Kaizen

• What is Kaizen?

  Is an appraoch of constantly introducing small incremental changes in a business in order to improve quality and/or efficiency
• Kaizen is also what?

  Continuous improvement
• With kaizen, small improvements are less likely to require major capital investment than major process changes
• In kaizen, as ideas come from employees, they are less likely to be radically different and probably easier to implement
• In kaizen, all employees should continually look for ways to improve their own performance
• Kaizen encourages employees to take ownership for their work which can help reinforce team working and improve motivation
• Kaizen encourages employees to take what for their work which could improve motivation?

  Ownership
• Why can kaizen improve motivation?

  Employees take ownership for their work
• What are the advantages of kaizen?

  • Improved teamwork
  • Waste reduction
  • Improved employee satisfaction
• Why does kaizen improve teamwork?

  Kaizen involves all employees so as they solve problems together they develop a bond and team spirit
• How does kaizen reduce waste?

  Management and staff are responsible for identifying areas that constitute waste in the business process. By implementing constant changes, they can determine the root cause of wastage and fix them.
• Why does kaizen improve employee satisfaction?

  Employees can make suggestions and creative input for changes through a suggestion system like team meetings. When employees are involved in decision making, it gives them a sense of belonging and worth. This can also improve motivation.
• What are the disadvantages of kaizen?

  • Change is difficult
  • Training requirement which could increase costs