Kaizen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance

Let's see. If Zen deals with attaining a state of enlightenment, and kaizen is another word for continuous improvement, it stands to reason that lots of the latter would lead to the former, n'est ce pas?

Maybe not.

Our commitment to a frenetic pace of continuous improvement in order to cust costs and compete on a global basis (with cutting costs being the trump suit), may be frazzing managers and workers to a point at which enlightenment can only be attained, in the time availbale for its seeking, through a liberal application of spirituous beverages.

While we work ourselves into a lather worthy of the valiant steeds of the Pony Express, we seem to forget, at the management level, that for all the value of continuous process improvement, there is a companion need for personal continuous improvement.

If we kill all the horses, there won't be a Pony Express. And, if we don't value he people doing the heavy lifting in making changes, we will lose, at best, their enthusiasm and commitment. Without them, the gains of kaizen are not sustainable.

So, we must invest in helping them build their skills, in providing more and better tools, and in learning about how to effectively interact with peers and supply chain colleagues.

It is not only the least we can do to let the "git 'er done" team know that they are valued, it is the DNA injection that will keep continuous improvement vibrant, creative, and value-producing.

The motorcycle? That's left over from the 1974 book that provoked endless discussion about situations and perspectives related to this form of Buddhism. Maybe in our world, we should be talking about Zen, kaizen, and the art of forklift maintenance.