The Spirit of Kaizen: Creating Lasting Excellence One Small Step at a Time

Chapter TwoBOOST MORALE

You can improve morale in aslittle as three minutes a day—byshowing appreciation, by defusingdifficult people, and by encouragingemployees to take small stepstoward solving their problems.

Here’s a scenario you’ve seen before: Management realizes that morale is low. Management hires expensive consultants who package a program for improving employee satisfaction. The package includes days for staff picnics and awards ceremonies, free turkeys on Thanksgiving, and summer days spent performing team-building exercises at the beach. Employees who put in heroic “Superman” hours are offered large bonuses. Morale plummets.

What’s the reason for morale-building disasters? W. Edwards Deming, the statistician who laid the groundwork ...