Football coaches score a touchdown with Kaizen mindsets

One of the leading principles associated with Kaizen is that of “continuous improvement,” or the notion that everything can be made better and nothing should be considered sacred. Even if businesses have what they believe to be an optimal set of processes for workflow, there are likely still ways to further bolster productivity and efficiency.

But this concept isn't exclusive to manufacturing. College football coaches are now utilizing Kaizen as a way to improve the performance of their players and training regimens. Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald is largely credited with starting the trend back in 2009. He believes the Western philosophy of “if it ain't broke, don't fix it” can be largely unproductive compared with a mindset of continuous improvement. In competitive sports, teams need to always improve every facet of their performance, because if they don't, they'll be passed up by their rivals.

Northwestern's team, the Wildcats, wanted to be better prepared to compete with Big Ten teams. The Kaizen philosophy of continuous improvement is expected to help the team perfect aspects of the game it already excels at and bolster those that are currently lackluster.

Fitzgerald is encouraging all of his players to improve, whether they are inexperienced freshmen or team leaders. Most coaches may not challenge Tyler Scott, the team's leading defensive end, but under Fitzgerald's guard, he is being actively pushed to improve and develop. Scott, in turn, has embraced the hard work needed to develop under the Kaizen-inspired system.

“A big family value is to be humble,” Scott told ESPN. “My mom always tells me it's not about you as a person, it's about how the team does. The goal is winning that week. If you played well, it's because your teammates helped you get there.”

Developing People with Kaizen

Continuous improvement is one of the many Kaizen philosophies that can be applied broadly. While many manufacturers think of it in terms of boosting the efficiency of production, it can also be used to develop the skills and traits of people, much like Fitzgerald is doing with his football team.

Businesses need to realize there are a variety of ways to integrate Kaizen mindsets and practices, it's a simply matter of understanding the best ways of doing so.