Kaizen ( ?? ) , is the Japanese word for "upgrade". In business, kaizen refers to activities that continually improve all functions and engage all employees of the CEO to assembly line workers. This also applies to processes, such as purchases and logistics, that cross organizational boundaries into the supply chain. It has been applied in health care, psychotherapy, life coaching, government, banking, and other industries.
By improving standard programs and processes, kaizen aims to eliminate waste (see lean manufacturing). Kaizen was first practiced in Japanese business after the Second World War, partially influenced by American business and quality management teachers, and primarily as part of The Toyota Way. It has since spread worldwide and has been applied to an environment beyond business and productivity.
Video Kaizen
Overview
The Japanese word kaizen means "to change for the better," with the inherent meaning of either "continuous" or "philosophy" in the Japanese dictionary and in everyday use. This word refers to an increase, once or continuously, large or small, in the same sense as the English word "repair". However, given the common practice in Japan that labels business or industry improvement techniques with the word "kaizen", especially the practice pioneered by Toyota, the word "kaizen" in English is usually applied to steps to implement sustainable improvement, especially those who have a "Japanese philosophy". The discussion below focuses on the interpretation of the word, as it is often used in the context of modern management discussions. Two kaizen approaches have been distinguished:
- kaizen flow;
- kaizen process.
The first is oriented to the flow of material and information, and is often identified with the reorganization of entire production areas, even a company. The latter means the improvement of individual workstations. Therefore, improving the way production workers perform their work is part of the kaizen process. The use of kaizen models for continuous improvement demands that both flow and kaizens processes be used, although kaizens processes are used more often to focus workers on continuous small improvements. In this model, operators are mostly looking for small ideas that, if possible, can be implemented on the same day. This is in contrast to traditional models of work improvement, which generally have a long gap between concept development and project implementation.
Kaizen is a daily process, which aims beyond simple productivity improvements. It is also a process that, when done correctly, humanizes the workplace, removes too much work (muri ), and teaches people how to experiment on their work using the scientific method and how to learn to recognize and eliminating waste in business processes. Overall, this process demonstrates a humane approach to workers and increases productivity: "The idea is to nurture as many corporate people as to praise and encourage participation in kaizen activities." Successful implementation requires "workers' participation in improvement." People at all levels of the organization participate in kaizen, from the CEO to the janitorial staff, as well as external stakeholders if applicable. Kaizen is most commonly associated with manufacturing operations, such as in Toyota, but has also been used in non-manufacturing environments. The format for kaizen can be either an individual, a suggestion system, a small group, or a large group. At Toyota, this is usually a local improvement in the workstation or local area and involves small groups in improving their own work environment and productivity. The group is often guided through kaizen processes by a line supervisor; sometimes this is the main role of the line supervisor. Kaizen on a broad cross-cutting scale in the company, resulting in total quality management, and frees human efforts through increased productivity using machinery and computing power.
While kaizen (in Toyota) typically provide small improvements, a sustainable small improvement culture and standardization produce great results in terms of overall productivity improvements. This philosophy is different from the eG Business Process Improvement (eG Business Process Improvement) program in the mid-twentieth century. The Kaizen methodology includes making changes and monitoring the results, then adjusting. Large-scale pre-planning and extensive project scheduling are replaced by smaller experiments, which can be quickly adjusted as new improvements are recommended.
In modern usage, it is designed to overcome certain problems during the week and is referred to as "kaizen blitz" or "kaizen event". These are limited in scope, and problems that arise from them are usually used in later flash. Someone who contributed greatly in the successful application of kaizen during the kaizen event was awarded the title of "Zenkai".
Maps Kaizen
History
A small-step job improvement approach was developed in the United States under the In-Industry Training (TWI Work Method) program. Rather than encouraging major and radical changes to achieve the desired goals, this method recommends that organizations introduce small improvements, especially those that can be implemented on the same day. The main reason is that during World War II there was no time and resources for major and innovative changes in the production of war equipment. The essence of the approach is to increase the use of existing labor and technology.
As part of the Marshall Plan after World War II, the American occupation forces brought in experts to help rebuild the Japanese industry while the Civil Communications Department (CCS) developed a management training program that taught statistical control methods as part of the overall material. Homer Sarasohn and Charles Protzman developed and taught this course in 1949-1950. Sarasohn recommends W. Edwards Deming for further training in statistical methods.
The Economic and Scientific Section Group (ESS) was also tasked with upgrading Japanese management skills and Edgar McVoy was instrumental in bringing Lowell Mellen to Japan to install the Industrial Training Program (TWI) in 1951. The ESS group had a training film to introduce three "J" TWI: Work Instructions, Working Methods and Employment Relationships. Titled "Increase in Four Steps" ( Kaizen eno Yon Dankai ) thereby introducing kaizen to Japan.
For the pioneers, introduction, and implementation of kaizen in Japan, the Japanese Emperor conferred the Order of the Sacred Treasure for Dr. Deming in 1960. Subsequently, the Japanese Union of Scientists and Engineers (JUSE) instituted the annual Deming Prize for achievement in product quality and dependability. On October 18, 1989, JUSE presented Deming Gifts to Florida Power & amp; Light Co. (FPL), based in the US, for outstanding achievements in process and quality control management, making it the first company outside Japan to win the Deming Prize.
Implementation
The Toyota Production System is known for kaizen, where all line personnel are expected to stop their moving production lines in case of any abnormality and, together with their supervisors, suggest improvements to resolve abnormalities that can initiate kaizen.
The kaizen activity cycle can be defined as: "Plan -> Do -> Check -> Act". This is also known as the Shewhart cycle, Deming cycle, or PDCA.
Other techniques used in relation to PDCA are 5 Why, which is a form of root cause analysis in which the user proposes a series of five "why" questions about the failures that have occurred, basing each subsequent question on the answer to the previous one.. There is usually a set of causes that originate from one root cause, and they can be visualized using a fishbone or table chart. Five Why can be used as a basic tool in personal improvement, or as a means to create wealth.
Masaaki Imai makes a famous term in his book Kaizen: The Key to Japanese Competitive Success .
In the Toyota Way Fieldbook , Liker and Meier discuss kaizen blitz and kaizen burst (or kaizen event) approaches for continuous improvement. A kaizen blitz, or a rapid increase, is an activity focused on a particular process or activity. The basic concept is to identify and dispose of waste quickly. Another approach is from kaizen explosions, specific kaizen activity at a particular process in the flow of values. The Kaizen Facilitator generally attends training and certification before attempting the Kaizen project.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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