We know of the value of disruptive change, described best by Clayton M. Christensen.  Here’s the description (from Wikipedia):

A disruptive innovation is an innovation that helps create a new market and value network, and eventually disrupts an existing market and value network (over a few years or decades), displacing an earlier technology.

But I recently read a reminder about the practice of Kaizen, which W. Edwards Deming helped initiate in Japan.  Here are excerpts from the “introduction” to the idea from The Spirit of Kaizen:  Creating Lasting Excellence One Small Step at a Time by Robert Maurer.:

Business culture loves the idea revolutionary, immediate change.  But turnaround efforts often fail because radical change sets off our brain’s fear response and shuts down our powers to think clearly and creatively.  A more effective path to change begins with the small steps of kaizen.  These quite steps bypass our mental alarm system, allowing our creative and intellectual processes to flow without obstruction.  The result:  Change that is both lasting and powerful.

Most of us are programmed to resist radical change.  Let me say that again:  We are built to resist radical change.

Kaizen means “Good Change.”  Kaizen asks for small, doable steps toward improvement.

And here are my thoughts.  True disruptive change is rare, and very hard to get right.  It does happen — should happen!  And when it happens, we look back and say, “well, of course, that was a smart thing to bet on.”  For example:  from physical mail to e-mail; from desktop to tablets…  (Take a look at these “examples” of disruptive innovation to get your thinking flowing).

But most of us work in day-to-day situations and projects where we are not trying to come up with the next great disruption.  We are simply trying to get better at what we do now.  (At least, we should be trying to get better!).  And/or, we are trying to make improvements in processes, or services, or products, that are small, but important improvements. 

In other words, Disruptive Innovation may lead to the next great breakthroughs, but the spirit and practice of kaizen can make all that we do/use just a little better.

So, yes, we can all marvel at the few who can come up with the great big disruptive innovations.  But I think practically everybody can and should aim for this practice of kaizen:  small, doable steps toward improvement.

So…  what are you working on right now?  Can you tweak it, fiddle with it, play with it, and do it a little better, with some improvements – especially for those who use your product or service?  If you can, (and, yes – you probably can!), then get to work on it.  Today.  And this week.  And every week.

Small, doable steps toward improvement.  These are definitely worth doing!