[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgOIvmM1-U0]
Kaizen! That word has been running loose in my mind at the moment.
I am presently working on a PowerPoint slides featuring the working culture of the “greatest car manufacturer” in the world. I suppose to present it in couple of weeks time to all staff – so I am trying to crank my head to get the content just right and as interesting as possible. And ya this is an excuse for the irregular blog posts. Ok, that is not the whole story – actually I was just too lazy to think of a post. There, you happy now? Anyway, let get back to the topic shall we? This is part of the continuity improvement on the working culture and work processes that the company is implementing. We don’t expect drastic changes overnight but slight changes will be useful at personal and organizational level.
This kaizen thing is nothing new…it has been around for sometime and was even used as joke in motor forums when Proton was having a bad day in showing profit. It is just a process on continuous improvement and respect for people – this needs a change of attitude when it comes to implement. But as you know like all great ideas, execution is a whole different story and a lot of companies just don’t get it right most of the time. Perhaps there is something that this “greatest car manufacturer” not telling us – maybe.
But as I was glancing through some of the principles behind their working culture, I realised that it does not seem that hard to follow. They always go back to the basic – continuous improvement, value added service, always on a learning mode, etc. They also make sure that good processes are well implemented and used by all. Thinking out of the box is a common practice. Really, as I said really basic things but how come some companies like Proton are having tough time showing up good profits. Attitude problem? Mismanagement? Failure to meet up with competition? Political interference?
I guess good processes or good culture will only work if people are willing to embrace it and be ready to practice it. Getting people to embrace and practice it on a regular basis will take time but seriously I am excited on getting new concepts across. But to get it up to the next level is an inspiration.
You can even call it as the New Year resolution. You can also call it as a self improvement project. Have a good weekend!
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