The fragmentation of tasks and tasks or the goals we set, in smaller steps, seems to have positive results. The philosophy of kaizen that comes to us from Japan is based on the philosophy of little steps. Japanese companies have been using the gentle Kaizen technique for years to achieve their goals.
His entire reasoning is encapsulated in the powerful phrase "a journey of a thousand kilometers always begins with the first step" (Lao Tse). The Kaizen method which means "small steps for continuous improvement" was first applied in America during the economic depression. According to 2The After World War II, it was widely implemented, as companies did not have the time and resources to develop new organizational plans or install new machinery. But they focused on a thousand and two little things they could improve with existing staff and equipment (Maurer 2008). After the end of the war, the philosophy of taking small steps to improve production was introduced to Japan, dramatically increasing productivity levels during the reconstruction phase of the devastated country. The Japanese called such successful "small steps" with their own name "Kaizen".
Kaizen and innovation are now believed to be the two most important strategies people use to bring about change in their lives, whether business or personal. Innovation, however, requires radical and drastic reforms, while Kaizen only asks to take small and comfortable steps with the aim of improving on a daily basis. In this small, almost imperceptible way, operational changes must also be made.
A typical Kaizen approach could be:
– set the target and study the target's environment
– record my current situation in relation to the goal and organize a small step action plan for improvements
– I take small steps into action
– I see what works, what doesn't and make the necessary adjustments
– I report the results and decide if I need to control the progress of my actions.
This cycle is generally referred to as the PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, and Act) cycle. In Greek it could be rendered as (plan, do, control and act). There is scientific data that supports its effectiveness in bringing about improvements.
Applying Kaizen to time management involves creating small questions when writing priorities in order to clearly define them. It also helps to break down tasks into smaller steps in order to increase creativity, self-confidence that one can cope with the tasks and the resulting joy of successfully completing each of these small steps. It will even help in sculpting the mind to take more drastic measures regarding the management of its time. The recommended question to ask ourselves is “what small step can I take to achieve this action today at the appointed time?'
The application of the Kaizen philosophy is both inexpensive and time-efficient. It requires little of our time so it can fit into any schedule. For example, let's discuss the case of a dental practice that has a serious problem with appointment delays, as the dentist works alone. The dentist might think that he should get a receptionist to handle patient dissatisfaction, an assistant clerk to handle secondary management tasks e.g. communication with suppliers or the dental technician, outside work, etc. or an assistant who knows four-handed dentistry in order to assist him in the dental procedures. However, given the low financial means, the dentist is unable to hire an employee. So he should ask himself: "what small step can I take to avoid delays today and reduce the dissatisfaction of my patients if this happens?»
The dentist might decide that the following steps could be implemented:
- For one week I will make my appointments hourly and I will organize in advance the dental work I will do to stay on schedule
- I will leave half an hour empty every two hours to organize myself before continuing. This time can be the "cushion" in case of previous delay
- I will separate my tasks during the week by category and each day I will accept the corresponding incidents so that I don't waste time moving equipment and materials.
- I will not interrupt my work to answer phones but I will do all my communication in one of the half hours I have free time (time that acts as a "cushion" between sessions so that appointments do not coincide and we are not stressed).
- Contact with the supplier for orders will be made on Friday morning for the whole coming week.
- If there is still a delay, I will undertake to explain to the patient the reason for the delay, telling him in what time I will see him.
- When he finally enters the doctor's office, I will apologize to the patient once more
- When he finally leaves the office, I will thank him for his preference in my office.
Another practical example of applying the philosophy of small steps is the case where we have decided to increase the pricing strategy of our dental office and increase our revenue by 15%. Because the plan seems difficult in our mind and anyway the safety of our mind tells us that:... "we should not increase our prices in the middle of the pandemic or this increase will not be accepted by the patients of our practice or that they will badmouth us…”, I will have to trick my mind into taking only small steps towards the goal of 15% so that I don't go too far outside my comfort zone. Because of course if I am sure of what I want to achieve, then I automatically transfer this energy to my patients with particularly effective persuasion. Conversely, if I am not convinced that I deserve this increase, for all the effort I am making due to the pandemic to maintain the safety and quality of my services high, then neither will my patients.
In that case I might try adding a 10% to my price first. Gradually gaining confidence I can add 12% to the next patient, 13% to the next ..etc. until I reach my goal.
In general, the small step that I decide to take shouldn't bother me at all, but I should consider it generally very easy to do and if someone spontaneously asks me if I can do it, I should confidently say.. "but I'm already doing it" !. In this way we want to have reason to reward ourselves for succeeding in every such small success. The reward system is very important to complete the final design. We have to take time to reward the little kid who won the game that day.. just imagine going to your parents with joy when you managed to go down the slide in the playground! This is the feeling we want to find again!
Let's look at another example of the application of the Kaizen philosophy in the dental office. I have been asked to categorize my patients according to their consequence and my willingness to continue working with them. In this case I could do the following steps:
- I look for my patient record and note with a quick glance through it the extent and importance of the material I have to deal with.
- If the time limits for completing the work are specific, I identify which hours are available to complete the project.
- I break the project into modules-small steps, so that they can all be covered within the time limits I have. That is, I work the patients alphabetically (from A-H, then another moment from US...etc. or depending on my codes in the file, I manage the first 50 files first, another moment the next 50 etc.). Maybe some things can't be done in the time I have available. That's okay, I'll stick to the basics! It's okay if some things become less methodical!
- I am committed to completing the task.
- I complete the task within the time frame I set and I don't look back! The secret is not to take time from another small step, from my rest or from my other roles!
- I always put "time pads" between my tasks to cover any emergencies or situations or my necessary breaks. That way I won't be stressed out when I get away.
- If some things didn't turn out as well as I would have liked, that's okay, maybe next time they'll be better! I give credit to myself for trying anyway!
- I don't look back, I don't apologize, I keep going.
The above is an example of a small thoughts and small steps way of dealing with problems that often occur in the dental field. Primary knowledge of small steps creates security and reduces stress making the day more productive because with this philosophy we do not cancel ourselves when the overall project is not completed on time or not completed well!
Practical advice:
Find something you've been putting off for a while. Decide to work on it with the small steps method. List the sequential steps to achieve the desired result. Take the first small step. Reward the little kid in you for taking that first little step!
Dr. Maria Antoniadou, Assistant Professor of the School of Dentistry
ACSTH by ICF and AC Accredited Coach