What is Kaizen? | Kaizen Definition and Answers - Reverscore

Kaizen is a term that refers to on-going or continuous improvement. The definition of kaizen comes from two Japanese words: 'kai' meaning ... Readmorereverreviews MENU FreeTrial CustomerLogin Product Overview Forms,Checklists,Tasks GuidedWorkflows Communication AIandDataInsights Integrations Services UseCases ContinuousImprovement OperationsManagement MaintenanceMgmt QualityManagement SafetyManagement Customers Resources UseCaseLibrary CenterofExcellence Blog Glossary 5S 8D ConnectedWorker ContinuousImprovement CrossFunctionalCollaboration EmployeeEngagement GembaWalks GenchiGenbutsu IdeaManagement Kaizen KaizenCulture KANBAN Kata LeanManagement LeanSafety ManufacturingSafety ManufacturingProcessImprovement OperationalExcellence PDCACycle ProcessImprovementMethodologies StandardWork SuggestionBox TaktTime ToyotaKata ValueStreamMapping FreeProgram Videos Press Webinars Podcasts Aboutus CUSTOMERS CustomerLogin iOSApp AndroidApp POLICIES TermsofService PrivacyPolicy SupportPolicy KaizenforEveryone +1(888)[email protected] Rever,68WillowRoad,MenloPark,CA. 94025,UnitedStates. Copyright©2018Rever,Inc. AllRightsReserved. WhatisKaizenandWhyContinuousImprovementDrivesResults PostedonJanuary29,2019 BYBorjaGomez 11minutes,31secondsread SHARE Themeaningofkaizenallstartswithleanmanufacturing. Kaizenapproaches,kaizenblitz,akaizenevent.Sixsigma techniqueshelptoimproveproductivity andeliminatewaste. Processimprovement ispossiblewithkaizenphilosophy andthewordkaizen ingeneralmeanstocontinuallyimprove. Ithelpsdefinetherootcause ofaproblem,eliminatewaste and helpsacultureofcontinual leansixsigma incrementalimprovement.  Leantransformation canbefunwiththerightleanmanufacturing principleslikemasaakiimai andleveragingthehistoryofthekaizen beginning.  Akaizenburst willinvolveallemployees togettheproverbialhouseinorderandtotalqualityumanagementassessed. Gembakaizen continuousimprovementprocess isbehindthebasicprinciple ofvaluestreams andtotalqualitymanagement. Kaizenmeans kaizenthekeytoqualitycontrolandstemsfromtheJapanese.Moreconceptsofkaizenbelow.    Akeyquestionthatwe’reoftenaskedbyclientsisquitesimplythis–whatiskaizen?Althoughsomepeoplearefamiliarwiththetermmanyareunsureexactlywhatitmeans.Isitaworkplaceprocess?Atypeofphilosophyorapproachtomanagingabusiness?Orthenameofthepersonwhocameupwithit? It’snotsurprisinggiventhestrangenessoftheword–‘Kaizen’doesn’treallygivemuchawayaboutwhatitmeans.Butifyou’reinterestedinimprovingefficiency,competitivesuccess,andincreasingprofitability,thenKaizenissomethingwell-worthlearningabout.Inthisarticle,weanswerthequestion‘whatisKaizen?’andlookathowitcanimproveyourbusinessresults. TheDefinitionofKaizen Kaizenisatermthatreferstoon-goingorcontinuousimprovement.ThedefinitionofkaizencomesfromtwoJapanesewords:‘kai’meaning‘change’and‘zen’meaning‘good’.TheJapanesephilosophywasfirstintroducedbyToyotabackinthe1980sandhassincebeenadoptedbythousandsofcompaniesaroundtheglobe.Thisleantransformationencouragesanimprovementculturethatgraduallyincreasesquality,efficiency,andprofitability. So,whatiskaizenexactly?Well,itisstatisticalprocesscontrolthatimprovesqualityineveryaspectofyourbusiness.Employeesareempoweredtosuggestideasthataddresscommonproblemssothattheydon’treoccur.Bytacklingissueshead-on,theyaren’tallowedtopersistandgrowintobiggerchallenges.Thisgrassrootsapproachdeliversincrementalimprovementsthatadduptobigwins. Thisleandigitaltransformationhasbegun,savingfrontlineemployeesprecioustimeandempoweringthematthesametime. HowWasKaizenDeveloped? KaizenwasmadefamousbytheJapanesecarmanufacturingcompany,Toyota.Inthe1980s,Toyotaledthechargeindevelopingabusinessprocessforcatchingissuesinproductionassoonastheyoccurred.Ifsomethingwasn’tright,thentheentireproductionlinewouldbeshutdownsothatstaffcouldidentifyasolution.Thiswouldthenbeimplementedsothattheproblemdidn’toccuragain.Overtime,thesesmallimprovementstotheToyotaproductionsystemenabledittobecomeoneofthemostefficientandreliableintheworld.AsothercompaniessoughttoemulateToyota’sresults,theyturnedtotheKaizenphilosophyasawayofreplicatingtheirsuccess. WhatIsKaizenHelpfulFor(BenefitsofKaizen)? TheKaizenapproachisbeneficialforawidevarietyofbusinessmodelsandoperationalphilosophies.Itcanimproveworkprocesses,eliminatewaste,improvesqualityandincreasestheprofitabilityofyourcompany.Althoughit’snotaquick-fix,implementingKaizencanleadtoconsistentandlong-termgrowth.Let’slookatsomeofthewaysthatKaizencanimprovetheworkplaceandoverallbusinessresults. ContinualImprovementforYourProduct&Services ImplementingtheJapanesephilosophytobusinessresultsinproductandserviceimprovements.You’reabletoaddressthosetinyissuesthataffectproductquality,leadingtoreturnsandreplacementcosts.Asaresultofqualityimprovements,customersatisfactionincreasesbecausetheyexperiencefewernegativeissues.Thisenhancesyourbrand’sreputationandresultsinpricelesswordofmouth,whichleadstoincreasesinsalesvolumesandrevenues. DeliversaCompetitiveAdvantage Inmodernbusiness,itcansometimesbetoughtomaintainaclearadvantageoveryourcompetitors.Iftheyhavegreaterinvestmentbehindthemoraremoreagilewhenitcomestoinnovation,youmightstruggletostayaheadofthepack.Butleankaizencangiveyouadistinctadvantageoverothersinyourindustryandestablishyouasthedominantleader.Youcanestablishtherootcauseofhowtoincreaseproductivity.Byimprovingyourquality,productivity,andefficiency,youcanextendaleadthatothersareunabletomatch(nomatterhowmuchmoneytheyinvestinR&Dormarketing).Thisprocessimprovementmindsetalsoresultsinanup-skilledworkforce,whichcreateslong-termvalueforyourcompany. EncouragesGrassrootsThinking Kaizenisn’taprocessthatonlyaffectsmanagement.It’simplementedbyfrontlineemployeesinthecompany,nomatterwhattheirroleorseniority.Overtime,employeesbegintothinkindifferentwaysabouthowtheyapproachtheirdailytasks.Itencouragesstafftotaketheinitiativeandsuggestimprovementstohowthingsaredone,insteadoffeelingpowerlessintheirroles.Astheseideasaretakenonboardandtheresultscometofruition,theybegintoseethevalueandimpactoftheirinput.Thismakesfrontlineemployeesmoreinclinedtoprovideadditionalfeedbackthatcontinuestobenefitthecompany.It’scommonforemployeesatagrassrootsleveltounderstandissuesmoreclearlythanuppermanagementbecausetheydealwithorsolvethemeveryday.Thismakesthembettersuitedtofindingpracticalsolutionssoit’svitaltogetthemengaged. ACultureofContinualImprovement BusinessesthatimplementKaizenusuallyhaveahighly-engagedworkforce.Byimprovingthecompanyprocessesandproducts,theyalsoimprovetheculturetoo.Employeesareempoweredtomakechangesandknowthattheiropinionsmatter.Theyunderstandthattheircontributionscanresultinameaningfulchangewhichhelpstocreateasenseoffulfillment.Thisfiltersthroughouttheorganizationandresultsinapositivesharedcultureandmoreenjoyableplacetowork. AvoidsInformationSilos Onethingthatcompaniesoftenstrugglewithissiloedthinking.Informationisn’tcommunicatedbetweendifferentdepartmentsormanageriallevelswhichleadstofrustrationonallsides.Breakdownsincommunicationcanhavecostlyresults,bothintermsoffinancesandmorale.ButKaizenopensupthesechannelsandfacilitatesmoreproductiveinteractionsbetweenteams.Peopleareencouragedtoshareideasandsuggestionssothatitbecomesanaturalpartofdailyworklife.Thisleadstogreatercollaborationandincreasedtrustbetweendepartments. BoostsWorkplaceProductivity Productivityisunderthemicroscopeinalmosteverybusiness.Whentimesgettough,we’reencouragedtoachievebiggerresultswithfewerresources.Itcanseemlikeanuphillbattleandaconstantsourceofpressure.ButKaizenenablesyoutoimproveproductivitybyincreasingyourefficiency.Fewerqualityissuesandproductreturnsboosttheoveralloutputoftheorganization.Improvementsincompanycultureandemployeeengagementmeanthatstaffarenaturallyinclinedtoputmoreintotheirwork.Thisresultsinthekindofproductivitythatcan’tbeforcedthroughreprimandsorboughtwithbonuses. EnhancesCreativity Companiesareoftenlookingformorecreativewaystoapproachchallengesinbusiness.Buttheverynatureofcreativitymeansthere’snorulebookorinstructionstofollow,sofosteringitintheworkplacecanbetricky.However,theKaizenworkapproachencouragesstafftothinkcreativelyonadailybasis.Itrequiresthemtocomeupwithsolutionstounexpectedissuesastheyariseandteachesthemhowtothinkoutsideofthebox.Thiscreatesacultureofcreativitywherepeopleareempoweredtocomeupwithnewideasandsharethemopenly. ImprovesTeamworking Theimprovementstocompanyculture,removalofsiloedthinking,andencouragementofgrassrootsinitiativeallcontributetogreaterteamworking.Staffaremoreinclinedtocommunicateandcollaboratewithothersastheystrivetoimprovethecompany.Insteadofrelyingonteam-buildingdaystwiceayear,Kaizendeliversaconstantteamworkinitiativethatdrivesmeaningfulresults.Byharnessingthepowerofcross-functionalcollaboration,you’lldevelopastrongandresilientworkforce. WhatIsKaizenGoingtoLookLikeDay-To-Day? Implementationofkaizenispartphilosophyandpartprocess,whichcanmakeithardtoimagineinday-to-dayterms.Doesitmeanendlessmeetings?Lotsoftrainingbeforewecanimplementit?Extrapaperworkandadmintasks?Thegoodnewsis,implementingKaizendoesn’thavetobecomplicated.Itcanworkinharmonywithyourexistingsetupandbetailoredtomeetyourpreciseneeds. TheKaizenprocesscanbesummarizeddowntojustfoursteps:PDCA–PlanDoCheckAct.Here’saquickoverviewofwhateachstepentails: Plan–defineyourobjectiveandhowyou’llachieveit. Do–implementtheplanandmakeanychangesrequiredtoensureitworks. Check–evaluatetheresultsandidentifyopportunitiesforimprovement. Act–makeadjustmentsbasedonwhat’sfoundinthepreviousstep. BytakingthisPDCAapproachtoworkplaceprojects,youcanmaximizetheirefficiencyandimprovetheirfinaloutcomes.IfaKaizeneventdoesoccur,thenyoutakeimmediatestepstoaddressitandbrainstormideasforpreventingitsreoccurrence.Ifit’ssomethingparticularlyseriousorresource-intensive,thenaKaizenblitzmayberequired. HowDoesItCompareWithOtherImprovementProcesses? YoumightalsobewonderinghowtheKaizendefinitioncompareswithothercontinuousimprovementtools.Gembawalksandthe3M’sarebothpopularmethodsforidentifyingongoingimprovement.So,whatarethekeydifferencesandwhichtoolsaremostsuitableforyourbusinessneeds? KaizenVsGembaWalks&3M’s Gembawalksandthe3M’scanbothusedaspartofKaizen,LeanSixSigmapractices,andKanbanprocesses.Gembawalksinvolveinteractingwithstaffatthelocationwheretheydotheirwork(notanofficeormeetingroom).Theyareaninformalmethodofdatacollectionthatenablemanagementtolearnfromfrontlineemployeesinastructuredway. Thesewalksareidealforidentifyingopportunitiesforimprovementasmanagerscanseeissuesandhearfeedbackfirsthand.However,Gembawalksalonedonotprovideaframeworkfortakingactionsotheyneedtobecombinedwithsomekindoffollow-upprocess.Thismakesthemausefultoolbutnotacompletesolutionforcontinuousimprovement. The3M’sareshortfor‘Muri,Mura,andMuda’whicharethreeformsofdeviation.TheywereidentifiedaspartoftheToyotaleanproductionsystemandarecommonsourcesofproblems.Thesetermsrefertooverburden,irregularities,andwaste,whichcauseissuesfororganizationsthatarestrivingforleanproduction.Theymakethesupplychaininefficientsoidentifyingthemcanboostproductivityandminimizewastage.LikeGembawalks,theyareonepieceofthepuzzlebutnotacompletesolutionorprocess. InSummary Sonowwe’veaddressedthekeyquestionthatmanybusinessesaskus–whatisKaizen?It’saphilosophicalandprocess-orientedconceptthat’stransformingcompaniesaroundtheworld.Kaizeneffortsdrivecompanyvalueandcanimpactnumerouselementsofanorganization,includingefficiency,quality,safety,leanmanufacturing,andculture.It’saboutleveragingtheideasandproblem-solvingabilitiesofyourstafftomaximizetheresultsofyourbusiness. ImplementationofKaizenleansoutyourbusinessprocessextendingtoinformationsharing,creativity,andteamworking.Itcanalsobepivotalinsecuringcompetitiveadvantageandmaintainingtheleadinyourindustry.Ifyourbusinessisstrugglingwithanyoftheseaspects,thenadoptingKaizenmayjustbetheanswer. HowWeCanHelp Reverisallaboutsharingandreusing,doingandtracking.Continuousimprovementbecomesahundredtimeseasierwithourinnovativedigitalplatform.UsingRever’sdashboard,youcanmonitortheperformancesofyourteams,thesummaryoftheirimpact,andeasilyidentifythepeoplemakingthebiggestdifferenceatyourcompany. ReverCycleisourversionofthePDCAmethodologyandguidesyourteamsontheexactstepstofollowtoexecutetheirownideas.Itallowsthemtocapturetheentireprocess,fromidentifyingaproblemtoexperimentingandimplementingasolution.Theycanuseittocapturethebeforeandafterwithpictures,notesanddrawings,makingtheirideasarealityinnotime.Thetimeofyourteamistoovaluabletobewastedinhandmadedrawingsandcomplexexplanations. AtRever,webelievethatanybodycanbeaknowledgeworkerandthrive.Whatmakesushumanisthecapacitytogrowourintellectandwill,andtousethemforgood.Weobserve,especiallyatwork,thatmostpeopleareaskedtostopthinkinganddoastheyaretold.Wewanttochangethat.Weenablepeople,teamsandlargescalecorporationstoachievetheirfullcreativepotential. Interestedinlearningmore?Thenrequestademowithoneofourfriendlyteammemberstoday!   Likethiscontent?SignupforourNewsletter LeaveaReplyCancelreplyYouremailaddresswillnotbepublished.Requiredfieldsaremarked*Comment*Name* Email* Website THEFRONTLINEDOJO MoreArticles HowtodevelopthenextbillionKnowledgeWorkers 3minutes,51secondsread Digitaltransformationinmanufacturingisnotwhatyouthinkitis 10minutes,36secondsread Thehumansideofchangemanagement:lessonslearnedfromToyota,Airbus,andSiliconValley 1minute,28secondsread ThetruemeaningofGenchiGenbutsu 3minutes,5secondsread CAREERS Areyoulookingtomakeanimpactonmillionsoflives?Becomeapartoftheteam ViewOpportunities TRYREVERFREE