When “Improvement” Makes Things Worse: Learning from Verschlimmbesserung

TL;DR: In Lean, even well-intended changes can backfire — what Germans call verschlimmbesserung. Avoid it by testing ideas through PDSA, using data, and adjusting before making changes permanent.

Almost to a fault, the Lean methodology includes a lot of Japanese words, including kaizen, a word used to describe a particular approach to continuous improvement.

When we learn words like this, they can draw us in to learn and understand more. Or, words like this can be off-putting to some, creating unnecessary barriers to engagement and agreement.

When we talk about takt time as a way of expressing the rate of customer demand, we're using a German word that we might remember from music studies. Sheet music that says tt=120 means the tempo, or takt time is 120 beats per minute.

Or, the music might simply say “tempo = 120” or show that a quarter note = 120.

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Using a phrase like “tempo” might be clearer to people over “takt time,” whether that's in music or in Lean.

Using the phrase “continuous improvement” instead of “kaizen” might provide clarity, or we might lose some nuance or detail by using a more generic term that might mean almost anything.

We might intend to use a clearer word or phrase, only to find we have made things worse.

What Is Verschlimmbesserung?

That brings me to the German word I recently learned (thanks to an “And finally…” segment in the ESPN Radio SportsCenter update on the Dan Le Batard Show).

That word is “verschlimmbesserung.”

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“An attempted improvement that only makes things worse.”

Wow.

Trying to use that word during a Rapid Improvement Event might only make things worse.

But, seriously, when we are practicing kaizen, we have to be open to the idea that we might try something that's thought out and well intended… but it only makes things worse.

That's why we don't just “implement solutions” in a linear way that assumes our ideas are good ones. We have to follow the cycle of Plan, Do, Study, Adjust.

In the course of A3 problem solving, we might think that a certain “countermeasure” (a change to the way our work is done) will lead to a reduction in patient waiting time. So, we go test that change.

We might see, through a Process Behavior Chart, that we've actually made things worse (for a measure where lower / down is better).

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Oops. It's better to recognize that we made things worse, and then adjust accordingly. Why did our attempted improvement make things worse? What do you learn from that? What would we try next?

We have to be on guard for…. wait, what's that super long German word again?

Let's just say we should be careful with attempted improvements that just make things worse.

Trying to use the word “verschlimmbesserung” or forcing it into our “Lean lexicon” might actually make things worse.

In Lean and continuous improvement, good intentions aren't enough. Even thoughtful changes can backfire — and that's why we test, study, and adjust before locking in a new way of working.

The goal isn't to avoid mistakes entirely, but to catch and learn from them quickly.

Just as we might choose “tempo” over “takt time” to make an idea clearer, we can adjust our approach to make our improvements truly better. By staying curious, gathering evidence, and engaging the people closest to the work, we can keep moving toward meaningful progress — and steer clear of our own verschlimmbesserung moments.

Learning Faster to Avoid Making Things Worse

Verschlimmbesserung reminds us that not every change is an improvement–even in organizations committed to Lean and continuous improvement. Well-intended ideas can still make performance worse when they're implemented too quickly, without testing, data, or feedback from the people doing the work.

The antidote isn't avoiding change; it's learning faster. By using PDSA cycles, Process Behavior Charts, and open dialogue, teams can spot when an improvement is backfiring and adjust before damage becomes permanent. Continuous improvement works best when curiosity beats certainty, evidence beats opinion, and leaders create space for people to say, “This didn't help–let's try something else.” That mindset helps organizations avoid verschlimmbesserung and turn mistakes into meaningful learning.

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