3 simple and easy steps to kaizen success

How does a company create the vision for a Kaizen culture and ensure long-term cohesiveness?

“THE STARTING POINT FOR IMPROVEMENT IS TO RECOGNIZE THE NEED. THIS COMES FROM RECOGNITION OF A PROBLEM. IF NO PROBLEM IS RECOGNIZED, THERE IS NO RECOGNITION OF THE NEED FOR IMPROVEMENT. COMPLACENCY IS THE ARCH-ENEMY OF KAIZEN. THEREFORE, KAIZEN EMPHASIZES PROBLEM-AWARENESS AND PROVIDES CLUES FOR IDENTIFYING PROBLEMS.” Masaaki Imai

“IMPROVE CONSTANTLY AND FOREVER THE SYSTEM OF PRODUCTION AND SERVICE. IMPROVEMENT IS NOT A ONE-TIME EFFORT. MANAGEMENT IS OBLIGATED TO CONTINUALLY LOOK FOR WAYS TO REDUCE WASTE AND IMPROVE QUALITY.” W. Edwards Deming

Kaizen is the name given by the Japanese to continuous improvement. Continuous improvement really means “continuous incremental improvement.”

• Kai – change
• Zen – good

Kaizen means making changes for the better on a continual, never-ending basis. Companies must incorporate three fundamental practices to begin the process of creating a Kaizen culture:

Resources

• Download a kaizen event checklist here
• Download more fatastic templates here

1. Ensure management and shop-floor synergy

The initiative must emanate from the CEO, who demonstrates the passion, willingness and stomach to make a cultural shift through his or her commitment to invest in people and processes. All employees need to embrace the vision and be dedicated to making continuous, incremental improvements.

2. Focus on process and results

By creating a holistic process to a problem, employees are able to visually identify, analyze and assess whether a Kaizen event provided a better solution. If the intended objective was not met, employees must return to the original process, revisit opportunities and provide alternative solutions.

3. Initiate trystorming

Marry brainstorming with action to see if an idea would work. It gives everyone an opportunity to visually see the problem and try solutions. This approach provides many benefits, not the leastof which is greater flexibility to quickly configure lines based on production demand. Also, less floor space is needed to produce the same number of units.

Going forward

1. Review and monitor constantly

Leadership should create a consistent approach to track and monitor Lean adoption, ensuring proper review of the initiatives at site, regional and global levels.

2. Consider workshops

These events normally begin about five to six weeks before any Kaizen event begins, which requires the project scope be outlined thoroughly and a cross-functional team formed to match project requirements. Next, the team creates a value stream map, which looks at the entire manufacturing line and tags each process within the line with either a green (value-add process), red (non value-add) or yellow (value-enabler, such as a regulatory requirement) dot. The red dots are seen as opportunities for improvement in a Kaizen event.

3. Implement 3G

Evaluate the situation based on facts. This is the 3G (Genba, Genbutsu, Genjitsu) approach, which guides decision-making by always looking at the:

• Genba (place or workspace)
• Genbutsu (real thing or actual product)
• Genjitsu (real data, specific problem)

The team uses a methodology to generate as many possibilities for addressing the improvement opportunity. Each idea is assessed based on the agreed criteria. The idea that has the highest score is then put into action through trystorming. By putting the problem on the table in the exact spot where it is occurring (3G), everyone sees the situation firsthand. We find employees are then more apt to rally around the Kaizen event, better grasp the improvement opportunity and commit to fixing it to mutual satisfaction. This process becomes so systematic that improvements are made much more efficiently.

Warning

Not a day should go without some kind of improvement being made somewhere in the company. When KAIZEN is adapted in organizations and management perspectives, however, it is easier to talk about it than to implement it. It is very natural that people will propose some kind of change in their own work place, when they become unsatisfied with their present conditions. Some of the improvements could be carried outright away. Perhaps, the boss won’t even notice them. However, when approval is required, several kinds of responses from the boss could have taken place. The ideal situation is that the boss encourages their subordinates to carry out their ideas. The boss then appreciates the efforts or gives recognition. That’s what people expect when they propose something. The positive response given by the boss will then develop trust with the subordinates and stimulate other improvements. Cumulatively, this will create momentum for continuing improvement.

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