Table of Contents
What is Kaizen
Kaizen is a familiar word to the Japanese, and they are the inventors of this word. They implemented the kaizen theory in their processing of products, and they got the results continuously. It is important for getting quality products. Additionally, Kaizen is the Japanese word for “good change” in English. Here, Kai means change, Zen means good, and it stands for the continuous improvement of all corporate functions at all levels of the hierarchy in an organization.
Kaizen is used for continuous improvement. The following two are the key improvement criteria for using Kaizen in the production process: They are:
- Improvement or change for the better: Kaizen is used for change for the better. It always improves the quality of the process. This way, one can get perfect products with fewer defects.
- Ongoing/Continuity/Maintenance: Kaizen is an ongoing process. One should continue this process until they reach their goal.
Lacking one of those elements, Kaizan will not be considered.
Philosophy Of Kaizen
The philosophy of Kaizen has kindled considerable interest among researchers because it increases the productivity of the company and helps to produce high-quality products with minimum effort. They are-
- Firstly, Kaizen can be roughly translated from Japanese to mean “good change.”
- Secondly, the philosophy behind kaizen is often credited to Dr. W. Edwards Deming.
- Thirdly, Deming was invited by Japanese industrial leaders and engineers to help rebuild Japan after World War II.
- Then, he was honored for his contributions by Emperor Hirohito and the Japanese Union of Scientists and Engineers.
- Kaizen, also known as continuous improvement, is a long-term approach to work that systematically seeks to achieve small, incremental changes in processes in order to improve efficiency and quality.
- After that, Kaizen can be applied to any kind of work, but it is perhaps best used in lean manufacturing and lean programming.
- Lastly, if a work environment practices kaizen, continuous improvement is the responsibility of every worker, not just a selected few.
Finally, Kaizen improves the condition and quality of products through group work. Hence, this is the main difference between the western system of work and the Japanese system. As a result, Kaizen changes the face of Japan.
