The Kaizen is Japanese word means, “improvement” or “change for the best”. The philosophy of Kaizen is continues improving of processes in manufacturing, engineering and business management. The origin of Kaizen was introduced in 1950s by Toyota Company implemented new method to continuously improve in every aspect of business. The Kaizen almost function similar with cross functional team, organization breaking in to small sized group and having each group seek problems and propose plan for improvement. That includes quality, productivity, company culture, leadership, safety measure and technology. It also known as “Toyota Production System”
“Kaizen means small improvements made as a result of continuing effort. Innovation involves a drastic improvement as a result of a large investment in new equipment or technology”. (Wittenberg, G 1994)
History
Kaizen was founded by Sakichi Toyoda, the founder of Toyota industries. When after World War II, The U.S occupation forces were assigned to help Japanese economy. The U.S business experts and Japanese business managers gather and create new way to improve quality and productivity in business. Using this new development, one of Japanese business manager was Sakichi Toyoda; he developed the “Toyota Production System”. Sakichi Toyoda belief was that continues small improvement will lead to larger benefits to business. The success of Toyota production system led many Japanese companies to adopt this technique.
The Kaizen was introduced to Western world was in 1986 by Masaaki Imai, made it famous through his book, Kaizen: The Key to Japan’s Competitive Success. After the publication it fast evolves to worldwide. Masaaki Imai defined Kaizen as “The process of continuous improvement in any area of life, personal, social, home or work.” In business turns “the process of gradual and incremental improvement in a pursuit of perfection of business activities.” Under Kaizen strategy, it is every employee’s responsible to continuous improvement in a business organization.
Benefit
Under Kaizen strategy, it helps to identify the business problems in early stage and immediate improvement these problems. Because Kaizen philosophy believe that when small issues are overlooked, potential to grown major treats in business organization. “Kaizen is also a problem-solving process which follows immediately after the identification phase, and any improvement must subsequently be standardized to reach the next level of improvement” (Magnier-Watanabe, R 2011) in other worlds, continual small improvements add up and possible to lead major benefits.
The Kaizen pursuing highly effective management by avoid any “waste” in an organization. In Japanese terms of “waste” called “muda”. The Kaizen believe that every aspect of business has potential to find better method of doing things. Each group within the organization, all employees try to make efficient work system by reducing “muda”. There are seven class of muda: over production, process of delays idle time, delay in material handling, waste in processing, waste in holding inventory, wasted in motion and rejects. The Idea of eliminate muda is almost similar with just in time (JIT) concept. “The JIT concept is a continuous process of striving to minimize elements in manufacturing systems that restrain productivity.” (Low S. P 2011) Using the Just in time method means manufacturer produce what is needed, when is needed and quantity of that is needed. Under the Kaizen strategy, eliminate the waste (unnecessary process of production), it increase the efficiency of production by creating a lean and tight-running business.
Kaizen helps increase employee motivation and engagement by employee involvement. Because every worker can make suggestion for improvement
Increase of employee involvement at work leads to increase motivation, and impove moral as employee begin to find work more enjoyable and easier,
As previous studies have identified, not only can improvement be achieved from this process, but employee morale, creativity, and motivation are also expected to improve
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Reference
Low Sui P., Faisal M. A. Jolene Wong Y. F.: Applying Just in Time Principles in the Delivery
and Management of Airport Terminal Building, Built Environment Project and Asset
Management (2011)
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CC318FF74C84A57PQ/5?accountid=12085
Magnier-Watanabe, R; Getting ready for Kaizen; Organizational and Knowledge management
enabler, VINE 41.4 (2011)
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/docview/904950160/4E4A008A25F
642E1PQ/5?accountid=12085
Wittenberg G.: Kaizen- The Many Way of Getting Better; Assembly Automation 14.4 (1994)
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642E1PQ/6?accountid=12085
