Key Points

• In the Kaizen world, team events are typically organized with 6-10 people.
• These events are invaluable in finding ways to make continuous improvements.
• At these events, there should be multiple people from various parts of the organization.

When a company considers how to best bring its teams together in a collaborative manner, several approaches can be taken to achieve this goal. At the top of any list should be Kaizen, which is the philosophy of continuous improvement. Translated as “changing something for the better,” the origin of Kaizen stems from the aftermath of World War II, as Japanese organizations rebounded from the devastation.

While the Kaizen approach is traditionally associated with manufacturing, this does not mean it can’t have practical applications in other industries. Whether it’s healthcare, government, banking, finance, or telecom, Kaizen can help with team collaboration. The hope is that it can be easily implemented and quickly introduce results that can have a meaningful impact. 

What Is a Kaizen Event? 

With the understanding that Kaizen focuses heavily on creating a culture of continuous improvement, it is everyone’s responsibility to speak up and identify areas for improvement. Doing this is better known as the “daily Kaizen,” but it’s not the only approach. 

If you look at a more focused result that is capable of delivering more impactful outcomes, this is often referred to as a Kaizen Event. Also known as a Kaizen blitz, a Kaizen event is essentially a workshop where teams from each level of an organization come together to identify areas for improvement. 

Whether a Kaizen event lasts for days or a whole week is up to the teams, as well as leadership. The good news is that Kaizen events can be held regularly, so long as there is a business need. There is rarely a downside to holding regular team events, as they ensure that everyone is on the same page and provide opportunities for improvement. 

The bottom line is that a Kaizen event, when handled properly, enables teams to identify areas of opportunity that ultimately improve efficiency and, consequently, the bottom line. 

What Are The Key Principles of Kaizen Events

Small Changes

Whenever a Kaizen event is held, the emphasis should be on small, incremental changes rather than major ones. It’s more often than not that looking for a first base hit as a small change is going to be more impactful than a home run. Yes, the big swings look good, but slow and steady wins the race. 

While a single or small change might seem insignificant at the time, it’s the combination of small changes that drives significant results. Instead of trying to solve a complex problem all at once, break it down into stages during a Kaizen event. 

Employee Involvement

When considering team collaboration, a key principle of a Kaizen event is to involve employees and foster a sense of collaboration. These events, after all, are about the team, so it’s essential to ensure that teams from all departments contribute. If every team doesn’t contribute, it may be that the team that stays silent is the most critical of all, and by not speaking up, it holds back the other teams. 

Data-Driven Decision Making

Whenever a Kaizen event is held, whether it focuses on fostering team collaboration or not, it requires data. There is no question that data-driven decision-making will form the backbone of a Kaizen event. Any recommendations or results that emerge from a Kaizen event must be based on measurable data sets. 

Rapid Implementation 

Whether a change is small or large, emerging from a Kaizen event, there must be action items that can be rapidly implemented. The last thing any organization wants is to be in a situation where the team is ready with great ideas, but slow to act on them. If this is the case, what was the purpose of holding a Kaizen event in the first place? 

Choosing a Team

This key principle is often overlooked, but assembling a Kaizen team is as critical as anything else in this process. It’s essential not only to involve members from different parts of the organization, from the lowest to the highest levels, but also to select them strategically.

This means out of the traditional size of 6-10 people, at least half of the team should be composed of people who actually do the work. The number of managers or leaders should be limited to just one or two. Team members should also come from various departments, as long as these departments will be directly affected by any improvements being made.

Lastly, ensure the team is composed of subject matter experts who possess in-depth knowledge about the process. This may even include someone who isn’t directly involved in the day-to-day work, allowing them to provide an outside perspective. 

Key Components of a Kaizen Event

When you start to dig into the key components of a Kaizen event, you start to recognize where it’s possible to foster team collaboration. 

Team Collaboration 

At the very start of a Kaizen event, the very first component is all about team collaboration. This is the most crucial component, and without team collaboration, the Kaizen event will stop before it even gets started.

The goal is to make sure you have people with all different skill levels in one room. The second goal is to ensure that everyone in the room shares a sense of responsibility for making improvements. The key is to know that everyone is open and willing to collaborate to show better results. 

Identifying Problems

Once you have the team assembled, another way to foster collaboration is to identify what problem needs to be addressed collectively. This only works when a team comes together, examines various data sets, and collectively agrees on a hierarchy of what should be discussed first. It’s possible that this step could result in some disagreement, but it’s all about getting through it to identify the problem. 

Declaring Goals

When goals are declared, it’s then the job of the team to understand what is necessary to achieve said goals. These goals should undoubtedly align with critical business objectives, such as reducing waste or increasing productivity. The key component here is that these goals need to be trackable with data by every team involved, to demonstrate both success and improvement.  

Implementation 

When implementing team recommendations, the team must come together to determine the best approach. To foster a sense of teamwork, each team will need to collaborate with the others to develop a strategy for testing the recommended changes. It’s up to the team to collectively decide how to initially monitor each test, determine the test’s length, and then decide when broader implementation is necessary. 

Standardize Processes

The final big step to help ensure the Kaizen event fosters team collaboration is to ensure that each improvement has been helpful. While the previous step focuses on implementing on a small scale to test, it’s the long-term initiatives that need to be closely monitored. 

This includes closely documenting the improvements made, how these improvements have impacted any procedures that affect day-to-day employees, and then continuously monitoring these changes to ensure their effectiveness. 

Other Useful Tools and Concepts

Are you interested in learning more about Kaizen? Consider digging into how Kaizen can be the key to achieving continuous improvement. Alternatively, you could also look at Digital Kaizen and how technology is transforming the workplace. 

If you are hoping to expand your horizons beyond Kaizen, a good read might be all about how to make a smooth transition from Waterfall to Scrum. This could also include reading the Scrum Guide and how to safely master agile projects. 

Conclusion

There is hope that a Kaizen event not only fosters team collaboration but also brings about real change within an organization. There is also a genuine belief, based on real-world examples in Japan, that Kaizen events can truly drive success when implemented effectively.

For teams, a Kaizen event might seem like it could take away from work for a few days, but the reality is that it could result in making the same work a whole lot easier in the future. 

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