The word kaizen comes from two Japanese ideograms: 改 kai = change and 善 zen = good. Kaizen = good change, also referred to as change for improvement or continuous improvement. Here is a brief review of the literature that will allow us to expand the concept outlined above.
A concept of kaizen
And, if kaizen means improvement, then what is meant by improvement. According to Imai himself (p.24), improvement, as part of a successful kaizen strategy, goes beyond the dictionary definition of the word. Improvement is a mental fixation inextricably linked to the maintenance and improvement of standards. In an even broader sense, improvement can be defined as kaizen and innovation, where a kaizen strategy maintains and improves the work standard through small and gradual improvements, and innovation produces radical improvements as a result of large investments in technology and / or technology. or team. A successful kaizen strategy clearly delineates the responsibility of maintaining standards for the worker,being the function of the administration the improvement of the standards. The Japanese perception of management boils down to one precept: maintain and improve standards.
To conclude, in the following video Masaaki Imai himself (to whom the term is attributed) presents what kaizen should mean for him in the organization.
Bibliography
- Brunet, Adam Paul and New, Steve. Kaizen in Japan: an Empirical Study. In: International journal of operations & production management, 23, No.12, pp. 1426-1446. 2003. Govindarajan, Rajaram. Health disorder has a cure. MARGE BOOKS, 2010.Imai, Masaaki. KAIZEN. The key to Japanese competitive advantage. Continental publishing company, 2001 Suárez Barraza, Manuel Francisco. THE KAIZEN. The philosophy of continuous improvement and incremental innovation behind Total Quality Management. Panorama Editorial, 2007.Suárez Barraza, Manuel Francisco and Miguel Dávila, José Ángel. Finding Kaizen: A Theoretical Analysis of Continuous Improvement. In: Pecunia. Journal of the Faculty of Economic and Business Sciences, University of León. No.7, pp. 285-311. 2009.Yonque, July; García, Manuel and Ráez, Luis. Kaizen or continuous improvement. In:Industrial Data UNMSM. Vol.5, No.1, pp.62-65. 2002.
