Kaizen

Kaizen is a daily activity where the purpose goes beyond easy productivity improvements. It is also a process that, when done correctly, cultivates the workplace, eliminates hard work and teaches people how to carry out a new way of thinking about there job by using new methods and showing them how to learn to see and eliminate waste.

Kaizen has three main principles:
• Consider the process and the results!
• The need to look at the entire process of the job at hand and to evaluate the job as to the best way to get the job done.
• Kaizen must be approached in such a way that no one is blamed and that the best process is put into place.

People at all levels of an organization can participate in kaizen, from the CEO down, it is best if everyone is involved. The format for kaizen can be individual, suggestion system, small group, or large group. In Toyota it is usually a local improvement within a workstation or local area and involves a small group in improving their own work environment and efficiency. This group is often guided through the kaizen process by a line supervisor.

While kaizen in Toyota usually delivers small improvements, the culture of continual aligned small improvements and standardization yields large results in the form of compound productivity improvement. Hence the English usage of kaizen can also be called, continuous improvement or continual improvement.

Kaizen is only one of many ways to create a good place and also an effect place for the company to make money and have less wasted time. Please take a look at the free guide we have on implementing kaizen. Also take a look at 5S it is a very effective Japanese program and together Kaizen and 5S are very effective when used correctly to create a safe and effective work place.