KAIZEN Guide

KAIZEN
The Japanese Philosophy of constant improvement

Graphic Products, Inc. P.O. Box 4030 Beaverton, OR 97076 www.GraphicProducts.com info@graphicproducts.com 1-800-788-5572 503-646-0183 (fax)

Introduction to the Kaizen Philosophy

Kaizen is defined as improvement. It is a philosophy of continuing
improvement that should be considered, not only at work, but at home as well. Whenapplied to the workplace Kaizen means continuing improvement that involves all employees - from executives to laborers, and the managers in between.

The Kaizen strategy is undoubtedly the driving force for Japanese managers, and it is vital to their success. Following Japan’s successful lead, the Kaizen philosophy has been implemented in organizations around the world. It has been used as a way toimprove production values as well as improve employee morale and safety.

The simple nature of the Kaizen philosophy may be applied to any procedure in the workplace. However, we are aware that every organization has specific needs. If you have questions about how Graphic Products can assist you as you implement your Kaizen philosophy, please feel free to contact us at any time using theinformation printed on the front of this booklet.

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Kaizen - The Definition
Kaizen (Ky ‘ zen) is a Japanese term that means continuous improvement, taken from words 'Kai', which means continuous and 'zen' which means improvement. Some translate 'Kai' to mean change and 'zen' to mean good, or for the better.

Kaizen is one of the most commonly used words in Japan. It is used, not only in theworkplace, but in popular culture as well. Kaizen is a foundation on which companies are built. Kaizen is such a natural way for people in Japan to think that managers and workers often do not make a conscious effort to think “Kaizen”. They just think they way they think - and that way happens to be Kaizen!

The Kaizen concept is the basic difference between how change is understood in Japan andhow it is viewed in the West. Western companies often reject Kaizen without really knowing what it is about. Because of this, American companies often go years without really changing. Japanese companies, on the other hand, are in a constant state of change and improvement.

If you are aware of the Kaizen philosophy and strive implement it, not a day should go by without some kind of improvementbeing made some2 3

where in the company. After WWII most Japanese companies had to start over. Every day brought new challenges, and rising to those challenges resulted in progress. Simply staying in business required a step forward every day, and this made Kaizen a way of life.

The value of improvement is obvious. In business, whenever improvements are made it is eventually going to lead tobetter quality and productivity. Improvement is a process. The process starts with recognizing a need, and the need becomes apparent when you recognize a problem. Kaizen puts an emphasis on problem-awareness and will lead you to the identification of problems.

Constant Improvement
In any business, management creates standards that employees must follow to perform the job. In Japan,maintaining and improving standards is the main goal of management. If you improve standards, it means you then establish higher standards which you observe, maintain and then later try to improve upon. This is an unending process. If you do not maintain the standard, it is bound to slip back, giving it the “two steps forward, one step back” effect. Lasting improvement is achieved only when people work tohigher standards. For this reason, maintenance and improvement go hand-in-hand for Japanese managers.

Problem Solving
Where there are no problems, there is no potential for improvement. When you recognize that a problem exists, Kaizen is already working. The real issue is that the people who create the problem are often not directly inconvenienced by it, and thus tend to not be sensitive to...