As organizations like UMass Memorial Health surpass hundreds of thousands–and even millions of kaizens, it's worth pausing to reflect on what those numbers really mean for culture, leadership, and improvement.
Toyota famously documented millions of employee suggestions over decades. More recently, healthcare organizations like UMass Memorial Health have shown that reaching 200,000 frontline kaizens isn't just possible–it's sustainable when leaders build the right systems and behaviors. Big numbers like that invite reflection… and sometimes a little creative fun. Scroll down to read something more serious about that.
Which brings me to this.
Why “A Million Kaizens” Is More Than a Catchy Phrase
I was cleaning out my hard drive (I hesitate to call that “5S-ing”)… moving some files to an external disk and deleting others.
I stumbled across something fun that I wrote back in 2012. I don't think I ever published it here because I was probably going to try to find somebody to record it musically. Actually, upon review, I probably didn't publish it because it wasn't that great.
I've tried revising it a bit… it's pretty lousy, but oh well. I needed a diversion during these trying times. I'm open to suggestions for the lyrics or adding a verse (leave a comment below).
It would be amazing if anybody reading this would like to record this to share (with whatever lyrical tweaks you'd have to make). I guess it's by nature a duet. I cannot sing, so don't ask me to do it with you, LOL.
It's a parody of a Barenaked Ladies song, of course. I saw them in concert first in Boston back in 1997 (when I was in grad school). I also had the chance to see the current version of the band last summer in Dallas. It's not the same without Steven Page, but it was still amazing.
One time, flying back from Toronto to DFW, the entire band was up in first class (as I could see while boarding and from my seat in the front part of coach).
So the song is “If I Had a Million Dollars.”
Maybe that's appropriate for Lean, because there is a book called 40 Years, 20 Million Ideas: The Toyota Suggestion System – I own a copy.
Here's the song:
“If I Had a Million Kaizens” — A Song Parody
With apologies to BNL
If I had a million kaizens (If I had a million kaizens)
Well I'd 5S your place (I would 5S your place)
If I had a million kaizens (If I had a million kaizens)
I wouldn't buy new furniture (maybe we could just rearrange the space)
If I had a million kaizens (If I had a million kaizens)
I'd buy you a Camry (a nice boring reliable ride)
If I had a million kaizens, our employees would feel pride…
If I had a million kaizens
We'd build real engagement
If I had a million kaizens
You'd help; it wouldn't be that hard
If I had a million kaizens
(Maybe we could put a little tiny right-sized fridge somewhere)
If I had a million kaizens (If I had a million kaizens)
I'd buy you a Lean book (but not a Lean Sigma book, that's cruel)
If I had a million kaizens (If I had a million kaizens)
I'd eliminate waste from your work (like motion or processing)
If I had a million kaizens (If I had a million kaizens)
I'd buy you all of colors of 5S tape (All them crazy electrical tapes)
If I had a million kaizens, our employees would love….
If I had a million kaizens
We wouldn't hunt for supplies
If I had a million kaizens
Our healthcare wouldn't cost more
If I had a million kaizens
(But we'd still serve toast for dinner
‘Cause Bruce Hamilton says it's gold)
If I had a million kaizens (If I had a million kaizens)
I'd buy you green scrubs (but only if you're bough in)
If I had a million kaizens (If I had a million kaizens)
I'd buy you another Lean book (An Ohno or a Jeff Liker)
If I had a million kaizens (If I had a million kaizens)
I'd buy you a huddle board (haven't you always wanted a huddle board?)
If I had a million kaizens (If I had a million kaizens)
If I had a million kaizens…
If I had a million kaizens… We'd be RICH!
From Song Parody to Real-World Continuous Improvement
By the way, in the real non-parody world…
Congratulations to UMass Memorial Healthcare on surpassing 200,000 kaizens!
This milestone reflects more than a decade of sustained leadership commitment, a robust management system, and weekly huddles across hundreds of teams that engage caregivers in daily improvement. From frontline-generated ideas to measurable gains in quality, safety, and patient experience, UMass Memorial continues to show what's possible when continuous improvement is built into everyday work.
A Toyota Parallel: Why 200,000 Kaizens Matters
UMass Memorial Health's milestone of approaching 200,000 frontline ideas places it in rare company. One of the most well-known historical examples of sustained idea generation at scale comes from Toyota, documented in the book 40 Years, 20 Million Ideas: The Toyota Suggestion System by Yuzo Yasuda. The book chronicles how Toyota built a management system that treated employee ideas not as occasional suggestions, but as a daily responsibility supported by leadership, structure, and follow-through.
The parallel is striking. Like Toyota, UMass Memorial did not rely on enthusiasm alone. It invested in management systems, regular routines, leadership behaviors, and funding mechanisms that made improvement part of everyday work. The result wasn't just a large number of ideas, but a durable culture where people expect their ideas to be heard, tested, and implemented.
UMass Memorial's experience reinforces a lesson Toyota demonstrated decades ago: the real power of continuous improvement isn't the ideas themselves–it's the system that allows ideas to accumulate, compound, and endure over time. Partnerships with organizations such as Influencers & Associates have helped translate these principles into practical, scalable practices within healthcare, proving that this approach is not industry-specific, but universally applicable.
Read and Listen to More About Kaizen at UMass Memorial Health.
- Employee Ideas and Other Improvement Work at UMass Memorial Health
- How UMass Memorial Built a Culture of Continuous Improvement with 75,000+…
- Eric Dickson on Leading UMass Memorial Through Crisis with Lean and…
- How UMass Memorial Is Building a World-Class Kaizen Culture in Healthcare
- Everyday Innovators: Empowering Healthcare Teams at UMass, with CEO Dr. Eric Dickson
Please scroll down (or click) to post a comment. Connect with me on LinkedIn.
If you’re working to build a culture where people feel safe to speak up, solve problems, and improve every day, I’d be glad to help. Let’s talk about how to strengthen Psychological Safety and Continuous Improvement in your organization.
