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Many organisations struggle not with strategy creation, but with execution. How does Kaizen Institute help bridge the gap between strategy and effective implementation?

At Kaizen, we believe that most of the challenges CEOs and organisations face occur during the execution or operations phase after strategy is developed. This is the point where strategy must turn into action, and that鈥檚 often where delays, quality issues, and skill gaps emerge.

That鈥檚 the space Kaizen Institute focuses on operational excellence for strategic and business excellence. A good strategy is not enough; execution must keep pace. Kaizen was established in Japan over 40 years ago, and today I oversee our operations in India and Africa.

Can you share some of the key global trends you have observed, and specifically, what Kaizen brings that is either different or particularly strategic and impactful compared to others?

So, as I was mentioning, CEOs do not just want advice or suggestions. A CEO is already very busy; what does he do with more advice or more suggestions? One clear differentiator of the Kaizen Institute is that we take responsibility for implementation.

Implementation on the shop floor, at the front line, in the trenches with the people, that is the real challenge. There can be many good ideas, but how do you get them implemented? One differentiator is the focus on implementation. The focus is on getting things done.

The second differentiator is the Kaizen philosophy itself, which asks: how can you bring change to your business without spending money? Anyone can improve with a large budget. You can buy new computers, new software, hire more people, and purchase new machines. But if you have no money to spend and still need a 20 percent, 30 percent, or even 50 percent improvement in productivity or your bottom line, then that is where Kaizen becomes powerful.

Our Chairman, Masaaki Imai, would always say: When the pocket is empty, the mind starts working. That is the reality. Kaizen is the philosophy of improvement without addition. It is about improvement through deletion, deleting waste, deleting errors, rework, and misalignments.

The focus is on improving by first using what is already available in the company more efficiently, before adding anything new. This is extremely relevant today, especially from a sustainability perspective. If we continue using more and more resources, there will be nothing left. The world will suffer.

Therefore, it is critical to use every square foot of land, every material, and every human resource efficiently. Stretching every available resource is the Kaizen way.

To summarise, the key differentiators are a bias for action and a philosophy of maximising existing resources before adding new ones. These are two of the most important distinctions that Kaizen brings.

Your team includes over 90 consultants across Africa and India. How do you manage talent across such diverse regions, and can you give us an overview of Kaizen Institute鈥檚 operations in both India and Africa?

Kaizen Institute was established in Japan by Sensei Masaaki Imai, our Chairman. He was known as the father of the Kaizen movement. He wrote the first book titled Kaizen, followed by Gemba Kaizen. Unfortunately, we lost him two years ago at the age of 93. He was the person who brought Kaizen to the world鈥檚 attention.

Western and European companies were eager to adopt Kaizen, especially during the 1990s, when there was considerable pressure on American and European industries due to the high-quality, low-cost production of Japanese companies. That is how Kaizen Institute began. Initially, it was active in the United States and Europe. In the year 2000, Kaizen Institute India was established. Mr. Vinod Grover, our founding partner, and I were among the founding members of the India operations. A few years later, we were also asked to support Kaizen Institute鈥檚 activities in Africa.

Since 2000, we are celebrating 25 years of operations in India, with a team of around 50 consultants. We are also celebrating 20 years in Africa, where we have about 40 consultants working across various countries. I often joke that we are probably the smallest multinational, 90 people from 11 different countries, so we are highly international.

As a consulting firm, it is essential for us to train and upgrade our human resources continuously. Every Saturday is dedicated to this. We use Saturdays to sharpen our skills through internal training sessions or internal reviews, which we refer to as our weekly reflections. During these sessions, we assess what was done during the past week, what needs to be done in the coming week, what went well, and what needs improvement. This regular practice keeps our team sharp and focused.

One final point to mention is the strength of Kaizen, the power of operational excellence, and the essence of continuous improvement. When we approach a CEO and say we can improve the company without requiring additional investment, just by using existing resources more efficiently, most CEOs are very interested. Many consultants will say improvement is only possible if you purchase a new machine, invest in a new IT system, or hire additional people. Kaizen challenges this by asking: how can you use what you already have more effectively? That is where productivity and efficiency come in, getting more from what is already available.

This principle applies across industries: agriculture, agro-processing, government, garments, healthcare, manufacturing, and mining. In India and Africa over the past 25 years, we have worked across sectors, from mining to government, garments, automobiles, agriculture, and floriculture. The list is extensive. I feel extremely privileged. I feel like a multi-billionaire, because I have had the opportunity to work in more than 35 countries, applying Kaizen principles with thousands of people in a wide range of organisations.

This experience has given us the confidence to walk into any organisation and help identify improvement opportunities. Often, when I visit a cement manufacturing company, the CEO asks, 鈥淲hat do you know about cement?鈥� My answer is: 鈥淶ero.鈥� I do not need to know about cement manufacturing. What matters is understanding Kaizen.

If you bring in a cement expert, they will think like a cement person and may not identify new opportunities. What is needed are new paradigms, a fresh perspective to recognise waste and engage people in driving improvements. Kaizen is about people and process excellence鈥攁bout involving individuals in identifying and acting on improvement opportunities.

For those unfamiliar with Kaizen, how would you define its core principles? How do you adapt the Kaizen methodology to the African business context? Is there any difference in organisational culture?

Kaizen is a Japanese word. 鈥淜ai鈥� means change, and 鈥淶en鈥� means better. Together, Kaizen means 鈥渃hange for the better.鈥� If you ask any CEO or manager whether they want to change for the better, the answer will always be yes鈥攂etter profits, better growth. Nobody wants to change for the worse or go backwards.

The core of Kaizen is continual improvement. If an organisation does not keep improving, it stagnates. Even if the goal is not to become the best, consistent improvement is necessary for survival. Like a person doing minimal exercise to stay alive, organisations must continue improving to stay competitive.

Kaizen is based on five key concepts. The first is Genba, which means 鈥渞eal place鈥� in Japanese. It refers to the frontline鈥攖he place where work happens. Many managers and CEOs attempt to make improvements in a meeting room without going to the frontline. This is ineffective. True improvement begins by observing reality directly.

The second concept is identifying three enemies at the Genba: Muda, Mura, and Muri.

            鈥�          Muda means waste or non-value-adding activities. For example, a nurse filling out the same information multiple times on different forms. It creates no value for the customer but increases cost.

            鈥�          Mura refers to inconsistency or variation in processes. Using the same example, sometimes the nurse completes four forms, sometimes only two. This inconsistency can lead to errors, rework, or accidents.

            鈥�          Muri refers to overburden or difficulty in work. If a nurse has to go up and down the stairs ten times a day because of an inefficient layout, it creates physical strain. This can be avoided by reorganising the space.

To eliminate these three enemies, one must observe carefully at the Genba and identify root causes. Even if permanent solutions take time, temporary countermeasures should be implemented immediately. These provide relief to frontline teams and build their confidence.

Kaizen is about people and process excellence. It involves everyone seeing and acting on improvement opportunities. It is not about knowing a specific industry in depth, but about bringing new paradigms and identifying waste in any system. That is why Kaizen is adaptable in any context鈥擨ndia, Africa, or anywhere else鈥攔egardless of industry.

How do you recruit people and ensure that everyone develops sharpness in identifying and understanding issues? Having a methodology is one thing, but people must be able to see the problems. How do you develop that capability?

One of the most important aspects of Kaizen is the ability to see. A key book on this subject is titled Learning to See. The biggest challenge is that most people do not actively observe their daily work with a critical eye. We often repeat the same tasks without questioning whether there is waste, inconsistency, or burden.

As a student of Kaizen for over 30 years, I believe that improvement does not require exceptional intelligence or complex mathematics. Most improvements come from ordinary people who are encouraged to observe differently. The same task, when looked at from a new perspective, can reveal areas for improvement.

Employees tend to accept inefficiencies as normal. For example, a nurse may routinely fill four forms without questioning why, simply because it has always been done that way. The role of top management is to create an environment that encourages questioning the status quo and seeking opportunities for improvement.

The first step is to promote awareness. Even if someone does not have the solution, simply recognising there is a problem is the beginning of improvement. Too often, people avoid acknowledging problems because they cannot immediately solve them. Instead, we must cultivate a mindset of being 鈥減roblem-aware.鈥�

Leaders should actively encourage discussions around problems. Teams should feel safe to identify and share issues without fear. Every system we implement, visual management, KPIs, and dashboards are designed to surface problems, not to hide them.

In Kaizen, good companies are not those with fewer problems, but those that expose more problems and solve them quickly. Poor-performing companies tend to hide issues or delay responses by forming committees and over-communicating without action.

All organisations face problems. The difference lies in how quickly and effectively they respond. Just like strong individuals recover faster from illness, companies that practice Kaizen have better resilience. External changes such as tariffs affect all businesses, but Kaizen-equipped organisations adapt more effectively through cost management and process improvements.

Kaizen builds the organisational immunity needed to respond to challenges swiftly and sustainably. It is a choice: to build resilience or remain vulnerable.

So that鈥檚 the philosophy you apply鈥攂ut it鈥檚 not only about finding problems and ensuring they surface. It鈥檚 also about creating and finding solutions?

I previously discussed muda, mura, and muri鈥攌ey concepts in identifying inefficiencies. But beyond recognising problems, we also need to solve them and ensure they don鈥檛 reoccur.

There are structured techniques to uncover issues, such as value stream mapping and data analysis. Today, with AI and real-time data collection from machines, we can detect and even predict problems before they happen.

The improvement process involves three critical steps:

            1.         Identify the problem

            2.         Develop and implement a solution

            3.         Ensure the solution is sustained so the same problem doesn鈥檛 reappear. This last step is known as standardisation.

Each step has its own tools. For solving problems, we range from common-sense approaches to advanced methods like design of experiments and statistical analysis. Many people overcomplicate things, using complex tools when simple reasoning would suffice. In fact, 90% of issues can be resolved through practical thinking. Only about 10鈥�15% require technical expertise.

Frontline employees are often best positioned to identify and resolve problems because they experience them firsthand. Yet, in many organisations, only senior staff are expected to think, while others simply execute. That鈥檚 a missed opportunity.

Empowering frontline teams to observe, problem-solve, and contribute to continuous improvement is essential. And once a solution is implemented, we must ensure it becomes the new standard, so we don鈥檛 solve the same problem over and over.

How do you get frontline workers to avoid vague suggestions like 鈥渨e need more money or time鈥� and instead focus on improving efficiency with the same resources?

Yes, the human mind is naturally resistant to change. If I鈥檓 sitting comfortably and someone asks me to switch chairs, my first instinct is, 鈥淲hy? This one is fine.鈥� That reluctance is often tied to fear, fear of the unknown. People wonder, 鈥淲ill the new chair be as comfortable?鈥� or 鈥淲hat if I leave my chair and someone else takes it before I get back?鈥�

If you address this fear, people become more open to change. The key is to manage that fear of the unknown, and that鈥檚 where leadership becomes essential.

In any organisation of about 200 people, you鈥檒l usually find three types of individuals:

            鈥�          10% are early adopters鈥攐pen-minded, optimistic, and willing to try new things.

            鈥�          10% are perpetual pessimists鈥攚hat I call 鈥渃oncrete heads.鈥� They resist everything.

            鈥�          80% are neutral鈥攖hey come in, do their jobs, and go home. They鈥檙e not against change, but they won鈥檛 initiate it either.

Now, where should leaders focus their energy?

Often, leaders try to push the 80% or convert the pessimists. That鈥檚 draining and mostly ineffective. Instead, they should focus on empowering the early adopters鈥攖he ones already showing enthusiasm. When you support them and celebrate their efforts, the undecided 80% start to take notice. They鈥檒l think, 鈥淲hy are those people getting recognition?鈥� and slowly start aligning with the positive momentum.

That鈥檚 how you lead change effectively, by building on small wins and letting success attract others.

Talking about the company鈥檚 growth and expansion, what is your market strategy? You mentioned being present in Central, East, and West Africa, as well as India. What are your future expansion plans, and how could strategic partnerships or investments help scale your operations further?

For 25 years in India and 20 years in Africa, we鈥檝e grown organically. That means we鈥檝e found clients, built our teams, delivered quality services, and reinvested our profits to keep expanding.

Now, we鈥檙e at a stage where we鈥檙e open to strategic partnerships, including financial ones. India and Africa are two of the world鈥檚 largest emerging markets. The key in our business is having a local presence, boots on the ground, which is expensive. Our biggest costs are human resources and marketing, and these must be invested in upfront before we start seeing results.

For instance, after six months of marketing in a new country, we may get our first client. From there, the work compounds. We already have people on the ground in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Nigeria, but we need more presence in more countries, and that requires funding.

There is massive potential for our services because both India and Africa are growing fast. They don鈥檛 have the luxury of wasting resources, so efficiency is critical. That鈥檚 where Kaizen comes in. It鈥檚 a philosophy rooted in continuous improvement and waste elimination, and it has already fueled socio-economic growth in places like Japan, Singapore, and Malaysia.

Most governments think economic growth comes only from more investment, like building hospitals or roads. But without operational efficiency, even new infrastructure becomes inefficient. So my core message is: efficiency must come before investment. That鈥檚 what Kaizen teaches, and that鈥檚 what we鈥檙e promoting.

What is your philosophy behind it all, not Kaizen, but your own? Who is the man behind this vision, this company, and this management approach?

I have been greatly influenced by two people. First, our Chairman, Masaaki Imai, who introduced Kaizen to the world. It started in Toyota, but through his books and advocacy over the past 40 years, Kaizen became a global movement. I truly consider him my teacher and inspiration.

Second is my senior partner from India, Mr. Vinod Grover. He believes deeply in Kaizen, and I have learned so much from him. He always reminds us: whatever you do, do it well, not just as a profession, but because you enjoy it.

That is what drives me. I want to take Kaizen thinking beyond industry, into schools, hospitals, and governments, because it is a mindset the world urgently needs. In today鈥檚 resource-constrained world, we must become more efficient and sustainable. Kaizen teaches us to improve continuously and make the most of what we already have.

I am 57 now, and I hope to spend the next 10 years being an evangelist for this way of thinking. I cannot consult for everyone, but I can share the essence of Kaizen wherever I go. If someone walks away from a conversation with even 2% more understanding, I consider that a success.

My wife often says, 鈥淪top talking about Kaizen!鈥� But I cannot help it, it truly energises me.

Is there anything you would like to add?

Data, analytics, robotics, how do we deal with all these new technologies? I believe AI will not replace a consultant or a wise man, but rather, a wise man using AI will replace the one who doesn鈥檛. So, we must not fear technology. We must adopt it, embrace it, and use it to improve ourselves.

Technology offers a great opportunity for growth. But we must also learn how to handle the tsunami of information it brings. Today, 85鈥�95% of information is irrelevant or incorrect, yet we鈥檙e drowning in it. Every company now tracks everything, who entered the office, how many wore brown shoes or black shoes. But what do you do with all that data?

The challenge for leaders is to find the vital few, to extract value from the noise. We must swim through the ocean of data to catch the fish that matters. Otherwise, we waste time, energy, and lose focus.

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