What Is #kaizenblog Today?
When I joined the Twitter chat, #kaizenblog as co-host with Valeria Maltoni (@ConversationAge), I knew I was in for something that would stretch and engage me. Valeria and I share a passion for exploring ideas and wanting to discuss them with others to see what else we could discover. Another person, Caroline Di Diego (@CASUDI), was (and is) a key supporter as I accepted the role of chat host. Caroline is also passionate about engaging with people and ideas and urged me to step up. When Valeria passed the baton to me, it was the right time to make the chat my own.
But the chat isn’t just mine
It’s really stone soup. You know that folk tale? To be fair, the #kaizenblog community is a much easier and more generous crowd. I find interesting topics, intriguing guest hosts, craft discussion questions and then it all comes together during the discussion when people add their expertise and insights.
The underlying foundation
When I took over as the full time host in October, 2010, I wanted the chat to continue examining ideas but within the context of a welcoming community. Since I coach business owners who are leading growth phases to think critically and deepen their self-understanding, it was a given that these qualities would be embedded. Besides, I’m into testing ideas in real life. It is important that people leave wanting to use what they have learned. Simply put, the chat is focused on developing people and ideas.
To communicate this philosophy to everyone, I tweet these statements every week:
- This chat uses the concept of kaizen to examine various aspects of business, enhance our skills and deepen our self-understanding
- Kaizen is a Japanese concept of continuous improvement; mainly used to improve processes in business, education & other organizations
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In this chat, you are highly encouraged to interact with each other
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Sometimes we tease apart ideas tweeted here. We keep it respectful even if moves into debate
This sets the stage for how the conversation is framed. But there is one more thing that sets the stage-simply saying hello and goodbye to individuals who are on the chat.
Creating a community
The practice of saying hello and/or goodbye reminds us that there are people on the chat. This supports connecting both on and offline as well as keeping the conversation civil, particularly when there are disagreements. And when you have a group of very smart and confident people, there are moments when we don’t see eye to eye. That just supports how we use kaizen to make ourselves better at what we do and who we are.
It’s time for the chat to prepare for its next stage
After almost 2 years of hosting this dynamic chat, it is time to see how it can be augmented and improved. There are things I would like to see happen…expand the chat so we include more people from all over the world (we’ve gotten up to 3 continents), have even more guest hosts of excellent calibre and make this chat a “can’t miss” chat that people leave feeling they gained something extraordinary that can be applied to their work
What is Kaizenblog today?
Who is Kaizenblog today (size of organization, industries, job title, etc.)?
Why do you come back to the chat?
How could this chat become a more sophisticated and potent place to develop people and ideas?
5 Comments
Thanks for this explanation of what #kaizenblog is. On Twitter I saw a number of tweets from people I follow, with the chat hashtag. I had forgotten what the term “kaizen” means, so I did a search to find out more & came here. I’m still not quite sure I understand the topic.
Chats _are_ evolving. However, whether you will step into the chat room still depends on whether you know someone already there, or whether someone has invited you to join in. Few people (there are some) want to feel like interlopers. And then it depends on the nature of the conversation.
I noted someone today said he didn’t like the rapid fire exchange chats often have. Most of the people who keep coming back to our (monthly) #futrchat, are there because they _like_ that speed.
Takes all kinds!
best.
Jennifer,
Looks like it’s a good time for me to visit #futrchat. CASUDI has spoken so highly of you and your chat.
Your comments about why people join or do not join mirror my theories. You wouldn’t think that a public place like the Twitter stream would create that sense of being an interloper but it does happen.
If I can answer any questions about kaizenblog or kaizen, feel free to ask. Thanks for listening in on the chat and add your thoughts here.
~Elli
I happened upon this blog today and want to get more into it and learn. That said, I wanted to say that I am involved in an organization that has promoted lean, which encompasses kaizen among other elements. It’s exciting to see a place where kaizen and social media meet, because we are trying to learn how to use social media to share what our members know. The specific task I’m engaged with is how to form a “conference that never ends” that will keep people coming back to the event year after year, and with good networking, will draw new people to our conference. (Notice that I did not say “drive” people.)
I’m looking forward to exploring this blog and website and learning more.
Karen,
Thank you for reaching out to us. It sounds like we might have lots to talk about. While you are always invited to explore this blog, you can learn more about KaizenBiz (formerly kaizenblog) on our website at http://www.kaizenbiz.com. Your conference idea sounds very intriguing!
~Elli
[...] February of this year, we asked the community to consider what this chat could be. It was clear that KaizenBiz (or kaizenblog as formerly known) [...]