About Kaizen Camp
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The first Kaizen Camp (then Lean Camp) was held in Seattle in the summer of 2011 with a single goal: to create an environment where people from all professions gather to discuss ways they make their work – and by extension their lives – better. Sessions ranged from the ethereal, like emotional wellness in the office, to the enlightening, like kaizen and Montessori, to the technical, like ways software developers managed projects.
Jim Benson (@ourfounder), Tonianne DeMaria Barry (@sprezzatura), and Jeremy Lightsmith (@lightsmith) started Kaizen Camp to get real people talking about how they were actually improving their processes, their products, and their lives. They wanted conversations – not lectures – between actual practitioners across disciplines. They wanted workshops that actually worked.
No pontiffs at the podium. No sages on the stage. No gurus in the galley.
The results were stunning. Held at the University of Washington’s beautiful Center for Urban Horticulture, and just through word of mouth, the first Kaizen Camp enjoyed a near sell-out its first year with enthusiastic participants. The second Kaizen Camp was held in Boston in May of 2012, as part of the Lean SSC conference. The third, held again in Seattle in July 2012, sold out quickly and with a healthy waiting list.
Kaizen Camp attracted participants from fields as wide-ranging as:
- Health Care
- Software Development
- Government
- Management Consulting
- Education (pre-school through post-grad)
- Aerospace
- Finance
- The Arts
- Non-profits
- Banking
The diversity of thought, experience, and personality was huge. Kaizen Camps in Seattle had gender parity; something no one had ever seen before and everyone was quick to point out. Attendees ranged from college students to professors to knowledge workers to doctors to elected officials to C-Level executives. Attendees came from across the US, Europe, and Asia. Conversations were deep and lively.
This is not an ordinary conference. Check your apathy at the door.
It is apparent that kaizen resonates. Social media buzz from participants soon created a demand from around the world. Soon, local organizing committees were forming and we were quick to respond. Upcoming Kaizen Camps are scheduled for NYC, SoCal, Boulder, with DC, Atlanta, San Francisco, Boston, and Seattle soon after. Be on the lookout for Kaizen Camps internationally in Tel Aviv, London, Berlin, and throughout Australia.
Kaizen Camps are scheduled out from November 2012 clear into late 2013. Click here to see the schedule.
If you would like to host a Kaizen Camp in your area, please let us know.