The kaizen approach - The technique is called kaizen, a Japanese word for an American business philosophy adapted to change behavior and attitudes. During World War II, American factory managers increased productivity by trying small, continuous improvements rather than sudden radical change. After the war, U.S. occupation forces brought that philosophy to a rebuilding Japan, which made it a cornerstone of the country's amazing economic rebound. The Japanese called it kaizen, which means 'improvement.' Maurer, who teaches at the UCLA and University of Washington medical schools, say he began studying whether the idea could help people who couldn't tackle big challengers. 'Some of it is psychological, and some of it is just their overwhelmed lifestyles,' he says. 'They don't have the time to go to the gym and do all those other things we know are good for us. So kaizen seemed a logical thing to experiment with.'