The thing that underpins everything in my work and why

The thing that underpins everything in my work and why

I was first introduced to something called Kaizen by Dennis Vergne and Benjamin P. Taylor when I joined RedQuadrant way back in 2011.

At the time I was struggling to find a healthy relationship with 'linear' project management methods and the 'make it all up at the beginning - time, resources, activities, money etc and stick to the plan whatever happens - just ask for more time and money' attitude.

But Kaizen felt familiar.

Kaizen is an approach to creating continuous improvement based on the idea that small, ongoing positive changes can reap significant improvements.

Before consulting, I worked in Children's Services in the UK Public Sector. I worked with kids who had been kicked out of school but were still expected to have some kind of education. So I had a yearly 'caseload' and every day they would attend a PRU (pupil referral unit) in the morning for their core formal education and in the afternoons they would be with me. I would organise and facilitate daily sessions that aimed to expose them to more positive aspects of life and help them develop some core skills for life after education.

By and large, these kids didn't have many of the structures and environments that you might associate with a standard childhood. So it was rarely practical to approach their development with 'problem - solution' attitudes. Some of these kids had no family support and had been in and out of juvenile detention so 'solutions' and 'fixes' would be met with a hearty 'f**k you' if you tried it.

So why does this relate to Kaizen?

Well, I had two options didn't I?

I could receive the referral to my caseload, read the related case file, talk to the kid and family and put a plan in place for the academic year. I'd stick to that plan because - well, I'm the professional and I know best… It was kind of the expectation.

Or I could receive the referral, read the related case file, talk to the kid and family, agree some principles and together agree 'something to make tomorrow better than today'. We'd try the ideas by doing and reviewing daily to see if it helped. If it did, great - we'll do more of that. If not, we'd go back to the drawing board.

Of course, when I started my career I went straight in to the former approach. It was exhausting. I couldn't understand why my great plan, with great intentions was going so wrong. I mean, I had kids refuse to attend, I was called every name under the sun (yes - my car was also a target) and even had kids end up being moved to another group. I did some good - but not enough.

Over time I learned that option 2 was better in all cases.

That 'the plan' needed to be more of a daily intention and each day needed a new plan. I learned that 2 steps forward and one step back was still progression. I learned that 'doing with' is so much better than 'doing to' or 'doing for'.

I learned that over time, trust evolves and barriers come down - you just have to stick at it regardless of the crappy days. And with time and trust comes the ability to do bigger things and have a slightly longer 'learning loop', improving becomes more of a habit than 'a thing'.

Over time - I got good at my job. It's still the proudest I've ever been of myself in work. I still occasionally check in on some of these lot and - yeah, they ended up all good.

No alt text provided for this image

So when I was introduced to Kaizen, it felt familiar because of my time in Children's Services.

Kaizen and Youth Work both teach us that it's essential to have an intention, break it down, do the first right thing, learn from it, adapt, reflect, repeat.

This has shaped my career ever since - I'd suggest to those that know me - it's shaped my career more than Agile. Of course, using Agile as the approach and various methods to deliver outcomes, it's all hung on the same thing - inclusive, iterative, incremental improvement. It's what underpins all of my work at Basis and ImpactBasis.

This can be applied in a day to 'get s**t done' or over a week, like in an Impact Sprint where you can clear the agenda and make meaningful progress. Or even a full on Kaizen Blitz - now they are the ticket - where a slice of the 'live' work is taken, broken down, prototyped to be done differently, growing over a short period of time so that the old work fades out fast and the new remains. Depending on the need and appetite - you can move slower, smaller or faster.

For me, it under pins everything in life. In my experience and experiences, it's the only way meaningful and lasting change has ever happened.

Of course, 'project's needing a 'plan' and delivered accordingly have a time and and place. Great - I get it, it's just not me.

For me, this approach and attitude has got me through and to everything I am, do and have today.

Small incremental change adds up.

Steve McCann

Inspiring understanding through better conversations

1y

This reminds me that even when we know that we overestimate what we can do in the short term and underestimate what can be achieved in the long term, we still.....you know the rest, like the magic of compound interest, small and incremental wins

andrew rostom

Head of Change - Corporate at Haringey Council

1y

wonderfully reflective Matt and a very good reminder that some of the principles behind more modern approaches have actually been around for a while!

Joseph Badman

I help public services solve messy problems, one sprint at a time.

1y

This was really lovely Matt. I'm really grateful that you wrote it.

Ann-Marie Barlow

Lead Organisational Change with Confidence & Clarity | Coaching, Consultancy & Facilitator Services | Director at Energise Development

1y

What a wonderful article! Loved reading this Matt Barnaby.

Benjamin P. Taylor

systems | cybernetics | complexity / public | service | transformation business evolutionary | avid learner. Reframing for better outcomes. Connecting.

1y

excellent piece (I commented there) and somehow very nostalgic photos :-)

To view or add a comment, sign in

Insights from the community

Explore topics