Kaizen Philosophy: continuous incremental improvements.

The Kaizen method of continuous incremental improvements is an originally Japanese management

concept for incremental (gradual, continuous) change (improvement). K. is actually a way of life
philosophy, assuming that every aspect of our life deserves to be constantly improved. The Kaizen
philosophy lies behind many Japanese management concepts such as Total Quality Control, Quality
Control circles, small group activities, labor relations. Key elements of kaizen are: quality, effort,
involvement of all employees, willingness to change, and communication.

Japanese companies distinguish between innovation (radical) and Kaizen (continuous). K means literally:
change (kai) to become good (zen).

The foundation of the Kaizen method consists of 5 founding elements:

1. Teamwork
2. Personal discipline
3. Improved morale
4. Quality circles, and
5. Suggestions for improvement

Out of this foundation three key factors in Kaizen arise:

-elimination of waste (muda) and inefficiency
-the Kaizen five-S framework for good housekeeping
1. Seiri – tidiness
2. Seiton – orderliness
3. Seiso – cleanliness
4. Seiketsu – standardized clean-up
5. Shitsuke – discipline
-standardization

When to apply the Kaizen philosophy? Although it is difficult to give generic advice it is clear that it fits
well in incremental change situations that require long-term change and in collective cultures. More
individual cultures that are more focused on short-term success are often more conducive to concepts
such as Business Process Reengineering.

When Kaizen is compared to BPR is it clear the Kaizen philosophy is more people-oriented, more easy to
implement, requires long-term discipline. BPR on the other hand is harder, technology-oriented, anables
radical change but requires major change management skills.
After World War II, to help restore Japan, American occupation forces brought in American experts
to help with the rebuilding of Japanese industry. The Civil Communications Section (CCS)
developed a Management Training Program that taught statistical control methods as part of the
overall material. This course was developed and taught by Homer Sarasohn and Charles Protzman
in 1949 and 1950. Sarasohn recommended William Deming for further training in Statistical
Methods. The Economic and Scientific Section (ESS) group was also tasked with improving
Japanese management skills and Edgar McVoy is instrumental in bringing Lowell Mellen to Japan to
properly install the TWI programs in 1951. Prior to the arrival of Mellen in 1951, the ESS group had a
training film done to introduce the three TWI "J" programs (Job Instruction, Job Methods and Job
Relations)- the film was titled "Improvement in 4 Steps" (Kaizen eno Yon Dankai). This is the original
introduction of "Kaizen" to Japan. For the pioneering, introducing, and implementing Kaizen in
Japan, the Emperor of Japan awarded the Second Order Medal of the Sacred Treasure to Dr.
Deming in 1960. Consequently, the Union of Japanese Science and Engineering (JUSE) instituted
the annual Deming Prizes for achievements in quality and dependability of products in Japan. On
October 18, 1989, JUSE awarded the Deming Prize to Florida Power & Light Company (FPL), based
in the United States, for its exceptional accomplishments in its process and quality control
management. FPL was "the first company outside of Japan to win the Deming Prize."

Reference: US National Archives - SCAP collection - PR NewsWire