Kaizen is a Japanese concept in manufacturing and other settings, where overall improvement comes about not through one-off massive change but in small, regular steps — in other words, continuous improvement.
It is an approach that involves the entire organisation and its surrounding ecosystem — from the CEO to shop-floor workers, through to suppliers, as well as feedback from internal and external customers.
The notion is that small changes, especially those that can be quickly and/or inexpensively implemented, adds up over time to bigger, substantial overall improvement — be it in products, processes, supply chains, or a more positive individual or organisational mindset.
Though Kaizen is usually loosely translated as “continuous improvement”, the word is an amalgamation of two Japanese symbols meaning “change” and “good”.
Some argue that the meaning goes even deeper.
That the “kai” part of the word speaks to self-discipline, the suggestion that change starts with the individual and their drive to effect change; and that the “Zen” or “good” part also represents sacrifice — so, bringing about positive change, and being willing to sacrifice for the greater good.
How does this apply to Nelson Mandela Bay and to the current circumstances that make life for business and residents extremely challenging?
For starters, we are an industrial city, heavily reliant on large manufacturing for employment and economic value, with deep ripple effects on smaller industrial business and businesses through all sectors, including retail, services, property, hospitality and tourism.
It is thus perhaps apt to use an industrial concept to talk about the “good change” needed in our metro, and how the business chamber is going about working as a catalyst for that change.
Also, as in the Kaizen approach, the positive changes we are starting to see are being driven by committed individuals on the ground, volunteering their time, resources and networks, working together with common purpose for the greater good of Nelson Mandela Bay — ultimately, to improve the enabling environment for business and thereby protect investment and jobs.
While longer-term, “big ticket” items are also on the agenda, in many cases the focus is on the small changes that can make a big difference.
Those who are rolling up their sleeves and getting involved in making improvements in their surrounding business areas or sectors are doing so because they believe it is necessary to ensure the future of jobs in the Bay, and know that complaining from the sidelines doesn’t bring about the practical improvements needed.
While not being driven solely from the top, the approach has the vital backing of those at the top, the metro’s leaders in business, and civil society.
How is this working in practice? In a factory, for example, a Kaizen approach is focused both on individual departments and processes, as well as scaling change and improvements organisation-wide.
Similarly, our work for change starts with clusters of businesses in specific geographic areas Deal Party, North End, Struandale, Perseverance and Kariega at this stage, with Korsten/Neave in the process of coming on stream — cutting across industry sectors and competitor interests, with collaboration of multiple role players.
That narrow focus on resolving shared challenges in a specific geographic area, is then taken metro-wide through a Mega Cluster of all the chamber task team and cluster leads where cross-cutting challenges are elevated and prioritised, and information and lessons learnt are shared.
The chamber provides the administrative support, and the high-level engagement and lobbying with the municipality and other relevant government entities and stakeholders to ensure that priorities receive attention.
In other words, continuous improvement driven by a continuous feedback loop.
Some of the change achieved to date includes, first, that most of the geographic areas mentioned have formalised a business association to manage their cluster, identify priorities and start tackling them.
Aligned to this, channels for open and fast communication between cluster members have been established, enabling united response and action to urgent issues.
The Perseverance cluster is now at 19 member companies, who have agreed to a levy system, and are putting it to use in pursuing an integrated security solution for the area.
They have also started an Operation Cleanup, with trucks and loaders volunteered by member companies — a recent illegal dumping cleanup exercise has been done, and the cluster is also working with the Swartkops Trust and Sustainable Seas Trust so business can support their work in the natural environment.
The North End cluster has secured volunteers and sponsors for paint and workers to improve the road markings in their area.
In Struandale, the cluster of 10 active businesses reports that an integrated security solution to protect the area’s four substations is working well.
All of these are also good examples of how the intervention of business to resolve challenges in their surroundings also benefits citizens — clearer road markings to aid motorists, or curbing vandalism and theft at substations that causes power outages for residents.
It is important to emphasise that these efforts are not about taking over and doing the municipality’s job.
It is about standing together in a crisis, doing what we can with what we have, while the chamber actively works with the municipal leadership and other stakeholders to drive service delivery improvement.
We are all on the same side, taking action to improve the Bay and save jobs.