Busy

There is this fantasy called “Perfect time to do Kaizen.”

Those who believe in this fantasy think that if they wait, the right moment to work on Kaizen will eventually come.

Stop dreaming.

The time to focus on Kaizen is right now. There are no other moments. Period. Stop procrastinating. Kaizen must happen now.

“But, I am busy…”

The Japanese symbol for busy is 【忙】.

The left part 【忄】 represents the heart or soul.

The right part 【亡】 represents death.

So, when someone says they are busy, they often mean they lack the heart or soul for the subject. It’s a heartbreaking feeling.

This “busy” syndrome spreads quickly. When one person uses it, others tend to follow suit. Usually, when a leader uses it, the whole organization follows. “I’m too busy to go to genba.” Once the leader says that, it officially becomes an organizational rule that you don’t need to visit the genba if you’re busy.

And who isn't “busy”? After all, we’re all working within the organization. Who truly has total freedom? When that happens, it might be time for retirement.

However, it would be unfair to suggest that when someone claims to be “busy” as an excuse for avoiding Kaizen, it’s solely an individual psychological issue. This attitude is common in Japan, and it’s risky. Many people work long hours and face mental pressure. That’s disrespectful to humans. The bigger issue is that we should see Kaizen as an organizational effort, not just an individual one.

First, does the organization value time on the genba and for Kaizen? I’ve seen many situations where frontline team leaders and group leaders are removed from their roles for meetings. In one case, a team leader was pulled for “safety” training. But the training was so basic it could have been risky if the team leader was working without such knowledge. The team leader was familiar with the subject. Such careless decisions to pull people away from the genba happen every day. Those who pull team members off the frontline often see it as just a few hours, but the preparations and issues that build up during their absence usually affect the entire day. As the saying goes, don’t shoot someone from behind. Let them focus on the front.

Another reason for being busy is meetings. Today, we have too many meetings. Period. Meetings take up blocks of time, creating an illusion of productivity. But how much of that time is truly value-adding? How many people really participate? If we use the seven types of waste as a lens, most meetings are full of waste. Before scheduling a meeting, organizers should ask if it’s really necessary—and who truly needs to attend.

The essential question is what work creates value for staff and managers. A significant amount of effort is invested in creating reports and presentations. I’m not saying all that work is waste; it’s just non-value-adding. True value-adding work involves some form of improvement, including Kaizen. And it’s a mystery why we procrastinate on this work. Some argue they are working on larger projects that will bring improvements over time. But then, what’s the lead time for such improvements? What’s the cumulative impact of Kaizen today? Since I am ambitious, I want both. And if I have the right mindset and willingness, balancing time for both Kaizen and long-term projects is always possible.

So, avoid using “busy” as an excuse to delay Kaizen. It holds significant meaning for Japanese people. But don’t rely solely on psychological reasons; focus more on organizational issues. Understand why someone claims to be busy—addressing that reason should be the primary goal of Kaizen.