processes in the company should occur continuously. Why does improvement need to be done every day?

Indeed, there are managers who prefer episodic improvements. We believe: if we did something yesterday, then without delay we must ask ourselves the question: “What are we going to improve today? Or tomorrow?".

IN Toyota company The Kaizen system began to be used 60 years ago. Since then, all of her employees have been making improvements every day. Imagine what heights you can achieve if you do something every day for decades to improve your work efficiency! Toyota's experience confirms this: the company has achieved incredible business success.

The company has reached a leading position in its sector, and today it is very difficult to compete with it. IN Lately consumers are becoming more and more demanding. Therefore, the conditions in which companies operate are becoming more stringent. And in the future we will face even more severe competition. Therefore, those who want to succeed have only one thing left to do: always be one step ahead of the competition.

In this regard, I remember an anecdote about an American and Japanese businessman who went on a safari to Africa. They arrived in the savannah and began photographing the local beauty. Fascinated by this, they went far from their car. When the businessmen were about to go back, a huge lion jumped out from behind the bushes in the distance. The Japanese, not paying any attention to the lion, took out his sneakers and began to change his shoes.

"What are you doing?!" — the American asked in surprise. “Don’t you see, I’m changing my shoes!” — the Japanese answered calmly. The American is perplexed: “Look how far our car is! In order for the lion to catch us, we must not change our shoes, but run!” To which the Japanese replies: “To save myself, I need to overtake you by just one step!” The Kaizen system helps achieve this.

- Is it really possible to come up with and implement some serious improvements every day?!

The improvements may be small, and each one individually may not be that noticeable. But taken together they will have a significant effect. Let me give you an example.

At one of the Matsushita enterprises, large teapots were placed on all tables during the lunch break, and each employee could drink as much of the drink as he wanted. The waitresses of the company noticed that the amount of tea drunk at different tables varied greatly. They then discovered that the same customers usually sat in certain seats. Having collected and analyzed data over several days, the waitresses determined exactly how much tea should be served on each table. As a result, they reduced the brewing consumption by half. In terms of money saved, the savings were negligible. Nevertheless, at the end of the year, these waitresses received gold medals from the president of the corporation.

After all, it is precisely such step-by-step improvements that together lead to significant strategic victories. IN worst companies employees are focused solely on maintaining existing processes - they do the same operations day after day, without thinking about improving them. In those companies where kaizen is used, everything is different.

Whenever a person sees some opportunity to do his job better, he must implement these changes and change the standards of performing individual operations accordingly. If a company uses kaizen, the number of staff may be reduced by 10-20%, and sometimes by 50%.

Most companies prefer to make improvements not gradually, but immediately - carrying out global transformations through innovation. What are the disadvantages of this approach?

Daily improvements do not require major improvements financial costs. To implement kaizen, all that is needed is for people to use their minds and concentrate on the work at hand. However, kaizen processes are often invisible or subtle, and their results are rarely immediately apparent. Global innovation always requires large investments to purchase new technologies, equipment...

Therefore, before thinking about innovation, it is better to first take advantage of the existing potential by implementing kaizen. In many Japanese companies, top managers tell workers: “We cannot allocate a large budget to implement your proposals. But you still have to make those improvements.”

In the 1970s, Toyota was led by a very talented top manager - Mr. Taiichi Ohno. He always believed in the strength and talent of his subordinates and was confident that if they were given the necessary powers, they would be able to solve any problems. He often used this approach. For example, Toyota set a goal of producing 100 units per hour. Then Ohno gave his engineers the resources to produce only 90 units, but required them to produce all 100. Since they could not do this right away, they either had to work overtime or urgently come up with some kind of improvement to cope with given task. When the engineers finally figured out a way to solve the problem, he would remove ten percent of the workers from that production line and move them to another area. And from the rest he again demanded to produce 100 units of product.

Does this mean that in the kaizen system innovations are rejected as such? Looking at leading Japanese companies, one cannot say this...

To develop a company, you need both a kaizen system and innovation. It is the combination of these two approaches that allows you to achieve the best results. Imagine: with the help of kaizen you gradually rise up. Then you take a big “leap” - you introduce innovation. Then from this new height you again continue the gradual upward movement - and again make a breakthrough.

As a result, you find yourself superior to those who apply only an innovative approach and move in leaps and bounds. In addition, the system created as a result of the introduction of innovation will inevitably degrade if efforts are not made first to maintain it and then to improve it. The effect of innovation is gradually decreasing due to intense competition and obsolescence of standards. Kaizen helps ensure a steady rise.

These same “5S” can be adjusted to any aspect of life. For example, you want to start leading healthy image life.

The first “S”. You sit down, divide the piece of paper into two parts and write down everything that bothers you in one column, and everything that helps you in the second.

Second "S". After identifying all the positive and negative aspects, you make yourself a schedule in which you include everything useful (a walk in the park, going for a walk at lunch, etc., etc.). In addition to creating a “health schedule,” you can simply make a list of what you need to start doing. For example, make a schedule for yourself to reduce your consumption. junk food to a minimum and gradual introduction of healthy foods into your daily diet. This must be done gradually, otherwise the body, and behind it the willpower, will simply rebel, demanding a dose of sugar and simple carbohydrates to which it is accustomed.

Third "S". To be honest, it’s difficult for me to draw an analogue to this S, but if I were doing this for myself, I would simply include this item as “Cleaning”. Keeping it clean and tidy is very important no matter what you try to do. This applies to work and just life. Because in a cluttered room a person loses strength and the necessary mood. In addition, cleaning can be turned into First stage physical exercise or make it a meditative process, when you need to focus exclusively on physical actions and completely clear your head of thoughts.

Fourth “S”. Now it's time to turn all the changes into a system. Just stick to the schedule you created and it will become your normal way of life.

Fifth "S". Look after yourself and get rid of temptations to return to your old, easier life. At first, a healthy lifestyle is not easy, because there are so many temptations around that it is difficult to resist. And improve by finding more and more new ways to make your life better.

After re-reading great amount material, I realized that the Kaizen system can be adjusted to anything. The main thing is to follow the basic rules - get rid of unnecessary things, build a system and constantly improve it!

Reference

Companies that use this system increase the profitability and competitiveness of their business without making large capital investments. It allows you to increase labor productivity by 50-100% or more. This system is called “kaizen” (from the Japanese words KAI - “change” and ZEN - “good”, “for the better”). Kaizen is the constant desire to improve everything we do, embodied in specific forms, methods and technologies. This method is used by outstanding companies: Toyota, Nissan, Canon, Honda, Komatsu, Matsushita.

1. Organization of the workplace– is the management of the workplace in order to optimize activities. Kaizen pays attention to this great attention. In Japanese, this process is referred to as gemba. To properly organize the workplace, appropriate management tools are used, which are called 5S methodology. The term 5S itself comes from the first letters of Japanese words.

The actions for 5S methodologies include:

Seiri – it is necessary to sort out what is not required in the work. Special markings can be used to highlight unnecessary elements. If the elements highlighted with markings are not required by anyone when performing work, then they are removed from the workplace.

Seiton - it is necessary to put in order everything that is required in the work. These elements must be in sight. Tools and accessories should be located in places where they are easy to find.

Seiso workplace and all equipment must be clean. After the end of the working day, the workplace must be cleaned, and all tools and equipment must be placed in their places.

Seiketsu – standardization of the first three steps. These actions should become normal operating practice. When employees of the organization see improvements from the proper organization of the workplace, it is necessary to conduct training with them on how to perform these actions.

Shitsuke – maintaining established workplace management practices. It is necessary to create a system of observation and monitoring of the content of organized and standardized workplaces.

2. Elimination of unjustified losses is the process of finding and eliminating activities in processes that do not add value. In Japanese, this process is called “muda”. Most jobs are a series of activities that transform raw material into a final finished product. Some of these actions add value to the product, and some do not. The part that does not add value is waste and must be eliminated.

The Kaizen system considersseven types of losses or seven "muda":

Movements – unproductive and unnecessary movements increase the time of operations and their complexity.

Waiting – Excessive waiting time for operations to be completed results in longer production cycles.

Technology – improperly organized process technology leads to inconsistency of actions.

Transportation– long distances, moving from place to place, lifting and lowering during the production process increase non-production costs.

Defects – correcting defects requires materials and labor.

Inventory – Excessive inventory of materials adds cost to products but does not provide value.

Overproduction– more products were produced than planned.

3. Standardization is a process of standardizing work. Standardization provides the basis for stable operation, but standards must be modified when both external and external changes occur. internal environment. In a kaizen system, the standardization process never ends. Standards are constantly being improved. Standards are improved through the PDCA cycle.

Application of Kaizen

The application of the kaizen system is carried out through the creation and constant operation of the so-called kaizen - teams. According to the tasks they solve, we can distinguish 5 main types of commands:

Permanent commands– these teams work every day. The teams include specialists (workers, employees) performing work on site.

Problem solving teams– are formed to find solutions to a specific problem at work. The team consists of members from several permanent teams. Total The members of such a team usually range from six to eight people. After reaching a decision, the team disbands.

The path of self-improvement for the Japanese

After the samurai began to disappear as a class, they gradually transformed into businessmen. And indeed, after Japan was prohibited from maintaining its army in 1946, where could the samurai spirit that had been developing over centuries disappear overnight? And even after a humiliating defeat in the war? Has everyone suddenly realized the false values ​​of war and lost their belligerence forever? Of course, that doesn't happen. The samurai spirit has been preserved. Now the battlefield and struggle for spheres of influence has become economic activity. What exactly has changed? Attacking the market, outflanking the enemy, encircling and exterminating competitors, success is victory. Everyone fights at their combat post, everyone fights as one, from small company employees to alliance leaders.

What motivates a Japanese person to be dedicated and committed to the interests of the company, besides money? Confucian mentality! Having lost its weakly expressed religious content, Neo-Confucianism played into Japan's hands in such non-ideological areas as trade and economics. Both the political and business elites of Japan eagerly adopted the neo-Confucian concept of self-improvement shu shin to ensure the achievement of economic goals by commercial and industrial corporations and the nation as a whole.

In the time of Confucius, self-improvement was seen as a lifelong endeavor, the logical conclusion of which was to be the acquisition of wisdom. Moreover, self-improvement presupposed the mastery of such moral qualities as sincerity, benevolence, generosity, cooperation, and devotion in relations with family, neighbors, the state and the whole world.

The ideas of Confucianism were brought to Japan by the monks of the Zen sect back in the 13th century, but only in the 17th century, with the support of the Tokugawa regime, did this school develop on Japanese soil. Of course, Confucianism and the concept of self-improvement at that time were seen as the spiritual heritage of the samurai, and not the worldview of the commoners.

In the 18th century, thanks to the popularization activities of the Japanese thinkers Baigan and Shingaku, Confucian ideas began to take hold of the masses.

Thus, Baigan presented traders and merchants, on a par with samurai, as “servants for the benefit of the state,” and also in his assessments raised the status of people of ordinary professions, justifying this with their desire to contribute to the general prosperity of society. Shingaku believed that this understanding of the principle of self-improvement would help commoners find high moral guidelines and ultimately find meaning in life.

At the beginning of the 20th century, neo-Confucian theory increasingly merged with the ideas of modernization that swept Japan.

Shibusawa Eichi, the largest industrialist of the first quarter of the 20th century, wrote many treatises, which are still reprinted and read by Japanese businessmen, on the introduction of the principles of Confucian morality in economic life.

Highest goal for him was the acquisition of harmony, which is expressed in the fact that wealth and economic prosperity become a virtue if they are achieved in a good way and benefit people. He proposed, first of all, to combine the “spirit of the samurai” and “commercial talent.” At the same time, the concept of “commercial talent” was derived from the spiritual basis of man, his morality. Shibusawa also believed that the path of the samurai - bushido - should become the path of the merchant and businessman of the new time.

Now mastering martial arts and the secrets of the tea ceremony for the sake of self-improvement has been replaced by long hours of work in a company, long-term business trips and other hardships. " Psychological condition“samurai,” writes Norihiko Suzuki, “can be described as a tendency to self-sacrifice for the sake of his master, his clan.”

The samurai's aggressiveness does not focus on defeating the enemy, but on self-sacrifice for the sake of the master. If the word “Mr.” is replaced by the word “company”, we get a description of the modern spiritual state employees of companies with the only difference being that today employees do not have to commit suicide to prove loyalty. However, the tradition has not disappeared.

For example, there is a known case when the captain of a cargo ship transporting cars from Japan to the United States committed suicide in Portland because he considered himself responsible for the damage to several hundred cars that occurred during a hurricane that broke out off the coast of Oregon. But it was a raging element! What to say if the company suffers losses due to fault specific person or is the management very dissatisfied with the work of any of the departments? Suicides of company employees for this reason still happen today!

The general diligence and self-denial of Japanese employees is turning into a nationwide problem of karoshi - death at work from overwork. Perhaps the apotheosis of this whole race and pressure are the cemeteries created by Japanese companies for their own employees. This is truly the sarcasm of fate!

Can you imagine the cemetery of the ZIL plant in Russia, for example?

Neo-Confucian philosophy brought to life educational programs financed by Japan's richest industrialists, during active development the trade union movement relieved the tension that arose between company administrations and workers. She said that only their mutual cooperation for the benefit of society can ensure profit and satisfaction of the needs of both.

Later, Japanese trade unions adopted neo-Confucian ideas, which became the basis for corporate training for company employees and a number of educational programs. For example, the training for employees of one of the Japanese banks includes the following points: Zen meditation to increase self-control and achieve detachment from one’s ego; visit to military base- to develop fortitude and obedience; leisure on weekends outside the city - to coordinate group activities, love of life, energy; a twenty-five kilometer walk - to train perseverance and self-control, etc.

The reason why the Confucian idea of ​​self-improvement has penetrated so deeply into economic life lies in the peculiarities of Japan's modernization. With the rapid penetration of Western models into the life of the country, the political elite struggled to preserve the Japanese spirit and relied on the incorporation of neo-Confucian ideology into the life of the new growing class of employees.

Self-improvement in Confucian style meant not only mastering a profession, but also acquiring moral qualities necessary to work in the company and maintain subordination in the team. The concept of self-improvement still provides Japanese men with moral satisfaction and the opportunity for self-realization. She gives meaning to both his life and his work for the company, despite all the attendant difficulties and self-limitations.

I Japanese culture is one of the most mysterious in Asia, especially for those who have never been to the Country Rising Sun. Special treatment The Japanese approach to work, family, and upbringing is controversial, but they can definitely teach Europeans many things - for example, finding harmony in a world where everyone is in a hurry and does not think about the most important thing.

She doesn't explain, he doesn't guess. The Japanese art of dialogue without quarrels. Iota Tatsunari

We learn to communicate with others from childhood, but even experienced negotiators cannot avoid some problems. Most often, disputes occur due to the fact that it is not easy for us to look at a particular situation through someone else’s eyes. Expert on interpersonal communication Iota Tatsunari sees main reason quarrels over the difference between “male” and “female” worldviews.

The author cites 36 key contradictions that often arise between interlocutors. In his opinion, for constructive dialogue you need to understand what type of communication is typical for you - “male” or “female”. Being aware of this difference between you and your interlocutor will help avoid serious conflicts.

The best dad! How to stay in the heart of a child when you work from morning to evening. Toshimasa Oota

The Japanese economy assumes that men simply have to be workaholics, otherwise they will not be understood. Therefore, they stay in the office until late, and return there early in the morning and work for the benefit of their company until they sweat. This is the only way to be sure that the family will always be provided with everything they need. A woman is much more likely to be at home and raise children alone. But such a distribution of roles in the family is not uncommon for some families in Russia.

Toshimasa Oota draws readers' attention to how little time a father has to communicate with his children: as soon as baby is coming to school, parents cease to be the most important and interesting people in his life. And if a man spends all his time at work, then there is simply not enough time for education. In this book you will find useful tips about how to come up with interesting game, competently build relationships in marriage and always remain in the soul of a child, even if you have to spend more time in the office than at home.

How to forget to forget everything. 15 simple habits so you don't have to look for your keys all over your apartment. Takashi Tsukiyama

When there are too many things to do, it is difficult to fit everything in your head and not forget about some really important things. When even keeping a diary does not help, special memory development techniques come to the rescue. Neurosurgeon and neuroscientist Takashi Tsukiyama talks about how to organize your thoughts.

One of the main rules is, of course, maintaining a daily routine. The author gives a lot of advice on how to start the day and when is the best time to go to bed in order to be more alert and work faster. In addition, Tsukiyama describes in detail other factors that we usually do not pay attention to: putting things in order in the workplace, the ability to structure one’s speech, proper nutrition and much more.

KenKen. Japanese brain training system. Tetsuya Miyamoto

Tetsuya Miyamoto - mathematics teacher and creator famous system KenKen, which he created for his students. In his opinion, the decision special type logic problems accelerates development mental abilities and proves once again that mathematics can be really exciting.

This book contains 300 tasks varying degrees difficulties. KenKen problems are a square grid that must be filled in with numbers in the correct (and unique) way. The puzzle is divided into separate blocks. Inside each of them it is indicated mathematical operation(addition, subtraction, division and multiplication) and its result. Having determined which numbers will give this number as a result of one of four actions, you can gradually fill in the entire grid. Solving these problems is not only interesting, but also useful: it is no coincidence that the main pedagogical principle Miyamoto is "learning without teaching".

Zen style cleaning. A method of putting things in order without effort and stress from a Buddhist monk. Shuke Matsumoto

Cleaning can hardly be called a pleasant task, but in Buddhist culture maintaining cleanliness is considered one of the most important processes. Without putting things in order it is impossible to achieve spiritual enlightenment and fully understand the world. A monk from one of the Tokyo temples, Shuke Matsumoto, in his book helps not only to understand cleaning from the point of view of Zen Buddhism, but also to learn more about this religious and philosophical movement.

One of the peculiarities of Japanese culture is hidden in cleaning: for example, in schools, children clean themselves. The neatness of the home serves as a kind of metaphor for internal cleansing, putting thoughts and feelings in order. In addition, in the Land of the Rising Sun they have a completely different attitude towards unnecessary things: just call it that old thing garbage is not allowed, because she, like a person, deserves gratitude for her service. But the main thing is that you need to clean not forcefully, but with love.