Quality
Solutions.ca® is
Canada's premiere source for Kaizen Training
and Consulting Services.
Kaizen is often translated in the west as ongoing, continuous
improvement.
Some authors explain Japan's competitive success
in the world market place as the result of the implementation
of the Kaizen concept in Japanese corporations. In contrast
to the usual emphasis on revolutionary, innovative change
on an occasional basis, Kaizen looks for uninterrupted,
ongoing incremental change. In other words, there is always
room
for improvement and continuously trying to become better.
Originally a Buddhist term, Kaizen comes from the words, "Renew
the heart and make it good." Therefore, adaptation of
the Kaizen concept also requires changes in "the heart
of the business", corporate culture and structure, since
Kaizen enables companies to translate the corporate vision
in every aspect of a company's operational practice.
According to Imai (1986), an important advocate of Kaizen, "Kaizen
means improvement. Moreover it means continuing improvement
in personal life, home life, social life, and working life.
When applied to the workplace Kaizen means continuing improvement
involving everyone - managers and workers alike." Believers
of this theory maintain that managers of production operations
cannot stand still; continuous development and improvement
is critical to long term success.
In practice, Kaizen can be implemented in corporations by
improving every aspect of a business process in a step by step
approach, while gradually developing employee skills through
training education and increased involvement.
The Principles
in Kaizen Implementation are:
Human resources are the most important company asset,
processes must evolve by gradual improvement rather than radical
changes,
Improvement must be based on statistical/quantitative
evaluation of process performance.
Support throughout the entire structure
is necessary to become successful at developing a strong
Kaizen
approach. Management
as well as workers need to believe in the Kaizen idea
and strive toward obtaining the small goals in order
to reach overall
success. Therefore, all members of an organization
need to be trained in a manner to support this idea structure.
Resources,
measurements, rewards, and incentives all need to be
aligned to and working with the Kaizen structure of
ideas. It is the little things that add up to bigger
things.
Basic Tips for KAIZEN Activities:
Discard conventional fixed ideas.
Think of how to do it, not why it cannot be done.
Do not make excuses. Start by questioning current practices.
Do not seek perfection. Do it right away even if for only
50% of target.
Correct it right away, if you make mistake.
Do not spend money for KAIZEN, use your wisdom.
Wisdom is brought out when faced with hardship.
Ask "WHY?" five times and seek root causes.
Seek the wisdom of ten people rather than the knowledge
of one.
KAIZEN ideas are infinite.
How We Can Help?
QualitySolutions.ca® Consulting
Group consists of full-time trainers and consultants with industry-diverse
experience. While we do use industry proven approaches and
methodologies, we tailor these to fit your organization’s
specific needs.
A unique combination of manufacturing experience, business
and financial expertise, and a "hands-on" approach
creates a recipe for our clients' success. We not only identify
and prioritize opportunities to add significantly to your bottom
line; we develop and help our clients implement a plan for
exploiting those opportunities to achieve financially measurable
success.
We invite you to call or email us today to
discuss how we can help you meet your objectives.
