What is Kaizen?

WHAT IS KAIZEN?

Kaizen is a compound of two Japanese words that together translate as "good change" or

"improvement." However, Kaizen has come to mean "continuous improvement" through its association with lean methodology and principles. Kaizen has its origins in post-World War II Japanese quality circles. Today KAIZEN is recognized worldwide as an important pillar of an organization’s long-term competitive strategy. Since introducing this term as a systematic approach for business improvement, companies that implement KAIZEN have continually yielded superior results.

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." Masaaki Imai, Founder of Kaizen Institute

How Kaizen Works:

Kaizen is based on the belief that everything can be improved, and nothing is the status quo. It also rests on a Respect for People principle. Kaizen involves identifying issues and opportunities, creating solutions and rolling them out -- and then cycling through the process again for inadequately addressed issues and problems. A cycle made up of seven steps can be implemented for continuous improvement and can provide a systematic method for executing this process.

Kaizen 5S Framework:

A 5S framework is a critical part of the Kaizen system and establishes an ideal physical workplace. The 5Ses focus on creating visual order, organization, cleanliness and standardization to improve profitability, efficiency, service and safety. Below are the original Japanese 5Ses and their common English translations.

• 
  Seiri/Sort (organize). Separate necessary workplace items from unnecessary ones and remove unnecessary items.
• Seiton/Set in order (create orderliness). Arrange items to allow for easy access in the way that makes the most sense for work.
• Seiso/Shine (cleanliness). Keep the workspace clean and tidy.
• Seiketsu/Standardize (standardized cleaning). Systematize workplace cleanup best practices.
• Shitsuke/Sustain (discipline). Keep the effort going.

10 Principles of Kaizen:

Because executing Kaizen requires enabling the right mindset throughout a company, 10 principles that address the Kaizen mindset are commonly referenced as core to the philosophy. They are:

1. Let go of assumptions.
2. Be proactive about solving problems.
3. Don't accept the status quo.
4. Let go of perfectionism and take an attitude of iterative, adaptive change.
5. Look for solutions as you find mistakes.
6. Create an environment in which everyone feels empowered to contribute.
7. Don't accept the obvious issue; instead, ask "why" five times to get to the root cause.
8. Cull information and opinions from multiple people.
9. Use creativity to find low-cost, small improvements.
10. Never stop improving.