The All Blacks display an institutionalized system of continuous improvement, one that works on the super-structural level (the season and the four-year World Cup cycle), the team level (selection, the tapering of performance, tactical preparation, etc), and the individual level (‘Things I Do Today’). And like the original meaning of kaizan, it begins with self-empowerment; developing the individual’s ability to stand up and take the lead when called upon. But it goes one step further. It becomes about the sporting buzz-phrase du jour – ‘the aggregation of marginal gains’ or ‘the drive to
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