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Implementing Kaizen.

Article Excerpt
This checklist is designed to introduce the concept of Kaizen and to explain its implementation.

In order to be successful, organisations are finding that they must continually improve their quality assurance, cost management and delivery systems. Equally, increasing competition has made it a priority for every organisation to develop and seek an advantage over rivals. A culture of continuous evaluation and improvement is seen by many organisations as an essential tool to achieve and maintain an advantage. Kaizen is one of the main tools to develop such a culture.

Definition

'Kaizen' is a Japanese term, which roughly translated means 'improvement'. 'Kai' means 'change' and 'zen' 'good' or 'for the better'. It means 'continuing improvement in personal life, home life, social life, and working life' (Imai, 1986). Essentially it means continuous improvement, seeking small improvements through the elimination of waste.

It is a philosophy which inspires the whole company with the instinct for improvement. The culture of seeking continuous improvement should involve everyone from the most senior manager to the most junior employee. Workers participate not for any particular financial reward, although these may be a part of the recognition process, but for the satisfaction of using their creative skills to improve the operations they perform and the goods and services they produce.

Kaizen incorporates a variety of techniques...

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