Kaizen - management in Japanese

In the modern world, Japan's producers are leading in the world in various spheres, which helps the country to be on the fourth place in the world ranking in terms of GDP. Many believe that more success is due to the high efficiency of the population and the correct management strategy.

Kaizen - what is this?

Japanese philosophy or practice, emphasizing the constant improvement of production processes, optimizing management and raising all aspects of employee life, is kaizen. For the Japanese themselves - this is the way to properly organize the production and establish interaction of workers in order to succeed. It can be used in any sphere of business, public administration and even in ordinary life.

Kaizen philosophy

Practice that works effectively in Japan is based on important principles that are oriented toward success. Its adherents say that the workplace of each employee can understand their thinking abilities, and this directly affects the effectiveness of labor. The kaizen system offers five rules for organizing working time and space, which is called 5S.

1. Seiri - neatness. The need to exclude from the workspace all the unnecessary details and processes.
2. Seiton is the order. Implies the correct and accurate distribution of all tools in the workplace. You can make changes only for optimization.
3. Seiso - purity. The place where a person works must always be clean.
4. Seiketsu - standardization. Strict rules are used to organize the workplace and production processes.
5. Shitsuke is a discipline. All employees must follow the rules of the enterprise, without any deviations.

Psychology of kaizen

The technique is effective not only in professional, but also in personal life. With this, psychologists from different countries agree. The thing is that people are afraid of serious changes, and the kaizen technique in psychology means making small steps towards success, which will, on the contrary, give the person self-confidence , forcing to try even more, using rational and creative thinking.

What is kaizen blitz?

Japanese management philosophy for implementation in the company requires a long time, but there are options for rapid improvement. Kaizen-blitz is a practical seminar for radical changes in order to improve the results and indicators in a short period of time. All personnel are involved in the work to create an efficient working machine. Kaizen-blitz gives a chance to immediately make sure that the work done and the changes made are effective.

Holding kaizen blitz

The concept of kaizen

The unique Japanese practice is based on several basic ideas that allow us to reveal its essence.

1. Kaizen assumes that there is no enterprise without problems, but employees are not penalized when they appear, but vouch for the fact that they do not arise.
2. The purpose of the enterprise is not to make a profit, but to satisfy the client's requirements.
3. One of the important concepts asserts that there is nothing ideal and everything needs to be improved.
4. The Japanese kaizen system implies a creative approach.

Goals of kaizen

Due to the correct use of Japanese philosophy, you can get results in several directions in a short time.

1. Employees of the company are trained how to take care of their work place.
2. Expansion of competence for all employees is carried out.
3. The kaizen methodology gives a chance to obtain financial advantages with insignificant investment and time investment.
4. Increase in labor productivity, which leads to the development of the enterprise, increase profits and consolidate it in the chosen field.

Tools kaizen

To implement changes and improve the quality of production, it is necessary to use a number of tools.

1. Reducing costs . To achieve this, it is necessary to constantly increase the efficiency of labor and reduce the costs of management and production.
2. Organization of the labor process . Due to the preservation of the ideal order in the workplace, it is possible to significantly improve the productivity and effectiveness of each employee.
3. Quality control . Kaizen techniques promote the production of quality products and the selection of suitable labor productivity for each particular business.
4. Systematization . The efficiency of the enterprise can be maintained through training and high discipline of employees.

Applying kaizen

Thanks to the use of the Japanese management philosophy, it is possible to significantly improve the efficiency of production and productivity, and also to establish work processes. The kaizen strategy implies certain steps:

1. Creating a document base . Thanks to the developed instructions, directives, rules and other documents, it is possible to systematize the production and management processes.
2. Ensuring order in the workplace . Each employee should ensure that all tools used in the work are in place.
3. Clear division of responsibilities . All work in the workplace must understand what is within their competence and what work they do. This will not waste time and effort in vain.
4. Objective requirements for employees . The management must establish clear standards of performance and do not require too much.

Kaizen in business

The practice proposed by Japan is aimed at continual improvement. Each novice businessman has the opportunity to use the kaizen method to form his own enterprise. For this purpose, you must follow the rules of 5S and in the work they look like this:

1. Every employee in the firm should understand what matters are primary, and which do not require attention at all.
2. At the second stage of kaizen introduction, it is necessary to put things in order and prioritize. First, it is better to use the timing of the cases, that is, to record the time spent on each task.
3. You need to organize not only your workplace, but also thoughts in your head. Help in this keeping a diary.
4. It's time to systematize the whole process taking into account the changes made earlier.
5. Japanese philosophy of kaizen means that in no case can one turn off the chosen path and retreat back.

Kaizen at the enterprise

All described rules for business are relevant for other areas. The presented management methodology has a huge number of principles, but among them one can single out the basic kaizen ideas in production.

1. Identification and open recognition of existing problems.
2. The production should be aimed at customers, that is, to meet their needs.
3. Close interaction of all departments and services.
4. Development of supportive relationships.
5. Self-discipline of employees.
6. Exchange of experience and knowledge.
7. Use of the most famous practices.
8. Training of personnel in many specialties.
9. Creation of interfunctional groups that find problems and solve it.

Kaizen in everyday life

As already mentioned, psychologists recommend using the principles of Japanese management philosophy to make changes in their lives in order to achieve harmony and success. Since kaizen for life is based on the establishment of order, the first thing to do is write down what areas you want to change. At the next stage it is necessary to think over the ways of solving the set tasks and begin to approach them step by step. There are several areas that should be considered:

1. Physical development involves choosing the right sporting direction.
2. Self-improvement is based on the choice of activities that will help improve the chosen sphere of life.
3. Getting rid of stressful situations and calm.

Kaizen in his personal life

A unique philosophy, proposed by the Japanese, can be used in any sphere of life. To understand how kaizen works in life, let us examine an example based on a person's desire to adhere to a healthy lifestyle .

1. We spend a brainstorm to determine things that are good and, on the contrary, harm. It is best to write everything down.
2. The next principle of kaizen implies the elaboration of actions, for example, to reduce the caloric content of the diet, you must give up the sweet, and for physical activity forget about the elevator and move more. It is recommended to start small.
3. Do not forget the rule of cleanliness, so you need to ensure that the house is not dirty, and it is recommended that you throw away all unnecessary things.
4. Develop a daily routine that needs to be clearly followed.
5. Of great importance is discipline, so do not indulge yourself and do not give up on the path chosen.