Kaizen philosophy
continuous incremental improvements
Kaizen method
The Kaizen method
of continuous incremental improvements is an
originally Japanese management concept for incremental (gradual,
continuous) change (improvement). K.
is actually a way of life philosophy, assuming that every aspect of
our life deserves to be constantly improved. The Kaizen philosophy lies behind
many Japanese management concepts such as
Total Quality Control, Quality
Control circles, small group activities, labor relations.
Key
elements of Kaizen are quality, effort, involvement of all
employees, willingness to
change, and communication.
Japanese companies
distinguish between innovation (radical) and Kaizen (continuous).
K. means literally: change (kai) to become good (zen).
The foundation of
the Kaizen method consists
of 5 founding elements:
1. teamwork,
2. personal
discipline,
3. improved
morale,
4. quality
circles, and
5. suggestions for
improvement.
Out of this
foundation three key factors in K. arise:
- elimination of
waste (muda) and inefficiency
- the
Kaizen
five-S framework for good
housekeeping
1. Seiri - tidiness
2. Seiton - orderliness
3. Seiso - cleanliness
4. Seiketsu - standardized clean-up
5. Shitsuke - discipline
- standardization.
When to apply
the
Kaizen philosophy? Although it is
difficult to give generic advice it is clear that it fits well
in incremental change situations that require long-term change and in
collective cultures. More individual cultures that are more focused on
short-term success are often more conducive to concepts such as
Business Process Reengineering.
When Kaizen is
compared to BPR is it clear the K. philosophy is more
people-oriented, more easy to implement, requires long-term discipline. BPR on the other hand is harder, technology-oriented, enables radical
change but requires major change management skills.
