ISO without Kaizen is like polishing a broken machine

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January 6, 2026 | 12:00am

The often-ignored management strategy is when organizations prioritize ISO certification over Kaizen. It’s like certifying and documenting chaos to make it internationally recognized. Many managers don’t realize, much less understand that. It’s a common, peculiar management belief that refuses to die in both the private and public sectors:

“Let’s get ISO certified first, then we’ll improve the process later.”

It’s like building a house before checking whether the foundation is made of concrete – or wishful thinking. ISO without Kaizen locks in inefficiency and other wasteful processes. It’s a bureaucracy with a passport designed to document and standardize the current system.

That’s why the key word in ISO is “standardization.” Kaizen, on the other hand, exists precisely to challenge, simplify and improve work processes before it toughens into a policy toward ISO certification.

To put it another way – Kaizen cleans the room. ISO takes the photograph so that organizations could have something to brag about in their showroom. My former boss at Kaizen Institute, Masaaki Imai (1930-2023) said in his bestselling book Gemba Kaizen (1997):

“Standards are the best way to do the job, and gemba kaizen (workplace improvement) such as muda (waste) elimination and 5S housekeeping should precede writing a standard.

“Writing down the working process in gemba as it is now is useless if the current process contains muda and variability.”

ISO documents the actual situation, including the wrong system and procedure, which could be the subject of “risk-based thinking” as directed by auditors.

Uncomfortable questions

Kaizen begins with some uncomfortable questions like: Why does this process have 14 steps? Why does a $15 purchase need three managerial approvals? And why does this report exist when its only reader is the intern?

If you have an ISO certification, you’re required to faithfully perform every inefficiency, delay, redundancy or what we call in the Kaizen community as – a non-value-added activity. Waste becomes “fully established.” Before ISO, waste was merely annoying. After ISO, waste becomes defensible.

Try reducing the number of signatories of a $15 acquisition you’ll hear: “We can’t do that. It’s part of the ISO procedure.” Congratulations! You have just discovered how inefficiency becomes immortal.

ISO should come after all major wastes are cleaned and processes stabilized, not before. Otherwise, you’re not improving – you’re laminating them for the showroom. Primarily, ISO auditors are trained to verify compliance, not creativity. They ask: “Is the procedure being followed to the letter and spirit?”

On the other hand, Kaizen masters would pursue the “Why” questions: Why are you doing it that way? Why is this step necessary? Why do we need approval here and there? And from how many people? Why does this take so long? Why has it always been done this way?

Expecting ISO auditors to improve processes is like expecting a traffic cop to redesign the highway. Obviously, their jobs require different skill sets.

Paperwork obesity

Organizations that rush into ISO often experience a mysterious phenomenon: documents multiply faster than rabbits. Suddenly there are standard operating manuals no one reads, forms mechanically filled out for “for audit purposes,” logs signed in advance and procedures written by people who never do the work.

Employees learn the real, unwritten rule quickly: “Follow the system when auditors are around.” On the other hand, Kaizen-first organizations look very different: Fewer procedures, written in plain language, visual controls instead of long instructions and problems surfaced early, not hidden in binders.

Kaizen provides real evidence of “continuous improvement.” When due for a recertification, ISO requires proof of improvement: corrective actions, trend analysis, management reviews. Without Kaizen, companies manufacture evidence the way fast-food chains create “freshness,” like having KPIs showing improvements days before audit.

Auditors can tell the difference. So can employees. So can customers. Culture eats certification for breakfast. ISO without Kaizen creates a compliance culture that says: “Just pass the audit” but “don’t report problems.” And as much as possible “hide nonconformities.”

When Kaizen is embedded, ISO audits become routine events – almost anti-climactic. Nonconformities are treated as feedback, not accusations. The certificate becomes a by-product of good management, not the goal.

World-class operational excellence

To give you a complete picture, here’s the roadmap that shows a practical, staged journey toward world-class operational excellence.

Steps 1 – 4 are mandatory foundations. It begins with Industrial Democracy – respect for people and engagement at all levels. Next is 5S housekeeping, creating visual control and discipline. Step 3 focuses on perpetual waste elimination through Kaizen and Lean thinking. Step 4 establishes Standard Work to reduce variability which prepares an industry for ISO documentation. Only after these basics are strong should organizations pursue ISO certification because they’re required by law or industry standards. Then that’s when you could proceed to national quality awards, and finally elite recognitions like the Deming or Shingo Prize. Excellence, therefore, is built from sustained behavior and systems.

Objectively, some organizations pursue ISO due to customer, regulatory or export requirements. That’s what makes Kaizen-first thinking even more critical. Do Kaizen first. Let ISO come later – quietly, smoothly and without drama. That’s when you know you did it right.

Rey Elbo is a quality and productivity enthusiast. For your story, email [email protected] or DM him on Facebook, LinkedIn, X or via https://reyelbo.com. Anonymity is given to those who still cling to their unreasonable ways.