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Kaizen, Kaizen, Kaizen, Kaizen, Kaizen, Kaizen, Kaizen, Kaizen, Kaizen, Kaizen, Kaizen
Kaizen means "improvement". Kaizen strategy calls for never-ending efforts for improvement involving everyone in the organization – managers and workers alike.
Management has two major components: (1) maintenance, and (2) improvement. The objective of the maintenance function is to maintain current technological, managerial, and operating standards. The improvement function is aimed at improving current standards. Under the maintenance function, the management must first establish policies, rules, directives and standard operating procedures (SOPs) and then work towards ensuring that everybody follows SOP. The latter is achieved through a combination of discipline and human resource development measures. Under the improvement function, management works continuously towards revising the current standards, once they have been mastered, and establishing higher ones. Improvement can be broken down between innovation and Kaizen. Innovation involves a drastic improvement in the existing process and requires large investments. Kaizen signifies small improvements as a result of coordinated continuous efforts by all employees.
Øcustomer-driven strategy for improvement – any management activity should eventually lead to increased customer satisfaction Øquality first, not profit first – an enterprise can prosper only if customers who purchase its products or services are satisfied Ørecognition that any corporation has problems and establishing a corporate culture where everyone can freely admit these problems and suggest improvement
Øemphasis on process – establishing a way of thinking oriented at improving processes, and a management system that supports people's process-oriented efforts for improvement |
