Japanese companies are internationally renowned for their high levels of innovation and productivity. But what systems have they put in place which allows them to achieve such spectacular results? How can you adopt these practices in your own company?
Let’s take a look at Kaizen, the continuous performance management process which has boosted output and swiftly resolved problems for some of the most successful companies in the world.
What is Kaizen continuous improvement?
The Japanese word “Kaizen” simply translates into “improvement”, although in the business world the expression has become synonymous with “continuous improvement”. It has become widely adopted by major manufacturers and other businesses looking to create a more collaborative workplace culture in which employees at all levels of the organization contribute to the continuous improvement of the company.
With the current health pandemic on our hands, it can be hard to push forward plans that involve continuous improvement. StaffCircle’s performance management software allows organisations to remotely manage their employees which in turn allows them to continually improve not only their employees, but also their bottom line.
Continuous Improvement Considerations
- Create a company culture in which employees are empowered to contribute ideas and solutions
- Challenge the status quo and seek proactive engagement with problems
- Gather data and opinions from a wide cross-section of your business
- Be creative: search for low cost solutions and small improvements
- Look to resolve issues as soon as you make mistakes
Why Continuous Improvement Is Important
Kaizen continuous improvement can benefit your company in a variety of ways, improving production processes while engaging your employees and giving them a sense that their input has a positive impact on the development of the business.
With an increased sense of commitment to the company, Kaizen also helps boost your employee retention rates while strengthening teams, as well as introducing a healthy degree of competitiveness into the workforce with continuous problem solving. As Kaizen involves an ongoing process of identifying areas for improvement and creating solutions, it fosters a culture in which employees are actively engaged, from leaders and management down to the shop floor.
Kaizen continuous improvement also boosts awareness of customer requirements, allowing companies to focus more accurately on the requirements of their clients
How to implement Kaizen continuous improvement.
Performance Management Solution
StaffCircle’s new Today Screen for Managers and Leaders combines all the powerful elements of the StaffCircle platform into a single screen which is updated in real-time. Now you can manage your entire workforce virtually from a single screen.
Managers can also see realtime communications from employees over SMS and email as well as see updates and give comments to objectives, one2one reviews, appraisals, team feedback, recognition and awards which are then linked to Company values.
This means that organisations can more easily manage and communicate with people who are home based, furloughed employees as well as contractors. Now it is simple to customise your communications for your distributed teams and measure engagement across your various cohorts.
