How can you train your kaizen team?

Having facilitated lots of kaizen events, I can say that when it comes to selecting team members for a Kaizen event, it's important to choose representatives from different departments, levels, and roles involved or affected by the process or area to be improved. Look for team members with a positive attitude, a willingness to learn, and a commitment to the Kaizen philosophy. It's also beneficial to have one or two members with subject matter expertise. Avoid selecting individuals resistant to change, overworked, or with conflicting agendas. Consider including an external facilitator or coach to guide the team objectively. Assign roles and responsibilities, promote collaboration, and provide training on Kaizen principles and tools.

When delineating objectives and scope, it is imperative to prioritize specificity and realism. This strategic approach not only cultivates a concentrated effort on vital elements but also minimizes the allocation of resources to superfluous endeavors. It is essential to methodically account for each phase of the process, including planning, preparation, execution, evaluation, and follow-up, to ensure an efficient workflow. Moreover, adopting a visual communication strategy serves the dual purpose of aligning team members and garnering external support. This approach not only facilitates internal cohesion but also encourages external stakeholders to provide assistance and endorse the team's endeavors.

A good perspective to adopt when teaching your team the kaizen tools and methods is to think of them as enablers rather than solutions. Enablers are tools and methods that help you facilitate, support, and enhance the improvement process. Solutions are the outcomes or results of the improvement process. By treating the kaizen tools and methods as enablers, you can encourage your team to use them creatively and flexibly, rather than rigidly and dogmatically. Using real-life examples and case studies that are relevant and relatable to your team members and their work context. This will help you illustrate the benefits and applications of the kaizen tools and methods, as well as motivate your team members to use them in their own situations.

Building your team’s trust and collaboration is a key step in creating and sustaining a successful kaizen event. The team members need to have a shared vision and commitment to the kaizen goals. They also need to cooperate and coordinate their efforts, and leverage their strengths and diversity. In my experience, it is good to think of trust and collaboration as outcomes rather than inputs. Outcomes are the results or consequences of the team’s actions and interactions. Inputs are the factors or conditions that influence the team’s actions and interactions. By treating trust and collaboration as outcomes, you can focus on the behaviors and practices that foster them, rather than on the assumptions and expectations that hinder them.

Someone had said 'if you are not measuring, you are only practicing'. Monitoring your team's progress in a Kaizen event reflects the pursuit of wisdom through self-awareness and reflection. Monitoring your team’s progress and performance is an important step in ensuring and improving the quality and effectiveness of your kaizen event. The team members need to have a clear and consistent view of how they are doing, what they have achieved, and what they need to do next. They also need to have timely and constructive feedback and recognition, as well as support and guidance to overcome any challenges or obstacles.