Kaizen Is Not About Constant Change
When did we start believing that changing constantly is the same as improving? A standard is not meant to prevent change. It is meant to create a stable reference from which we can learn. The real purpose of Standardized Work is not permanence. It is to capture the best method we know… so far. That’s what makes continuous improvement possible.
TPS FUNDAMENTALS
Kaizen Is Not About Constant Change
A few days ago, we were designing a new series of publications for TPS by Katsu.
At first, it felt like a conversation about graphic design.
We were trying to define a standard for our Knowledge Drops.
After several iterations, we agreed on a simple format:
Bilingual.
One idea.
One everyday analogy.
Plenty of white space.
No unnecessary elements.
It looked like we were done.
Then someone added two simple words:
”…so far.”
Those two words changed the entire conversation.
Because we realized something important:
A standard does not exist to prevent change.
It exists to give change a direction.
Many people believe Kaizen means changing all the time.
I’m not convinced.
Changing a procedure every week does not necessarily make an organization better.
Sometimes it only makes it more confusing.
If a standard changes before we’ve had time to learn from it, we never know whether we actually improved—or simply did something different.
Stability is not the opposite of improvement.
It is what makes improvement possible.
So when should a standard change?
Not because someone has a new idea.
Not because a new trend appears.
Not because we simply want something different.
A standard should change only when we have discovered a better way.
That may sound like a small distinction.
It isn’t.
It completely changes the way we think about continuous improvement.
That’s why I don’t like saying:
“This is the best way.”
I prefer saying:
“This is the best way we know… so far.”
Those last two words are an act of humility.
They respect everything we’ve learned.
While acknowledging that learning is never finished.
In the Toyota Production System, Standardized Work was never intended to become permanent.
It was meant to represent the best method known at that moment.
Stable enough to teach.
Flexible enough to evolve.
A standard that never changes eventually stops teaching.
A standard that changes all the time never gets the chance to teach.
Continuous improvement lives somewhere between those two extremes.
Perhaps the better question is not:
“How often should we change our standards?”
Perhaps it is:
“Have we learned enough to improve them?”
Because Kaizen has never been about changing for the sake of change.
It has always been about learning enough to make the next change worth making.