10 Kaizen mantras for process excellence

The Japanese business philosophy Kaizen is synonymous with various mantras, but what do they mean in relation to process excellence?

Kaizen means “good change” and emphasizes a bottom-up approach to enhancing quality, efficiency and overall performance. Having originated in Japan’s manufacturing sector in the 1950s, Kaizen is now a globally recognized pillar of long-term competitive strategy applicable across various industries. 

There are a number of aspects in which Kaizen remains relevant for modern businesses, says Dara Kiernan, process improvement consultant at KPI Consulting. “Adopting this approach allows organizations to be agile and adaptable in a fast-paced business environment promoting small continuous improvements which make it easier for a business to respond to changes in technology, or in the market, a lot faster.”

Kaizen mantras are short, memorable phrases or slogans that capture the core principles and practices of Kaizen. These mantras are used to promote a mindset of ongoing, incremental improvement, empowering individuals and teams to make small changes that lead to larger results over time.

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10 Kaizen mantras

Let’s explore 10 Kaizen mantras and examine their relevance in process excellence!

1. Small changes, big impact

This phrase embodies embracing incremental improvements that enable bigger, more significant changes further down the line. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is process excellence. 

2. Fix the process, not the people

In many ways, people are an organization’s greatest process excellence asset. If things aren’t working, go wrong or simply need to be improved, it’s important to avoid blaming individuals and focus on optimizing systems.

3. Go to Gemba

Visit the actual place (known as Gemba) where work happens, whether it’s a factory floor, a construction site, a hospital ward or an office environment to observe, understand and enhance processes. See what’s happening, ask questions and improve where necessary. 

4. If it’s not broken, improve it anyway

Process excellence is a moving target and an ongoing destination. Avoid complacency. Even a well-refined process can be improved with the right strategy and method. Constantly question existing methods, don’t be afraid to change them for the better and actively look for problems (and make them known).

5. Eliminate waste relentlessly

Kaizen is all about reducing waste, in whatever form that takes. Continuously identifying and removing non-value-adding activities is a key component of process excellence and a practice that should be carried out continuously. 

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6. Standardize to optimize

Once a new, improved process is found, standardize it to ensure consistency and provide a foundation for future improvements. Establish and follow best-known methods. The Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) model helps businesses plan changes, implement them, check the results and then act to standardize improvements or restart the cycle.

7. Empower everyone to improve processes

The “everyone” in Kaizen includes the frontline employees who perform the work and manage the processes. Their ideas are crucial for improvement, so involve all employees in the pursuit of better processes.

8. Ask why five times

Process excellence requires getting to the root cause of issues, not just the symptoms. Kaizen proposes the ‘five whys’ method. When a problem arises, ask why repeatedly to get to the true cause. 

9. Measure what matters, improve what you measure

In any process, not all metrics are created equal. Measuring too many things (or the wrong things) can dilute focus, waste resources and give a false sense of control or progress. Data is increasingly important in process excellence. Data-driven insights should be used to guide and track process improvements.

10. Today better than yesterday, tomorrow better than today

This principle highlights the importance of incremental progress, learning from experience and striving for ongoing enhancements rather than chasing perfection or waiting for major overhauls. It focuses on fostering a culture of daily progress and forward momentum, practical principles for driving sustained process excellence.

Watch: Building a culture of continuous improvement and agility!

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