What is Kaizen?
The Japanese term kaizen is an idea of “continuous improvement” – through a series of small, incremental changes larger change and transformation occurs.
Roughly translated, kaizen means “change for the better.” Succesful implementation of kaizen can lead to changes in business quality, and cost and delivery of product. These, in turn, can lead to greater customer satisfaction and business growth – an every continuing cycle of small improvements.
The History of Kaizen
The term kaizen was officially coined in quality-management-expert Masaaki Imai's book Kaizen:The Key to Japan’s Competitive Success in the mid 1980s. Since then, the philosophy has been wildly successful, thanks in large part to Imai's participation in preaching its Toyota-touted-virtues throughout the world. However, post-World War II United States had its hand in developing kaizen techniques as well.
During World War II, the United States Department of War developed a system called Training Within Industry to increase its manufacturing capacity. TWI relied upon many of the tenants that would later form the basis of lean.
After World War II, for various reasons, the TWI program and its emphasis on quality and efficiency was abandoned in the Untied States, but crossed the Pacific to be received with wide acclaim in Japan. In particular the works of W. Edwards Deming were instrumental in the growth of kaizen and other aspects of the Toyota Production System.
These systems exploded in Japan during the 1950s.
The Benefits of Kaizen?
Kaizen is a philosophy meant promote improvement; its benefits are the improvements themselves.
If you apply kaizen your personal life (take steps to become more organized, more thorough, more amiable, etc.), the benefits may be finally landing that big promotion. If you use kaizen in your office, perhaps your newly efficient company will get that new client.
Kaizen champions the notion that small changes in the workplace can result in increased profits, lower employee safety risks, and better utilization of resources.
Kaizen in all forms has been shown to radically improve working environments – saving companies millions of dollars while making employees healthier and happier. Kaizen is about enacting change clearly and concisely. It gives employees a real sense of accomplishment as a million tiny steps lead to a massive change – in safety, in structure, and in profits.
Implementing Kaizen | Labeling | Kaizen Misconceptions | Kaizen Successes | What is Kaizen?
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