Kaizen

Again we have an effective methodology from the Japanese system of management.

Kaizen in English mean “improvements for the better”. It is a never ending process; it keeps asking questions for the improvement. It calls for continuous improvement. If you have achieved level one in your performance than what will it takes to reach to the next level, this is the underlying principle of the continuous improvement. The improvements can from any corner across the organization. So everybody on board the ship (organization), from the CEO to the worker can contribute in the process of improvement. And virtually all the processes / functions in an organization can ride on this wave of continuous improvement. It aims to eliminate waste.

There is always a room for improvement, and this is the underlying theme of Kaizen. In Japanese language, “kai” stands for “change” and “zen” stands for the “better”.


So it is the change for the better, it can still be applied if you think your process is going smooth, there can still be improvements possible. It may be possible that the process owner is not recognizing the opportunity, but the beauty of the kaizen is the fact that anyone can contribute to the improvements of the process. It is quite possible that the suggestion for improvement can come from outside the process. Since everyone can contribute to the improvements, it calls for the need of participation from across the board and from across the function. It is way of empowering the employers /workers/managers to make their system/ workplace / method of conducting their day to day functions more effective and efficient.

Philosophy of Kaizen: It calls for small continuous improvements, rather a large project involving huge resources and capital. The small improvements on continuous basis result in long term tangible improvements. The proposal is first made. The proposal can come from any quarter of the organization. Then it is studied for practicality and then implemented, the tangible and visible outcomes are recorded over a period to verify and validate the offerings made in the proposal.
Yeah, the appreciation and the recognition of the guy who proposed the proposal are important. This inculcates the feelings of inspiration/motivation and high morals of the employers.