WHAT IS KAIZEN?

Kaizen is a business philosophy that emphasizes continuous improvement and incremental change. The term kaizen is derived from the Japanese words "kai," meaning change, and "zen," meaning good.

Kaizen is based on the idea that small, incremental improvements can add up to significant results over time. It involves empowering employees at all levels of an organization to identify and address problems and inefficiencies in their work, and encouraging a culture of continuous learning and improvement.

Kaizen can be applied to various aspects of an organization, including processes, products, and services. It involves gathering data and using it to identify areas for improvement, implementing changes, and measuring the results.

Kaizen can be implemented through a variety of techniques and approaches, such as:

• Kaizen events: Intense, focused efforts to identify and address problems and inefficiencies over a short period of time.

• Daily kaizen: A continuous, ongoing process of identifying and addressing problems and inefficiencies as they arise.

• Gemba kaizen: A focus on improving processes by going to the "gemba," or the place where work is actually done, in order to observe and identify problems and inefficiencies.

Kaizen has been credited with improving quality, productivity, and efficiency in organizations that have implemented it. It is often used in conjunction with other quality improvement approaches, such as Total Quality Management (TQM) and Lean.