KAIZEN™ in a time of Crisis

KAIZEN™ in a time of Crisis

Tough time builds Tough Organizations

Last few months have been rather unusual times for the economy – at least for the people of this generation! The impact has been rather wide spread – in sectors and in geographies.

It is tough times like these that test the spirit of organizations. Globally, there are some well-known names that have fallen by the wayside – wiped out! New ones keep joining them periodically. The best of them have shown unprecedented downturn in results (example-Toyota).

It is important to know and understand how leaders in both situations organize teams, motivate them and build trust among their individual team members. Many organizations have started reviewing their current state of practices in terms of quality assurance, cost management & delivery systems. Equally, increasing competition has made it a priority for every organization to develop and seek an advantage over rivals. A culture of continuous evaluation and improvement is seen by many organizations as an essential tool to achieve and maintain an advantage. KAIZEN™ is one of the main tools to develop such a culture while gaining an understanding of the value of using a KAIZEN™ approach to leadership in order to promote an atmosphere of continuous improvement and open communication. The research examines how successful leaders in both business and sailing monitor and react to the external environment, consistently working to manage risk, in order to maintain a sustainable competitive advantage in both good times during crisis. The research has shown that while there is no one set of skills that allows a leader success, instead a group of skills and attributes that need to be practiced and honed and applied to each individual situation.

What happens in the external environment is not in our control. What we do within our organizations is in our control. We can use this time to strengthen our systems, drive out waste, increase employee skills, and make our organizations lean, fit and robust. This will prepare us for the inevitable rebound/upturn.

It was just one such tough period after the Second World War that resulted in the Toyota Production System!!

Here is wishing all readers & leaders wisdom to seize opportunities and a healthy dose of Kaizen® to tide over the tough Global environment!!

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