Kaizen at Capital Square
The Japanese principle known as “kaizen” speaks to the core of how we have always done business at Capital Square. This philosophy of continuous improvement focuses on small, incremental changes that over time refine and revolutionize larger systems and processes. One by one, minor adjustments create something stronger and more efficient than ever before.
At Capital Square, we begin by collecting data-driven and human-driven input, which we gather through research, observations and listening to our team members. With this knowledge and new understandings, we can discover paths to eliminate wasted time and effort. Even small modifications add up.
What does this concept look like in our everyday activities?
Our construction and development team efforts are one of the many places where we closely observe and analyze our processes, sharing and gaining new knowledge wherever we can:
- Tracking lead times and market trends
- Contributing within our areas of expertise while sharing roles and responsibilities to cross-train team members
- Using lessons learned as steppingstones to maximize the next development in the pipeline
- Building strong relationships with industry experts
With this data and the input of our team members immersed in our projects, we continue to empower ourselves in specific ways:
- Defining efficient time-flows for recurring meetings
- Crafting standards of construction design that allow for the flexibility needed for building a custom, market-driven yet innovative product while eliminating wasted resources
- Standardizing vendor and purchasing arrangements to minimize uncertainty during design and construction as well as to ensure that the materials in our buildings surpass the end users’ expectations while maximizing investor returns
- Streamlining approvals and construction sequences
- Digging into the development process with a sense of urgency on the front end to ensure timely delivery
Some changes are dramatic. Some changes may seem modest, yet step by step they add up to something so much greater than where we would be without these initiatives.
Our team is made of up of leaders and experts across myriad disciplines, and this is a tremendous advantage. We have the eyes and expertise to analyze not only the state of the real estate industry and our place within it; we have the eyes and expertise to continue our dynamic growth as a company. Listening to our team not only allows for a greater spread of ideas and efficiencies, but it also allows a true team to form with mutual respect and regard.
The philosophy of kaizen shares similarities with strategies like Six Sigma and 5S Lean, but kaizen is not just for the business world. Across-the-board excellence, in work and in life, cannot be achieved unless we are willing to continuously seek further understanding and to consider where we can do better – where we can be better. Continuous improvement never stops.
That’s how we see it at Capital Square, and we look forward to seeing where this philosophy takes us next.
