Kaizen Method | Kaizen Philosophy

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What is Kaizen? Definition

The Kaizen method of continuous incremental improvements is an originally Japanese management concept for gradual, continuous (incremental) change (improvement).

Kaizen is actually a way of life philosophy. It assumes 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, a radical form of change, and Kaizen, a continuous form of change. Kaizen means literally: change (kai) to become good (zen).

The five foundation elements of Kaizen

1. Teamwork.
2. Personal discipline.
3. Improved morale.
4. Quality circles.
5. Suggestions for improvement.

Out of this foundation, three key factors in Kaizen arise

• Elimination of Waste (muda) and inefficiency.
• The Kaizen 5S Framework for good housekeeping.
  1. Seiri, meaning tidiness (Eng: Straighten)
  2. Seiton, meaning orderliness (Eng: Sort)
  3. Seiso, meaning cleanliness (Eng: Sweep, Shine)
  4. Seiketsu, meaning standardized clean-up (Eng: Standardize)
  5. Shitsuke, meaning discipline (Eng: Self-Discipline, Sustain)
• Standardization.

When should the Kaizen philosophy be applied? Although it is difficult to give generic advice it is clear that it fits well in gradual, 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.

Kaizen compared to Business Process Reengineering

When Kaizen is compared with the BPR method it is clear the Kaizen philosophy is more people-oriented, more easy to implement, but requires long-term discipline and provides only a small pace of change. The Business Process Reengineering approach on the other hand is harder, technology-oriented, it enables radical change but it requires considerable change management skills.

Book: Masaaki Imai - Kaizen

Forum Forum discussions about Continuous Improvement (Kaizen). Below you can ask a question about this topic, share your experiences, report a new development, or explain something. Start a new topic about Continuous Improvement (Kaizen) Share your knowledge here (or ask a question)   Kaizen Prerequisites I believe self-discipline is a mandatory prerequisite before one can hope to achieve success with Kaizen, just as it is in martial arts. The focus and 'stillness' of thought required in martial arts h... 22   8 comments Formal Kaizen Programs Kaizen should be practised within a formal program with reward or recognition for successful efforts lest it may do in disarray. It was proven as a very successful way of doing our daily jobs as had b... 12   The Kaizen Philosophy Kaizen is really a way of life philosophy. It is change for betterment. We have to inculcate this concept in every student in different streams to make them understand the inevitable of change. Even w... 12   1 comments Kaizen is a Way of Life I believe that Kaizen has not been well understood by most of the occidental companies; Kaizen is not a specific program, Kaizen is not a special project, Kaizen is not a quality circle activity... Ka... 11   2 comments Gauging Customer Satisfaction Customer satisfaction has a direct effect on profit and profitability. To what extent can profit measures be used to gauge customer satisfaction? To what extent can the flow through the channels be us... 9   Personal Experiences with Kaizen Kaizen has been wonderful for me having practiced it over 2 decades. It's like maths or physics (in fact any subject) in that if you want to you can see it being used in all aspects of everyday life. ... 7   🔥 NEW Lean Kaizen: Continuous Improvement in the Lean Direction Traditional Kaizen came to the western world like lightening: people in industry got fascinated by the concept of "continuous improvement", a bit less - perhaps - by its "bottom-up" approach. Neverthe... 6   Building Blocks of Kaizen, Continual Improvement It's interesting to see the clarification we received from Anthony from India about continually improving quality, cost and delivery. The key word is continually (for the broad scope of the whole org... 6   1 comments Linking Kaizen to Goals of the Organization Linking Kaizen to the goals of the firm is a sure way to ensure improvement of each process of the organization. These projects are reviewed internally and any boondoggle (unnecessary, wasteful) activ... 6   Loss Function Analysis Loss function analysis can be used for controling loss incurred during production, the smaller the tolerance the less is the loss in production.... 5   Kaizen Action Must be Followed by Standardization Your Kaizen action must be followed by standardization so you can see your improvement in the process. My trigger for a Kaizen project is the result of my visual management what is based on the 6 bi... 5   How we Use Kaizen in my Company We use Kaizen to improve continuously. We also hang the tools on a board, but someone is working with it and they have to report to me. As a lean manager I follow up on them and facilitate them. We w... 4   1 comments

Best Practices The best, top-rated topics about Continuous Improvement (Kaizen). Here you will find the most valuable ideas and practical suggestions. 🥇 Quotes on Kaizen. Quotations Do you know some deep, famous or funny quotes on Kaizen? Quotations? Proverbs? Please share them as a reaction to this posting and mention the author. To get started, here's my favorite: 'Constant dri... 62   7 comments 🥈 Kaizen and Quality and Toyota Small incremental changes in quality can be accomplished through solid statistical analysis. Through the use of p-charts and other variable control charts a narrowing of the upper and lower limits inc... 17   1 comments 🥉 Organizational Change Must Be Slow and Incremental Change in organizations should be slow and incremental in order to be really effective. This is applicable regardless of the approach used.... 11   4 comments Start the Change Within Yourself The most important thing before starting Kaizen is, start the change within yourself. You cannot educate others about Kaizen if you yourself are not well educated enough about it.... 11   7 comments Kaizen is Based on Kata Kaizen is more than we can think in Japanese culture. Everything is based on 'Kata'* in their culture, so no one is supposed to do things outside of the context of the Kata. Through Kata we reach Kai... 10   4 comments Kaizen is More than the Housekeeping techniques (5S) ! Kaizen 5S is not just housekeeping techniques... We should always link it with performance and productivity enhancement.... 9   3 comments Kaizen is a Philosophy | Kaizen Background I am led to believe Kaizen is more of a philosophy than it is a management 'tool' - the description above may wish to include the definition of Kaizen as it is understood with a Taoist appreciation of... 8   3 comments

Expert Tips Advanced insights about Continuous Improvement (Kaizen). Here you will find professional advices by experts. Comparison Kaizen vs. Innovation Appreciate the Differences... In 1992, A. Meckel made this useful comparison of Kaizen (K) versus Innovation (I): 1. EFFECT - K: long term and contin... Tools to Attack Waste Waste Management, Waste Tools Overview What tools you can use for every waste you can find at your company? Before you try to implement these lean tools you h... Building blocks of Kaizen: QCD Kaizen Imai mentions three main building blocks of Kaizen, known as QCD: 1. A continually improving Quality assurance system; ... Leadership Strategies for Change Initiate, implement, develop and sustain change In response to the high rate of change failure, Ken Blanchard and his team have developed the Blanchard Leading Through ... Benefits of Kaizen Continuous Improvement There are several benefits of using Kaizen or Kaizen events. These benefits can be categorized as either quantitative or... The 8 Wastes of Lean Explained Waste Management T - Transport - Moving people, products & information I - Inventory - Storing parts, pieces, documentation ahead of req... Alternate Process Improvement Model Process Improvement, Continuous Improvement, Kaizen, CMM The IDEAL Model. Originally, the IDEAL model was a life-cycle model for software process improvement based upon the Cap... Why Kaizen is Needed for Wastefree and Flexible Manufacturing Anecdote According to Masaaki Imai, founder and chairman of the KAIZEN Institute: "Why can humans walk upright and apes cannot, ... Types of Change. Classification Change Management, Organizational Change, Expected/Unexpected Change, Incremental/Radical Change Organizational change varies along at least to dimensions (expected-unexpected and incremental-radical) and can be manag... Kaizen The Keys to Continuous Improvement Facilitating a Kaizen Workshop This learning package provides you with everything you need to facilitate a learning group in your company. The basic ... How to Focus your Improvement Efforts? Achieve More With Less, Kaizen, BPR, JIT, Lean, Value Chain Very often organizations consider continuous improvement as committing on improvement efforts, and thus creating project... Kaizen Best Practices Preparing a Kaizen program When starting a Kaizen program, remember to: A. Establish the QCD processes B. Ensure top management commitment C. Pl... Kaizen: An Essential Tool Kaizen = Continuous Improvement in Every Facet of Life According to Imai, founder and chairman of the KAIZEN Institute (1986), Kaizen means “continuous improvement”. Not just ...

Information Sources Various sources of information regarding Continuous Improvement (Kaizen). Here you will find powerpoints, videos, news, etc. to use in your own lectures and workshops. What is 5S Workplace Organization 5S, abbreviated from the Japanese words Seiri, Seiton, Seison, Seiketsu, and Shitsuke, are simple but effective methods ... 5S Framework 5S House Keeping In depth presentation by GREAVES LIMITED.... 5S Strategy for Performance Excellence Kaizen 5S is the foundation, the building blocks, for a “Kaizen” approach to incremental improvement.... 5S Program Workplace Organization Presentation on implementing the 5S-es.... The Nature and Complexity of Organizational Change Change Management, Organizational Change Presentation about organizational change. The presentation discusses and highlights the complexity and multi-dimensional... 5S Game: Introducing 5S Before You Start Kaizen Method, 5S Exercise Before you start a 5-S on a GEMBA use this Numbers Game to energize the participants. Fun to do and after this everyone... Masaaki Imai Redefines KAIZEN Initial Understanding of Kaizen, Kaizen Definition In this video Masaaki Imai, founder of the KAIZEN institute explains his interpretation of Kaizen. According to Imai, K... 8 Wastes Assessment and 5S Analysis in Office Environments Lean, 5S , WASTE In the office environment, our work does not take place on our desks, but on our computers and in our digital networks. ... Kaizen Diagrams Change Management, TQM Download and edit these 12manage PowerPoint graphics for limited personal, educational and business use. Republishing i...

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