Continuous Improvement

Continuous improvement is a way of life. A way of keeping your business in the race for success.

Imagine a world without change - It would be like living in the Middle Ages when there were hardly any changes in the way people did things for hundreds of years. Without continuous improvement we would not have television, radios, mobile phones, electricity... Hard to imagine.

We need change to grow and succeed.

Not doing anything does not mean we are staying at the same position. No, we are in fact moving backwards as our competitors move forward.

Imagine the repercussions in the mobile phone industry if a company such as Motorola had no continuous improvement philosophy. Where would they be after only six months compared to competitors such as Nokia and Sony Ericsson. I am not even sure they will still be in business after one year.

It is not only about technological innovations.

It covers, among others:

1. Technological innovation - New or improved products
2. Customer Service - Finding better ways of servicing customers
3. Reducing costs and wastage
4. Increasing productivity and profitability
5. Improving health and safety at work

It is easier to improve an existing product than develop a new one.

In many ways the Japanese perfected the concept of continuous improvement after the end of the Second World War. Japan was in ruins. However, the Japanese understood that it is easier to improve an existing product than develop a new product from scratch. Within a relatively short period of time Japan pulled itself from economic ruin to a powerful nation with the second largest economy on earth.

The Japanese term for continuous improvement is 'Kaizen' -'Kai' meaning change and 'Zen' meaning good.

There is always room for improvement.

As stated in the opening paragraph, continuous improvement is a way of life. It is not a tool or technique that can be used and stored away afterwards. It is a mindset that it there is always room for improvement. I guess, from a spiritual point of view you can even look at it as a search for perfection. For the Japanese it is a search for zero defect.

The key for any business, from a large corporation to a home based business, is to satisfy customers, and, if possible, exceed customer requirements. It is not something that happens overnight.

Long-term customer satisfaction is often obtained by making small incremental changes on an ongoing basis instead of major changes over a short period.

Continuous improvement is the ideal antidote to complacency.