What is “Kaizen”?

Kaizen is often translated as, “good change” or “continuous improvement.”

The reality is that the meaning of kaizen is more complex than this. Continuous Improvement occurs when we apply resources - materials, financial support, expertise, and physical effort to transforming something. It is external to us. Kaizen is more about what happens in one’s own thought processes and beliefs as learning and change is practiced. It would be accurate to say that kaizen is what happens as a result of the process of reflection and self criticism of always examining how we can do better. In this regard, kaizen is actually quite personal; and can be described as, “continuous self-development.”

This concept can be somewhat advanced for a new lean enthusiast to embrace… so rather than add to the confusion… let’s step back and examine what “most” lean practitioners mean when they talk about kaizen.

What Do Most Mean by Kaizen?

Philosophically and in practice, most people are speaking of ongoing, continual incremental improvements when they say, “kaizen”. This is actually an ideal state when everyone in an organization is responsible for and actively engaged in making improvements continually. The reality is that achieving this advanced state of fully engaged continual improvement does not happen overnight.

Attempting to implement this kind of improvement in most traditional management environments is fraught with challenges. The way companies are organized, how their employees and results are measured, and the traditional cost accounting systems can discourage the process of consistently taking “a few minutes a day, every day” for improvement. Too many “more important” things (those we get measured on and evaluated by) will take precedence. Gaining the critical mass of tiny incremental improvements in a traditionally managed organization in order to see actual, demonstrably measurable results is not likely to be successful without intense levels of oversight and leadership commitment. In other words, this approach is likely to deliver lackluster results despite the best intentions.

So, if we know getting everyone engaged in making improvements every day is our vision, how can we make progress towards it given the hurdles we have to overcome?

Kaizen Events

You may hear the terms, “Kaizen” or “Shop Floor Kaizen” or “Classic Kaizen” or “Gemba Kaizen” or “Kaizen Workshop” or “Kaizen Blitz” used somewhat interchangeably, with various nuances in how they are conducted based on the experience of the facilitator and the organization in which they are being performed.

In general, a Kaizen Event is a team-based improvement event lasting roughly a work-week. It is facilitated by a person who is skilled and knowledgeable in lean, who will provide relevant lean training for the team at the beginning of the event. Each event should have clear and aggressive goals that are aligned with the objectives of the organization. Kaizen Events share these philosophies: creating a blameless environment, focused effort by the cross-functional team (no distractions), utilization of creativity before capital, “do it now”, and rapid cycles of scientific thinking and experimentation via Plan-Do-Check-Act. Events are “fact based”, experiential learning, and involve doing the improvement work where the work is done.

Kaizen Events - can effectively result in not only rapid physical changes in the work environment and processes - but can also effectively shift the culture in an organization through the rapid deployment of experience-based learning and development. In a traditionally managed organization in which the leadership has committed fully to lean transformation conducting numerous kaizen events across the organization, involving the entire workforce (executive leadership, management, front line, and team members) can be a highly effective tactical approach to shift the culture towards Continuous Improvement, learning and growth.

Downloads and Reference Materials

To learn more about the Kaizen philosophy please read the reference materials through the links below.

Blog Posts/ Articles on Kaizen Events:

Opinion: Kaizen of Kaizen Events?

Building the Kaizen Pipeline: Where do Continuous Improvement Ideas Come From?

Driving Results from the Kaizen Pipeline and Kaizen Calendar

Countdown to Kaizen: Prep Work & Planning for the Pursuit of Perfection

It's Day One of Kaizen Week: Kicking off Your Kaizen Event for Great Results

It's Day Two of Kaizen Week: Time to Start "Grasping the Current Situation"

It's Day Three of Kaizen Week: Focus on Making Improvement

Advanced Understanding of the “True Meaning” of Kaizen:

Jun Nakamura, “Kaizen: Lost in Translation”