We in the west have been conditioned to only think results, which is why most people wont move a finger unless they are garrantied some benefits.
Your are actually advocating "Kaizen", a Japanese personal/business philosophy of continuous improvement of working practices, efficiency, etc.
This philosophy is only focusing on the process, which is why Japan have been leading manufaturing for so many dacades, because the western world is only focused on results. There are many books about Kaizen, if you dont know about this philosophy you should definitely read one of them.