An innovation can lead to an improvement.
Improvement is a concept that comes from the verb improve . This action (improve) refers to moving to a condition or state more favorable than the preceding one .
It can be said that the improvement represents an advance thanks to a renewal , an update or an optimization. In this way, a positive change is achieved that allows for greater efficiency , effectiveness or speed, allows for a reduction in errors or promotes simplification, to name a few possibilities.
Improvement as a philosophy
Improvement can be understood as a philosophy or a way of life . Trying to improve (that is, to achieve improvement) implies acting in pursuit of progress and development . Improvement, in this sense, is both a means and an end.
There are improvements that are concrete and that are reflected through specific changes. Doubling the amount of RAM memory that a computer has is an improvement that is achieved automatically and makes it possible to enhance the equipment.
In other cases, the improvement is more difficult to pin down or measure. When a person studies and learns, whether at an academic or informal level, he or she achieves internal enrichment , acquires skills and achieves evolution . The growth that training or education provides, however, is intangible and its benefits or advantages may not even be appreciated in the present or in the short term.
The restoration and renovation of a home makes it possible to improve it.
The concept in organizations
The concept of continuous improvement has great relevance in the corporate sphere. More and more companies are permanently dedicated to examining their processes to, thanks to this constant review, detect how to minimize failures and increase competitiveness or productivity.
Betting on continuous improvement, companies establish a quality policy that results in greater performance and an increase in value. These practices include the implementation of each modification, correction or adjustment that is necessary to adapt to market changes.
In some cases, achieving an improvement in a company requires its restructuring.
Continuous improvement strategies
There are various strategies that aim at continuous process improvement . Each one offers a different methodology or management model for improvement and the search for excellence :
- Kaizen : Involves all members of the organization and requires the development of simple and concrete actions to eliminate surpluses and waste.
- Six Sigma : Aims to minimize process variability, focusing on the optimization of each of its phases to prevent and eliminate defects.
- Kanban : Encourages the use of cards to facilitate the replacement of materials and manage stock.
- HIT ( Just in Time o, en nuestro idioma, Just in time ): Impulsa un recorte de los costos al reducir el almacenamiento y los traslados al mínimo posible.
The term applied to a city
It is common to talk about the improvement of a city. In these cases, the notion is linked to the policies that are implemented to reconfigure and revalue public space in order to provide citizens with greater well-being.
A city improves when it works to overcome the problems that affect its inhabitants. This improvement can include the recovery of abandoned areas, the expansion of green areas and the expansion of public services, for example.
Let's take the case of a city whose southern area exhibits unplanned urbanization, with precarious construction and transportation problems. An improvement plan could include a housing program for the construction of modern buildings, the development of parks and the extension of the metro or subway to reach the region.
Taking care of sustainability must also be considered in urban improvement . The measures have to be positive in the present and, at the same time, not compromise the progress of future generations.
Personal improvement
It can be said that all individuals aspire to improve. However, what that improvement entails varies from person to person. The idea can be associated with an internal transformation to be happier, with a reinvention at work or with a review of behavior to act in accordance with moral values.
If we take the most symbolic or profound meaning of the term and think of a general improvement, the person must carry out a self-assessment to determine what they need or want to modify. The next step in a personal improvement process will be to set goals and consider what will be done to achieve them.
With the action plan in place, it is important to pay attention to progress. This analysis will indicate how close the subject is to reaching the goal they had set for themselves.
Suppose a young man aspires to improve his job. With this encouragement, he begins to take various courses and seeks to talk to more experienced employees to learn about their experiences and learn from them. The professionalism he achieves with his new training and the positive attitude he demonstrates means that, some time later, he achieves a promotion. Therefore, the boy in question was able to achieve the desired improvement.