Issues discussed in the material:

• What is Kaizen?
• What are the key principles of Kaizen?
• How did the Kaizen system come about?
• What results can be expected when implementing the Kaizen system in an enterprise?
• How to implement the Kaizen system in an enterprise?

Today, Japanese manufacturers hold leading positions in various industries, and therefore Japan ranks fourth in the world ranking of countries in terms of GDP. Many attribute success to the increased efficiency of the Japanese, as well as the application of the right management strategy. In this article we will talk about what the Kaizen system is in an enterprise, whether it can actually lead to similar results, what its basic principles are and how to implement it in a company.

What is Kaizen

Kaizen refers to a specific Japanese philosophy or practice that places emphasis on continuous improvement of production processes, optimization of management, and enhancement of various aspects of employee life. The Japanese themselves consider the system a way to properly organize production and establish interaction between employees in order to achieve success. Kaizen is suitable for any area of ​​business, government, and even everyday life.

1. Kaizen philosophy.

Practices effectively implemented in Japan are based on success-oriented principles. According to its followers, the workplace of each employee demonstrates his thinking abilities, which directly affects work efficiency. In the Kaizen system, the enterprise uses five rules to help organize working time and space, which are called “5S”.

• Seiri – neatness. This rule involves excluding all unnecessary details and processes from the workspace.
• Seiton - order. All tools used in the workplace must be correctly and clearly distributed. Changes are allowed only in order to optimize work processes.
• Seiso – purity. It is important to keep your work area clean.
• Seiketsu - standardization. The organization of the workplace and production processes is carried out in accordance with strict rules.
• Shitsuke – discipline. This rule, which does not allow deviations, implies strict compliance by employees with the rules of the enterprise.

2. Psychology of Kaizen.

Japanese philosophy can be effectively applied not only in professional but also in personal life. Psychologists from various countries have come to this opinion. This is due to people’s fear of significant changes, while the use of the Kaizen system in an enterprise and not only involves taking small steps leading to success, which, on the contrary, will instill self-confidence in a person, encouraging them to make more efforts, use rational and creative thinking.

Key principles of Kaizen

How did the Kaizen system come about?

The world first learned about the principles of the Kaizen system thanks to the Japanese Masaaki Imai, who wrote and published a book in England in 1986 called “Kaizen: the key to the success of Japanese companies.” In 1997, Masaaki’s second book, “Gemba Kaizen: The Path to Reducing Costs and Improving Quality,” was published, which talked about production aspects (genba, or gemba, means the place where products are directly manufactured, be it a workshop, an office, a laboratory) in the Kaizen system.

As for Imai himself, he is the founder of a consulting company, worked for many years in the field of recruiting and personnel selection, created the Kaizen Institute, which teaches management using the Kaizen system, and also provides consulting assistance to organizations implementing this system. philosophy.

Currently, you can find a huge number of articles and manuals, textbooks telling about the Kaizen system in an enterprise; they are based on both the books of Masaaki Imai and the experience of companies that have implemented the system in their activities.

The main idea of ​​the system is to focus production primarily on the needs of the client. Satisfying the needs and requirements of customers contributes to increasing profits.

At the same time, the Kaizen system involves enterprises recognizing the existence of certain problems (the Kaizen philosophy believes that there are no companies without any problems) and restructuring the system of consciousness of employees in such a way that they work not out of fear of receiving fines for mistakes made, but in an effort to avoid them. admit.

What goals does Kaizen achieve in an enterprise?

The main purpose of using the Kaizen system in an enterprise is continuous improvement, continuous improvement of various processes. Achieving this ultimate goal is achieved through:

Read more about what the Kaizen system consists of

Without discipline, it is impossible to follow the practice of continuous improvements in work processes without straying into the old, familiar conditions of our reality, chaotic management methods, when employees of one enterprise work, as they say, “some to the forest, some to the firewood.”

What results can be expected from the Kaizen system in an enterprise?

Modern trends include increased competition and consumer demands. But it is worth understanding that the use of the Kaizen system in an enterprise is a long-term project that is implemented in the life of the company and its employees constantly and every day, without allowing breaks for a week or a month, since they are fraught with rollbacks to the initial level. In order to always be at least one step ahead of your competitors, improvements should be made daily. Keep in mind that earnings will not improve immediately based on the current quarter's results.

However, using the system over a longer period will lead to an improvement in productivity of 50-100%, or even more. Constant implementation of actions aimed at improving operational efficiency over many years will allow the company to always be ahead of its competitors and occupy a leading position in the market. An excellent example is Toyota, which has been following the Kaizen concept for over 70 years.

Each of the improvements, considered individually, may not be grandiose, but it is the small steps taken together that lead to significant strategic victories. In conventional organizations, employees simply carry out the work assigned to them every day, while in enterprises using the Kaizen system, an employee, noticing an opportunity to improve his work, implements changes leading to such improvement in his life. The use of the system allows companies to operate effectively even with a smaller staff compared to competitors (by 10–20%, and sometimes by 50%).

Often, such changes require no investment at all; people just need to focus on their own work and think about ways to improve it.

In the seventies of the last century, among the leaders of the Toyota company there was a talented top manager - Taiichi Ohno, who was confident that all subordinates had the necessary strength and talent, and if they had the authority, they would be able to cope with any problems. He used this approach very often. For example, the company's goal was to produce 100 units per hour.

In this case, Ono provided the engineers with the amount of resources that made it possible to produce only 90 units, but required 100. Since it was impossible to immediately fulfill this order, the employees had two options - overtime work or introducing improvements into the process that would allow to cope with the task 100%.

Once the engineers were able to solve the problem, 10% of the workers were removed from that production area and transferred to another line. Those who remained were again tasked with producing 100 units of product.

How to implement the Japanese system? Kaizen blitz to the rescue!

The implementation of the Kaizen system in an enterprise is designed for a long time, but there are options in which improvements can be achieved quite quickly. Kaizen blitz - that's what it's called practical seminar, designed to achieve radical changes in a short time, improving results and performance. The work is designed to involve all company personnel to help create an efficient working machine. With the help of a kaizen blitz, you can immediately verify the effectiveness of activities and changes made.

Conducting a kaizen blitz:

#1: Planning and Preparation
the peculiarities of production are studied; the area to which changes will be made is selected and prepared; problems are identified; team members are selected; activities are being developed
No. 2. Conducting a kaizen blitz
Initial acquaintance consists of: introducing team members and distributing responsibilities between them; defining goals; distribution of required materials; if necessary, training
Understanding the real situation is as follows: data is collected and work is observed; process maps are generated; the time spent on completing the work is calculated; apply various methods analysis	(3 hours each + additional time required to collect information)
Implementation of improvements consists of: proposing new ideas and testing their viability; coordination of plans; implementation of developed ideas; thinking through new standards	(3 hours each)
No. 3. Presentation of results
At this stage: presentation is being prepared; results are disseminated; the merits of distinguished employees are recognized; implementation of plans is monitored	(1.5 hours each)
	Total time:

Nuances of people management using Kaizen

The Kaizen system at the enterprise is human-oriented. Japanese management places the employee's attitude towards work at the forefront. They cannot be punished or given orders. They need to be supported and encouraged (Western management is based on the “carrot and stick” method). Employees are consulted; management’s task is to help subordinates, explain, teach, and jointly make certain decisions. The goal is to increase internal motivation, value and commitment to the organization, to ensure 100% efficiency of employees, and to search (either independently or in small groups) for what and how can be improved.

Don't be afraid of mistakes. Managers, on the other hand, encourage employees to act and make mistakes because this way they gain experience.

• You shouldn't think about WHY this can't be done. On the contrary, you need to think about HOW to do it.
• There is no need to apologize, you need to start.
• Errors must be corrected immediately.
• You shouldn't waste money on Kaizen, it's better to use your own brains.
• To achieve wisdom one must face difficulties.
• Questions need to be asked, including WHY? And extract the essence.
• You don’t have to do it perfectly right away; a fifty percent result will be enough.

Zero waste in Kaizen

Everything that happens within the company is divided into actions that bring value and actions that do not. For example, if an employee smokes, then his actions do not bring benefit (value) to work; on the contrary, they will interfere. The management of the enterprise is interested in eliminating such costs or losses.

The Kaizen system at an enterprise has a whole list of such costs or losses (otherwise called muda), which are:

• overproduction and overstocking of warehouses;
• standing idle, waiting;
• losses during transportation;
• losses when performing useless actions;
• losses from defective products;
• and others.

What is Gemba in Kaizen

For a manager who decides to apply the Kaizen system at Russian enterprises, it is important to be well acquainted with what is happening in production, in the places where products are created or services are provided. In the Kaizen concept, this place is called the “gemba”.

The boss needs to regularly visit production and, if problems arise, understand what caused the problems and what is necessary to eliminate them. Otherwise, the situation will lead to a gradual deterioration in all indicators of the enterprise - increased costs, decreased product quality, deterioration of the moral climate in the team, increased time to complete orders, as well as an increase in complaints and complaints from customers.

The gemba rules are as follows:

• Visit the gemba daily, not only when problems arise.
• Checking complaints and identifying defects.
• Taking temporary countermeasures directly on site.
• Finding the root cause of failures.
• Carrying out standardization to eliminate the likelihood of recurrence of the problem.

The Kaizen system can be used in enterprises and companies, regardless of size and field of activity. The system was first released at automobile factories (Toyota), but it is suitable for any production organization, any company that creates its own goods/services. For example, the gem in a bank will be the operating room, in a hotel - the place where visitors are registered, in an online store - a website.

So, in business, gemba is the place where goods are produced/services are provided. Various methodologies (TFM, 5S, TQM, PDCA/SDCA cycle management) allow enterprises to avoid losses and carry out continuous improvements regarding quality, safety, delivery, productivity. The result will be increased competitiveness, increased customer satisfaction and increased profits.

Improvement cycle PDCA, SDCA

Each operation is performed in the following sequence:

• Plan (planning)/Standard (standardization);
• Do (execution);
• Check (check);
• Act (improvement);

Planning is sometimes replaced by standardization (SDCA). Both of these concepts are related. With the help of planning, business processes are improved, and with the help of standardization, they are supported.

This cycle is similar to the traditional management scheme, which consists of planning, motivating, organizing and controlling, used in the classical school of management.

Kaizen principles in everyday life

Despite the fact that Kaizen is primarily considered as a system that helps improve individual business processes in an enterprise, the philosophy can well be applied in everyday life. Every person has areas that need improvement. And in this case, it is worth using the techniques listed above, adapting them to solve personal problems.

In Russia, things usually get to a critical point, after which heroic efforts are made to make revolutionary breakthroughs in the industry. A number of books analyze the Russian model of enterprise management. The main difference between the Kaizen system is the implementation of minor but continuous improvements. That is, evolutionary processes are used to improve business, rather than revolutionary shocks.

The Kaizen system at an enterprise will only work if all company employees follow it, from top managers to line executives. Kaizen aims to maximize the quality of an organization's performance, focusing on improving business processes, developing staff at all levels and implementing daily improvements.

Differences between traditional management systems and the Kaizen system

In many organizations, there is misunderstanding between the production and sales departments. The ideal production is to release goods on pre-order, in accordance with market requirements.

If the company works the other way around, that is, first of all forecasts sales, then launches production of the product, regardless of what the market actually needs, then this approach will inevitably lead to an increase in production costs, the formation of excess inventories in the enterprise, requiring large storage areas. The result will be a decrease in business profitability.

The efforts of successful companies are aimed at bringing production and sales closer together. They aim to make what the market needs and in quantities that are easy to sell.

Kaizen is absolutely different from the classic Soviet management system, which assumed achieving goals at any cost and launching new projects without regard to possible losses. Kaizen is a completely different philosophy in which even the most insignificant processes are considered important. Its followers are of the opinion that seemingly minor shortcomings will become major problems over time.

The difference between European and Japanese companies lies primarily in the fact that the latter constantly offer one or another rationalization ideas, and they come from ordinary employees, and not from managers.

The Kaizen system in an enterprise assumes that it has problems. And they are given a positive meaning, since thanks to problems there is an incentive for further development. This philosophy does not pursue exclusively economic goals; on the contrary, it is aimed at solving social problems, such as smoothing the management hierarchy within the company, maximizing employee involvement in work, customer satisfaction, etc.

The Kaizen philosophy is not just about money and business, it goes to the very core of work, honing skill and excellence.

Kaizen in Russian conditions

In Japanese schools, children are taught a discipline called “small business.” They are explained that it is not only big things that matter, that small shortcomings ultimately lead to serious problems, that shortcomings need to be methodically eliminated, and improvements need to be constantly implemented.

The difference between Japanese and Russian entrepreneurs, brought up on the ideology of “turning back the rivers,” lies in the desire of the latter to get results immediately. However, the basis of the result is continuous improvement. Of course, if you combine the Kaizen system in an enterprise with innovative approaches, you can get the best results (rise up by applying Japanese philosophy and take a sharp step forward by introducing innovations).

However, among the reasons why the Kaizen system has not found wide application in Russian enterprises, one can name the one that sounds in the preface to Imai’s book: “Kaizen is an excellent strategy for honest business and decent people who build success on the basis of partnership and trust. To the rest, please don’t worry about trifles.”

Since in our country the Kaizen system is practically not used in enterprises, the efficiency, productivity and competitiveness of our companies are not very high.

However, there are a number of Russian companies, such as Lukoil, ALROSA, GAZ, Baltika, KAMAZ, Rosatomstroy, Hydrosila, Soyuz Bank and others, which have already begun implementing the Kaizen system. After all, when building a business designed to last more than one decade, you want to become a leader in your field.

In the modern world, Japanese manufacturers occupy leading positions in the world in various fields, which helps the country to be in fourth place in the world ranking in terms of GDP. Many believe that success is largely associated with the high efficiency of the population and the correct management strategy.

Kaizen - what is it?

A Japanese philosophy or practice that emphasizes continuous improvement of production processes, optimization of management, and enhancement of all aspects of employee life is kaizen. For the Japanese themselves, this is a way to properly organize production and establish interaction between workers in order to achieve success. It can be used in any area of ​​business, government, and even in everyday life.

Kaizen philosophy

Practices that work effectively in Japan are based on important principles that are focused on success. Its adherents claim that each employee’s workplace can be used to understand their thinking abilities, and this directly affects their work efficiency. The Kaizen system offers five rules for and space, which is called 5S.

1. Seiri– neatness. The need to exclude all unnecessary details and processes from the workspace.
2. Seiton– order. It implies the correct and clear distribution of all tools in the workplace. Changes can only be made for optimization purposes.
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– 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. Psychologists from different countries agree with this. The thing is that people are afraid of serious changes, and the kaizen technique in psychology involves taking small steps on the path to success, which, on the contrary, will give a person, forcing him to try even harder, using rational and creative thinking.

What is Kaizen Blitz?

Japanese management philosophy takes a long time to implement in a company, but there are options for making improvements quickly. Kaizen Blitz is a practical workshop for radical changes to improve results and performance in a short period of time. All personnel are involved in the work to create an efficient working machine. Kaizen blitz gives you a chance to immediately make sure that the work done and the changes made are effective.

Conducting a kaizen blitz

#1 – Planning and Preparation
study of production features; selection and preparation of areas for making changes; identifying the problem; selection of team members; event development.
No. 2 – Conducting a Kaizen blitz
Initial acquaintance: introduction of the team and distribution of responsibilities; defining goals; distribution of necessary materials; conducting training if necessary.
Understanding the real situation: data collection and work observation; creating a process map; counting time when performing work; application of different analysis methods.	Additional time to collect information
Implementation of improvements: proposing new ideas and checking viability; coordination of plans; implementation of developed ideas; thinking through new standards.
No. 3 – Presentation of results
preparing a presentation; dissemination of results; recognition of distinguished employees; control over the implementation of plans.
	Total time:

Kaizen concept

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

1. Kaizen assumes that no enterprise is without problems, but employees are not fined when they arise, but guarantee that they will not arise.
2. The goal of the enterprise is not to make a profit, but to satisfy customer requirements.
3. One of the important concepts states that nothing is perfect and everything needs to be improved.
4. The Japanese kaizen system involves a creative approach.

Kaizen goals

Thanks to correct use Japanese philosophy can produce results in several directions in a short time.

1. The company's employees are trained to take good care of their workplace.
2. Competencies are being expanded for all employees.
3. The Kaizen technique provides a chance to gain financial benefits with little investment and time expenditure.
4. Increased labor productivity, which leads to the development of the enterprise, increased profits and its consolidation in the chosen field.

Kaizen tools

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

1. Reduce costs. To achieve this, it is necessary to constantly increase labor efficiency and reduce management and production costs.
2. Organization of the labor process. By maintaining an ideal order in the workplace, the productivity and efficiency of each employee can be significantly increased.
3. Quality control. Kaizen techniques contribute to the production of high-quality products and the selection of suitable labor productivity for each specific business.
4. Systematization. The efficiency of an enterprise can be maintained through training and high discipline of employees.

Application of Kaizen

By using Japanese management philosophy, you can significantly increase production efficiency and productivity, and also improve work processes. The Kaizen strategy involves performing certain steps:

1. Creation of a document base. Thanks to the developed guidelines, directives, rules and other documents, it is possible to systematize production and management processes.
2. Ensuring order in the workplace. Each employee must ensure that all tools used in work are in their place.
3. Clear distribution of responsibilities. All production workers must understand what is within their competence and what kind of work they perform. This will prevent you from wasting time and effort in vain.
4. Objective requirements for employees. Management must set clear performance standards and not demand too much.

Kaizen in business

The practice proposed by Japan is aimed at continuous improvement. Every aspiring businessman has the opportunity to use the Kaizen method when forming his own enterprise. For this purpose, it is necessary to follow the 5S rules and in operation they look something like this:

1. Every employee in the company must understand which matters are primary and which do not require attention at all.
2. At the second stage of implementing kaizen, it is necessary to put things in order and set priorities. First, it is better to use task timing, that is, record the time spent on each task.
3. You need to organize not only your workplace, but also the thoughts in your head. Keeping a diary will help with this.
4. It's time to systematize the entire process, taking into account the changes made earlier.
5. The Japanese philosophy of kaizen implies that under no circumstances should one turn away from the chosen path or retreat back.

Kaizen at the enterprise

All the rules described for business are also relevant for other areas. The presented management methodology has a huge number of principles, but among them we can highlight the main kaizen ideas in production.

1. Identifying and openly acknowledging existing problems.
2. Production must be customer-oriented, that is, meeting their needs.
3. Close interaction between all departments and services.
4. Developing supportive relationships.
5. Self-discipline of employees.
6. Exchange of experience and knowledge.
7. Using the most famous practices.
8. Personnel training in many specialties.
9. Create cross-functional teams that find problems and solve them.

Kaizen in everyday life

As already mentioned, psychologists recommend using the principles of Japanese management philosophy to make changes in your life in order to achieve harmony and success. Since kaizen for life is based on establishing order, the first thing to do is write down the areas in which you want to make changes. At the next stage, you need to think through ways to solve the tasks and begin to approach them step by step. There are several areas to consider:

1. Physical development involves choosing a suitable sports direction.
2. Self-improvement is based on choosing activities that will help improve the chosen area of ​​life.
3. Getting rid of stressful situations and calm.

Kaizen in personal life

The unique philosophy proposed by the Japanese can be used in any area of ​​life. To understand how kaizen works in life, let’s look at an example based on a person’s desire to adhere to.

1. We brainstorm to identify things that are beneficial and, conversely, harmful. It's best to write everything down.
2. The next kaizen principle involves working out actions, for example, to reduce the calorie content of your diet, you need to give up sweets, and to physical activity forget about the elevator and move more. It is recommended to start small.
3. We must not forget about the rule of cleanliness, so you need to make sure that the house is not dirty, and it is also recommended to throw away all unnecessary things.
4. Develop a plan that must be strictly followed.
5. Discipline is of great importance, so do not do yourself any favors and do not deviate from the chosen path.

Kaizen technology (Kaizen, Japanese continuous improvement)- a comprehensive concept that covers philosophy, theory and management tools, allowing you to achieve competitive advantage at the present stage. In management system practice, this concept has a synonym - a continuous process of improvement ( German - KVP, Kontinuierlicher Verbesserungs Prozess, English. - CIP, Continuous Improvement Process).

In an economic sense, the concept refers to actions to continuously improve all functions of an enterprise, from production to management. Kaizen is a concept derived from the Japanese words kai = change, and zen = good or for the better. Kaizen was introduced initially in a few Japanese factories during the economic recovery after World War II and has since spread to factories around the world. The most famous practical application of this concept was developed for the Japanese corporation Toyota Motor Corporation. It is the basis of the method Total Quality Management (English - TQM, Total Quality Management) and includes activities to prevent waste, loss, as well as innovation and work with new standards.

The ideas of the kaizen system are presented by Masaaki Imaia in the book of the same name, which was published in England in 1986. The main ones:

• “Kaizen is based on the fact that no enterprise is without problems. Kaizen helps solve these problems by developing a work culture where each employee is not fined for a problem, but guarantees that it will not happen.”
• “Kaizen strategy is based on the recognition that management, whose goal is to make a profit, must set as its goal the satisfaction of the customer and his requirements.”
• “Kaizen is a customer-focused improvement strategy.”
• “Kaizen is based on the premise that all enterprise activities should ultimately lead to increased customer satisfaction. At the same time, the philosophy of the internal and external clients differs.”

In a continuous improvement process (CIP), at the center is a person with abilities and knowledge, which are the most important capital of the company. To this can be added the organization's positive perception of problems, since they are an incentive for improvement. In the foreground, the question is not about the culprits of the problems, but about the common efforts to fundamentally solve them. It is not punishment for the mistakes of the past, but the possibility of improvement for the benefit of a common future that should guide the company's thinking. The desire to recognize real problems and eliminate them for a long time is decisive!

Thus, the team of employees is seen as a source of motivation, identification, mental energy, synergy and increasing creativity. NPU means continuous, systematic and consistent work on:

• setting and pursuing goals,
• eliminating interference
• looking for opportunities for improvement,
• preventing waste with the help of all employees at all levels, in all departments, workshops and offices.

Continuous improvement process

Continuous improvement process- this is not only the study of new methods and tools, but also a different form of cooperation. More local self-organization with the help of capable employees, more personal responsibility for all participants, more development of innovative potential in the enterprise. Moreover, management requirements acquire additional importance. Along with professional and methodological competence, success depends on managers having social competence. The process of changing attitudes occurs from the top down, and the best guarantee of success through NPM is exemplary leadership management. Necessary changes in the approach to work are carried out by management, setting an example for employees who learn about these changes and adopt them. The economic and social goals of the kaizen process are the goals shown in Diagram 1.

Diagram 1. Continuous Improvement Goals.

The pursuit of excellence is achieved through a variety of methods, the most important of which are presented in Diagram 2.

Scheme 2. Application of methods in the kaizen concept.

In enterprises using kaizen technology, the continuous process of improvement is a vital part of the functioning of production management. It covers:

• organization (organizational structure, distribution of responsibilities, coordination, control mechanism);
• management (delimiting goals, choosing topics, forming a team);
• qualifying activities (behavioral training, methodological training);
• systematics (regularity, documentation, coverage of work teams, tools);
• incentive system (encouragement of innovation, special systems of moral and material incentives).

Kaizen at the German company Siemens

At the German company Siemens, the concept of continuous improvement is being implemented under the slogan “Whoever stops getting better, stops being good!” And for all employees, the following rules for successful improvement are recommended:

• Be willing to give up your traditional thinking.
• Think about how something can be done and don't ask why it can't be done.
• No excuses! Question everything that happened.
• A 50% solution right away is better than a 100% solution never!
• Correct errors immediately.
• Look for solutions that cost as little as possible!
• The ability to solve problems initially develops from a problem.
• Ask questions many times and find out what is the real cause of the problem.
• Ten people solve a problem better than one specialist.
• NPU has no end!

(Japanese: 改善) is a Japanese philosophy/practice that focuses on continuous improvement production processes, development, management, as well as all aspects of life.

The term “kaizen” became widely known thanks to the book of the same name by Masaaki Imai “Kaizen. The key to the success of Japanese companies" (1986, Kaizen: The Key to Japan’s Competitive Success), which has already gone through several editions in Russian:

I began to profess the philosophy of kaizen - continuous improvement - long before I became familiar with the term itself by reading Imai's book. In principle, the attitude towards life as a process of continuous improvement is characteristic of a large number of people. At the same time, the definition of kaizen allows you to systematize this attitude to life, identify new aspects, and compare your philosophy and practice with Imai’s approach.

Download a short summary in Word2007 format

Is it necessary to use this term in Russian reality, or, perhaps, try to replace it with something more suitable to our ears? Some authors believe that an incomprehensible Japanese term can scare off potential followers, but I believe that using the word “kaizen” allows you to preserve the roots, and facilitates the learning process using original (in the sense, translated into English or Russian :)) materials.

Why has kaizen not become widespread in Russia? In my opinion, the answer is contained in the words of V.A. Lapidus, said in the preface to Imai’s book: “Kaizen is an excellent strategy for honest business and decent people who build success on the basis of partnership and trust. To the rest, please don’t worry about trifles.” Unfortunately, in our country the REST are the majority...

Why is Kaizen able to defeat the dominant management paradigm? Because the world has changed, the external conditions for doing business have changed. This is what Yu.P. Imai writes about this in the preface to the book. Adler: “... it becomes clear that it is not profitable for business... to treat employees as objects of exploitation. He can count on something more if he makes his employees... his partners...". This approach correlates with the understanding that no one knows his job better than the performer. It is naive to think that a manager can “reach out” to all the nuances of work if the performers do not cooperate with him. I recently came across another way to look at the same problem: to improve effectiveness (productivity), use the “ask” approach instead of the outdated (and less effective) “tell”. Involve employees in the improvement process rather than force it.

In relation to the Japanese experience, they usually talk about “five great systems for creating relationships between a person and an organization” (Yu.P. Adler):

• Lifetime employment system
• On-the-job training system
• Rotation system
• Advantage system
• Reward system

Is there anything on this list that cannot be implemented in domestic business? Perhaps “lifetime employment” will cause the most controversy. I think that the idea should not be taken to the extreme. Well, not lifelong... but if you build relationships with employees as with people hired for a long term, then this will allow you to implement kaizen. And then, you see, lifelong employment won’t look strange. For example, my father worked his entire working life (30 years) at one research institute! I agree that in Soviet times this was less surprising than it is now.

What other elements of the new paradigm raise questions when first introduced to kaizen? (Y.P. Adler):

• Employees cannot be punished. This is not a blessing at all. This is management's last attempt to save their business. Fear of punishment gives rise to lies, and lies make it impossible to make timely effective decisions, which makes the fate of the business doubtful.
• Employees are not given orders. They are consulted, helped, explained, taught, and decisions are made with them. This way you can ensure that employees work with efficiency close to 100%! This means that they are involved and there are no barriers for them. As you understand, modern control methods make it possible to work with the efficiency of a steam locomotive, which is about 3–10%...

Chapter 1. Kaizen concept

The central idea of ​​kaizen is that not a day should pass without improvement in the company. Kaizen is not just one technique, it is the umbrella under which most “unique to Japan” practices live:

The Japanese understanding of management boils down to the following: maintain standards and improve them. Management's job in maintenance is to ensure that everyone in the company can follow the standard operating procedure. If employees cannot follow a standard procedure, management must either train them or review and correct the standard so that they can act in accordance with it. The higher the level of management, the more time it devotes to improvement:

The starting point for improvement is recognizing that there is a problem. Complacency and complacency are the sworn enemies of kaizen. That's why . By recognizing that a complaint is related to a problem, you get a chance to improve the quality of the product/service. By brushing off the complaint, you lose this chance.

The most important element of kaizen is . Also an important quality management tool is the Deming-Shewhart cycle:

The most important thing in this cycle is. Control without feedback - driving blindfolded... 🙁

Japanese management involves employees in kaizen through a system of proposals. Each introduced innovation leads to a revision of the standard. But since new standard established by the will of the worker, they are proud of it and willingly comply with it. If a person is forced to follow the standard set by management, he will work with less enthusiasm.

Kaizen creates a process-oriented mindset because to get better results, you must first improve the process. When assessing employee performance, Japanese management pays special attention to a person’s attitude towards work. A process-oriented manager (P-criteria) is interested in: discipline, time management, skill development, participation and involvement, morale, communication:

Chapter 2. Cultivation in the East and West

Kaizen practitioners believe that standards are temporary in nature. Another feature of kaizen is the requirement of personal effort from each and every person. Management has to make a conscious and constant effort to maintain the spirit of improvement. Kaizen is focused on people, while innovation is focused on technology and money. The most significant failure of Western management is the lack of a philosophy of improvement.

Productivity is an indicator, not a reality. However, in our search for the “secret” to productivity, we act as if the key is how to measure it. This is reminiscent of the behavior of a person who, finding that the room is too cold, looks at the thermometer in search of the reason... Results-oriented managers behave similarly. They look at the bottom line numbers and try to improve them! The only possible way is to improve the production process. The reality is the effort put into improving quality and productivity.

American managers defend their own ideas at meetings and only rarely rely on the opinions of other people. Kaizen is based on the belief in people's inherent desire for quality and excellence.

Chapter 3. Kaizen and Total Quality Control

Total quality control (TQC) focuses on the quality of people. Changing a person drop by drop has always been the basic principle of TQC. Employees must first be trained to identify problems and then learn how to solve them. The next step is to standardize the results to prevent problems from recurring. The purpose of TQC can be stated as follows: to promote the realization of employees' potential to achieve the company's goals, paying special attention to such aspects as policy deployment and voluntary action. TQC stands for statistical and systematic approach to kaizen and problem solving. Its methodological basis is the statistical application of the concept of quality control, including the use and analysis of statistical data. TQC is a way of thinking that can be expressed as follows: “Let's improve processes!”

In the West, processes are improved by engineers with knowledge. In Japan, a lot of work is being done to bring such knowledge to everyone, including production workers, thereby increasing their ability to solve current problems. Quality control starts with training!

Talk to the data.

Quality comes first, not profit. The main elements that need to be managed are quality (products, works, services), quantity, delivery (time), safety, costs and employee morale.

Manage the previous process. The next process is your consumer. Workers from the neighboring workshop are consumers of your products. TQC focuses on the consumer, not the manufacturer. Break down barriers between departments!

The relationship between the SDCA (standardize - do - control - act) and PDCA (plan - ...) cycles:

Maintenance allows you to stabilize the process (reduce variations), and kaizen allows you to improve it.

Kaizen means that everyone, regardless of title or position, must openly admit any mistakes.

Where there are no standards, there can be no improvement. Everyone's work should be regulated by standards, and it is the manager's responsibility to ensure that everyone works in accordance with the established standards. This is called discipline.

If management can't get staff to follow established rules and regulations, they can't do anything.

TQC slogans at PENTEL:

• The one who performs the next technological operation is your consumer.
• Where there are no problems, improvement is impossible.
• Let's spin the PDCA wheel and change the way we approach the work we do.
• Chronic problems can teach you more than those that arise suddenly.
• Correction and adjustment are problems arising from management omissions. The solution to these problems is no longer management, but manipulation.
• Draw conclusions based on reliable data. Don't rely on intuition or your inner voice.
• It is more important to eliminate deviations than to increase averages.
• Classification helps in better understanding.
• Train yourself to identify issues for which you are personally responsible, as opposed to those for which others are responsible, and start by solving your own problems.
• Do not confuse the cause of the problem with its manifestations.
• Quality must be built into the process. Inspection does not create quality.
• Don't forget about standardization. We need methods to consolidate our success.
• Personal experience should become the property of the entire company.
• Enjoyable and meaningful work on the shop floor begins with an active QC circle that promotes mutual learning and self-development.

Chapter 4. Kaizen Practice

In the West, if the employee who made the proposal cannot guarantee the economic effect of implementation, the proposal is shelved. A kaizen initiative is initiated when common sense dictates that the initiative will lead to process improvement.

Graham Sperling, Managing Director of Mitsubishi Motors Australia: “I firmly believe that the Japanese worker is no more efficient or dedicated than his Australian counterpart, but he is more skillfully directed and better managed. Management in Japanese factories works at a higher quality, which workers are accustomed to and appreciate. The best leaders provide better motivation and better training, which improves productivity and product quality.”

Taiichi No (Toyota) classified costs as follows:

• Overproduction
• Losses of machine time
• Losses associated with the transportation of products
• Processing losses
• Inventory Losses
• Losses associated with unnecessary movements
• Losses in the form of defective parts

Taiichi No proposed a pull system (instead of a push system) using kanban (tags). Jidoka (autonomization) is equipment whose design involves automatically stopping the mechanism if a problem occurs. Visualized management - cards / displays / other devices that can be used to control the process.

Information also gets corrupted. If it is collected but not used properly, it deteriorates extremely quickly. The problem of many managers is that they consider information a source of power and try to control subordinates by having a monopoly over it.

Management should focus its efforts on improving systems (this is the most important task of kaizen for management).

Abandoning traditional quality control, which was primarily an inspection, Japanese management addressed this challenge during the manufacturing process and during product development. The concept of quality control is now understood even more broadly to include suppliers and subcontractors.

As businesses become increasingly complex, managers find they don't always have the facts and figures they need to plan, issue orders, and track results. Since the day-to-day activities are carried out by workers who are much closer to these problems, it is often easier for them to make decisions than for a manager... If the workers do not offer ideas, it is most likely not their problem, but the manager's.

The work of quality control circles accounts for only about 10% of TQC work. Workers gain satisfaction from being given the opportunity to participate in the QC circle and see their suggestions put into practice. Some people even say that they now enjoy going to work and delve deeper into it.

Engineers don't always know what's going on on the shop floor. Existing manuals and procedures are often outdated or, from the workers' point of view, not user-friendly. Even if the instruction manual is updated, people who have to use it often criticize it. However, after the instructions are rewritten at the initiative of the workers and thus become their own, they are used with pleasure.

Individual kaizen. The starting point is a positive attitude towards changing and improving the way you work. Management does not expect the effect of all proposals. If a manager wants his people to become "thinkers" who strive for continuous improvement in their work practices, he must be attentive and empathetic. The proposal system usually goes through three stages:

• Submission of ideas, even the simplest ones
• Emphasis on learning; To make quality proposals, employees must be able to analyze problems in their environment, and this requires special training
• Analysis of the economic effect of submitted proposals

Kenjiro Yamada, Managing Director of the Japan Human Relations Association: “...the proposals help bridge the gap between a person's abilities and the work performed. Consequently, they indicate that the employee’s qualifications are higher than his job requires.”

Chapter 5. Kaizen Management

From a TQC point of view, management has two aspects:

1) maintaining the current level of business functioning, which ensures results and profits

2) kaizen management, aimed at improving processes and systems.

Management aimed at kaizen and management aimed at maintaining:

Cross-functional management (quality, cost, delivery discipline) and policy deployment are two critical management concepts that support the TQC strategy.

If the consumer does not receive the products he needs, in the right quantity and on time, the system collapses. This is the meaning of “delivery discipline,” and achieving the goals associated with the discipline requires a huge cross-functional effort. Only after supply issues have been resolved can the company switch to the factors that influence its competitiveness - quality and costs. Cross-functional goals should be defined before departmental goals are defined.

Toyota: any serious defects in the management system are reflected in quality; low quality - the result of imperfect management - cannot be hidden.

Policy deployment (Japanese: hoshin kanri) is the process of implementing an adopted kaizen program at all levels of a company, from top to bottom. An important aspect of policy deployment is priority setting (Pareto). Policy deployment is the relaying of the program outlined by top management to the lower levels of the organizational hierarchy. Conditions for policy deployments:

1) a clear understanding of the role of each manager in achieving the goals set for the company and in improving its activities (kaizen)

2) a clear understanding (for managers at different levels) of the management points and control points established to achieve goals

3) the presence in the company of a stable system of current management aimed at maintaining the existing status quo

Control is carried out using: when we detect points outside the established limits, we must identify the factors that led to the abnormality. We go from result to cause and correct or eliminate the factors that led to the problem.

The control point is managed with the help of data, and the control point is managed through its subordinates. Control point – P-criterion, control point – P-criterion:

Any goal must be accompanied by the means to achieve it. Without them, all a manager can do is tell his employees: “I hope you do your best” or “You must work hard!” When a manager and his subordinates develop specific means to achieve a goal, he is able to give them clear instructions instead of calls.

The “goal” here refers to the control point, and the “means” refers to the control point. The goal is result-oriented, and the means are process-oriented. Policy deployment is revolutionary because it involves involving grassroots managers in setting goals and implementing them. The basis for this is the belief that working together significantly contributes to the pursuit of achieving a set goal. The deployment of policy proceeds from goals (control points, or -criteria) to means (control points, or P-criteria), starting with top management and ending with foremen and workers on the shop floor.

One of the problems of management is that employees are willing to put up with the low standards of the products they produce. The benefit of structuring (deploying) the quality function is improved communication between sales and marketing employees and development and production employees.

Chapter 6. The Kaizen Approach to Problem Solving

In everyday activities, the first impulse when faced with difficulties is the desire to hide or ignore them, rather than openly acknowledge their existence. This is because “the very existence of a problem is a problem” and no one wants to be accused of creating it. However, moving to the point of view positive thinking, we can turn every issue that needs addressing into a valuable opportunity for improvement. Where there is a problem, there is also potential for improvement.

We must firmly understand that an unsolved problem cannot be passed on to the next stage. In TQC, the term varusa-kagen is very popular, denoting a state of affairs when there seems to be no problem yet, but it can no longer be said that everything is going well. Managers should encourage workers to identify varus kagen. In Western management, a lot of opportunities are missed simply because neither the worker nor the managers like trouble.

Most management problems arise in cross-functional areas. Japanese managers are very sensitive to the demands of other departments. In Western companies, cross-functional problems are perceived and resolved as conflicts.

Productivity is the concept of continuous progress, both material and spiritual. To increase productivity, you need to enlist the support of workers and interact on the basis of cooperation.

If you do not treat kaizen as a top priority, any attempts to implement it are doomed. The implementation and management of kaizen must be done from the top down. However, suggestions for improvement must come from the bottom up.

Chapter 7: Changing Corporate Culture

From a Kaizen point of view, customer satisfaction is determined by such concepts as quality, costs, and delivery discipline. Defects are measured in ppm (pieces per million). A director who deals with percentages belongs in a museum.

Corporate strategy should not be monopolized by a handful of senior management. It should become the basis for communication between all individuals in the business structure. The strategy must be linked to their needs and motivate their work. Creating an atmosphere of cooperation and a new corporate culture is an integral part of kaizen.

If management views profit as the only criterion for performance, it will be reluctant to use P-criteria.

Applications

3- M.U.– checklist of kaizen actions (muda - actions that consume resources but do not create value, muri - overload, working with tension, mura - deviation from the process): human resources, technology, method, time, equipment, fixtures and tools, materials, production volume, inventory, location, way of thinking.

5- S- organize, put in order, bring cleanliness, personal cleanliness, discipline.

5- W + 1- H– who, what, where, when, why, how.

5- M– operator, equipment, material, working method, measurement.

Kaizen tools: Pareto charts, cause and effect charts, histograms, control charts, scatter charts, graphs, checklists.

I've written before about the importance of definitions. Here's what Robin Williams says about it: “If you can name something, you are aware of it. You gain power over it. You own it. You have it under control."

There are four prefaces in Imai's book... J

In the book “Performance” by Robin Stewart-Kotze. Secrets of effective behavior"

One of Deming's 14 principles.

"Kaizen" is a Japanese management concept that focuses on continuous improvement in all aspects of life. The word includes two others - "kai" (change) and "zen" (wisdom). The author of this management concept is Masaaki Imai. He believes that Kaizen can be equally successfully applied both in business and in life.

Occasional IMPROVEMENTS
The improvements may be small, and each one individually may not be that noticeable. But taken together they will have a significant effect. In some companies, employees are focused solely on maintaining existing processes - they do the same operations day after day, without thinking about improving them. In other companies where Kaizen is used, everything is different. Whenever a person sees some opportunity to do his job better, he must implement these changes and change the standards of performing individual operations accordingly. If the company uses Kaizen, then the number of staff may be reduced by 10-20%, and sometimes by 50%.
Daily improvements do not require significant financial costs. To implement Kaizen, it is necessary for people to use their minds and concentrate on the work at hand. However, Kaizen processes are often invisible or subtle, and their results are rarely immediately apparent. Global innovation always requires large investments to purchase new technologies, equipment, etc. Therefore, before thinking about innovation, it is better to first take advantage of the existing potential by implementing Kaizen.

Kaizen and innovation
To develop a company, you need both the Kaizen system and innovation. It is the combination of these two approaches that allows you to achieve the best results. Imagine: with the help of Kaizen you gradually rise up. Then you take a big “leap” - you introduce innovation. Then from this new height you again continue the gradual upward movement - and again make a jerk. As a result, you find yourself superior to those who apply only an innovative approach and move in leaps and bounds. In addition, the system created as a result of the introduction of innovation will inevitably degrade if efforts are not made first to maintain it and then to improve it. The effect of innovation is gradually declining due to intense competition and obsolescence of standards. “Kaizen” helps to ensure a steady rise.

"Kaizen": production and marketing
In many companies there is a real gap between the production department and the sales department. In production they do what is easiest to produce, without thinking about how it can be sold. And the sales department is ready to offer clients anything, trying to sell as many products as possible. At the same time, they think little about what the real production capabilities of the company are. Ideal manufacturing is when you start producing a product only after you have actually received an order for it. Most companies do things differently. It all starts with a sales forecast, then the product is put into production, regardless of what the market actually requires. As a result, production costs become very large, and in addition, the company accumulates huge inventories that require large production areas. As a result, business profitability decreases and the company may become unprofitable.
The importance of the Kaizen system for Russian entrepreneurship is enormous. Managers of successful companies have already learned to solve financial and marketing issues. However, domestic products are uncompetitive largely due to the fact that their production involves very high costs. In addition, most of the products produced do not meet international quality standards. However, even if the company does quality products and sells them at reasonable prices, it still lags behind world business leaders. After all, all logistics issues - from the purchase of materials and components to the delivery of finished goods to customers - are in their infancy in Russia.
The biggest obstacle that may hinder the spread of Kaizen practice in our country lies in the minds of entrepreneurs themselves. Over the past years, many companies have made colossal leaps in their development. Just a few years ago, some of them simply did not exist, but now they have conquered entire markets and are almost called “great”. Naturally, inspired by quick success, they continue to strive to grab everything at once, here and now. The ideology of “Kaizen” involves methodical, gradual and long-term improvement individual elements. The introduction of this system can give a visible effect in a few years. To which many domestic entrepreneurs say: “No. We want to get the result tomorrow.”

The heart of Kaizen- a workplace (“gemba”) where added value is created. At the same time, it can work effectively in any company that creates its own product or service. For example, in a bank the “gem zone” is the operating room. The hotel is the place where clients are greeted...

"Kaizen" is an approach to organizing activities developed in Japan, based on:
. common sense;
. self-discipline;
. ok;
. savings.
“Kaizen” in business is constant improvement, starting from production and ending with top management, from the director to the ordinary worker. By improving standardized activities and processes, the goal of Kaizen is production without waste.
Imagine what heights you can achieve if you do something every day for decades to improve your work efficiency! Toyota's experience confirms this: the company has achieved incredible business success. The company has reached a leading position in its sector, and today it is very difficult to compete with it. Recently, consumers have become more and more demanding. Therefore, the conditions in which companies operate are becoming more stringent. And in the future we will face even more severe competition. Therefore, those who want to succeed have only one thing left to do: always be one step ahead of the competition.

Kaizen principles
The key principles on which Kaizen is based are identified:
1. Focus on customers - for a company using Kaizen, it is most important that their products (services) satisfy customer needs.
2. Continuous changes - a principle that characterizes the very essence of “Kaizen”, that is, continuous small changes in all areas of the organization - supply, production, sales, personal relationships, and so on.
3. Open recognition of problems - all problems are openly brought up for discussion. Where there are no problems, improvement is impossible.
4. Promoting openness - a low degree of separation (especially in comparison with Western companies) between departments and workplaces.
5. Creation of work teams - each employee becomes a member of the work team and the corresponding quality circle (an employee new to the organization is also a member of the “first-year” club).
6. Managing Projects with Cross-Functional Teams - No team will work effectively if it only operates within one functional group. The rotation inherent in Japanese management is closely related to this principle.
7. Formation of “supportive relationships” - not only and not so much financial results are important for the organization, but the involvement of employees in its activities and good relationships between employees, since this will inevitably (albeit not in this reporting period) lead the organization to high results.
8. Horizontal development. Personal experience should become the property of the entire company.
9. Development of self-discipline - the ability to control oneself and respect both oneself and other employees and the organization as a whole.
10. Self-improvement. Train yourself to identify issues for which you are personally responsible, as opposed to those for which others are responsible, and start by solving your own problems.
11. Informing every employee - all personnel should be fully informed about their company.
12. Delegation of powers to each employee - transfer of a certain amount of powers to each employee. This becomes possible thanks to training in many specialties, possession of broad skills and abilities, etc.
13. To manage means to start with planning and compare the plan with the result.
14. Analysis of what is happening at the enterprise and action based on facts. Draw conclusions based on reliable data.
15. Eliminate the root cause and prevent relapses. Do not confuse the cause of the problem with its manifestations.
16. Build quality into the process as early as possible. Quality must be built into the process. Testing does not create quality.
17. Standardization. We need methods to consolidate the success achieved.

IN Japanese The word "kaizen" means continuous improvement. The Kaizen system is based on a scientific approach: first, individual elements of the production process are analyzed, and then ways to improve these elements are proposed. Lean manufacturing is permeated with the idea of ​​kaizen or continuous improvement - small, gradual and consistent changes made continuously and having a positive impact on the overall health of production.

What do you need to know in order to constantly improve production?

Before embarking on a continuous improvement program, it is important to understand that even the simplest ideas can lead to big results. All lean manufacturing methods are based on kaizen; Continuous improvement is the basis of production process improvement methods. Below are ten principles, the observance of which guarantees success in improving production.

Ten Basic Principles for Manufacturing Improvement

1. Drop the stereotypes.
2. Think about what needs to be done to make a method work, not why it won't work.
3. Don't accept excuses. Don't be satisfied with the status quo.
4. Don't strive for perfection. If you implement your plan by 50%, but immediately, this is an excellent indicator.
5. Correct errors on the spot.
6. Don't spend a lot of money on improvements.
7. See problems as opportunities to improve.
8. To find out the root cause of a problem, ask the question “why?” at least five times.
9. Please note: one is good, but ten is better.
10. Remember that there is no limit to perfection.

How can kaizen improve your operations?

If your company has never practiced kaizen before, then this system will significantly influence approaches to organizing work. Kaizen involves thinking about operations and requires some time to learn to consciously choose the best methods of work. You will have to use new tools to analyze ideas for improving production. When starting to implement kaizen, write down these ideas on special cards or in a notebook (always carry it with you in your overalls pocket). Over time, you will learn many new techniques that will help you better understand the essence of all production stages and individual operations. You will be able to better understand the operation of machines and mechanisms and feel the relationship between all the processes that make up the value stream.

The value stream is all the activities involved in manufacturing and delivering a product to the consumer. By improving the execution of operations and processes, you will “add value” and “eliminate waste” in the value stream. The figure below shows a diagram of such a flow.

What is the purpose of kaizen?

Kaizen actions aim to eliminate waste from every operation and every process and increase the time it takes to add value.

Kaizen - a smart Japanese lean production system

Let's look at these concepts in more detail.

Process and operation

A process is a series of operations carried out in a strict sequence to provide services or create a product and deliver it to the consumer. To carry out the process, you must have the personnel, equipment, and materials available, as well as the appropriate techniques.

An operation is a specific action to create a product or provide a service, performed by one machine or worker.

Value and adding value

Value is beneficial features product or service from the consumer's point of view.

Value-adding activities are any activities that, in the process of transforming raw materials into a finished product, increase its attractiveness and usefulness to the consumer.

Losses

Waste is any activity that adds cost or wastes time without adding value to the product. The main goal of lean manufacturing is the complete elimination of waste.

The creators of the Toyota production system identified seven main types of losses:

1. Overproduction is the production of products in greater quantities than the consumer requires.
2. Inventories - storage of products and work in progress.
3. Transportation and materials.
4. Idle time - waiting for an operation to complete.
5. Unnecessary processing steps that arise when using low-quality tools or caused by the characteristics of the workpiece.
6. Unnecessary movements of workers, i.e. ill-considered movements when performing operations or searching for tools, materials, etc.
7. Rework and marriage.

The main goal of kaizen and lean manufacturing in general is to eliminate all types of losses that arise during the production process.

Thinking about how you do your work and how you can improve it helps you understand the interconnectedness of processes and how your work affects other operations. After analyzing how workers perform operations, you can begin to organize the work of kaizen teams. Kaizen teams play an important role in lean manufacturing and continuous improvement of enterprise operations. By working as a team with colleagues, you can identify weaknesses in your operations and the processes you share with other workers. Discussing production problems in kaizen teams helps to better understand the specifics of work in different production areas and determine the optimal ways of interaction. In addition, teamwork in kaizen blitzes allows you to solve current issues (for example, how best to arrange equipment in work areas) and develop ideas for improving operations and processes.

The role of kaizen blitz

One of the forms of involving workers in the continuous improvement of production is the kaizen blitz (storm-breakthrough), which is carried out regularly and each time has specific goals. The whole team takes part in the kaizen blitz, which provides the opportunity to make important decisions and at the same time implement these decisions into practice (when starting changes, it is necessary to stop the operation of a cell or line at a specific production site). Each kaizen blitz must be carefully thought out and prepared; The success of a kaizen blitz depends on how coordinated all actions are and whether they are completed.

You might also be interested in:

Personnel management based on the Kaizen concept

Saleeva L. A.

Scientific supervisor Strokina L.A.

Donetsk National University of Economics

and trade named after Mikhail Tugan-Baranovsky

Training and development of personnel, even in difficult economic conditions, is an important component of the development of a successful enterprise. The concept of kaizen is especially relevant now. All Kaizen tools are based on common sense and are aimed at performing quality work in a comfortable environment for the employee.

Scientists such as Yoji Akao, I. Kaoru, Kenji Watabe, G.V. have dealt with the research of the concept of kaizen. Kulikov, Masao Kogure, E.V. Melnikov, Motomu Baba, Shuzo Moroto, Masashi Nishimura, Kenzo Sasaoka, Naohiko Yagi. However, the main researcher of this concept is Masaaki Imai.

The purpose of the work is to consider the Japanese approach to progress and improvement, as well as practical experiences of involving staff in kaizen activities.

The object of study of this work is the practice of using the kaizen concept at such enterprises as Toyota, Canon, Hitachi Tochigi and Mitsubishi Electric.

Kaizen strategy is the central concept of Japanese management. It means improvement and is understood as a continuous process of improvement in which everyone is involved - top managers, middle managers and workers. The Kaizen movement has captured most Japanese companies and is constantly evolving.

Kaizen creates a process-oriented way of thinking (process thinking) and creates a management system that supports employees' pursuit of excellence by recognizing their efforts in this direction. This point significantly distinguishes it from Western management practice, where employees are rewarded solely for results, without taking into account the efforts expended.

At the heart of the kaizen concept is a person - the main value and highest asset of any organization striving to maintain competitiveness in the market for as long as possible, and therefore jobs and the prospect of a decent life. In relation to the Japanese experience, they usually talk about “five great systems for creating relationships between a person and an organization”:

· Lifetime employment system.

· On-the-job training system.

· Rotation system.

· System of advantages.

· Reward system.

In the kaizen program, three areas can be distinguished, differing in complexity and level of improvement: 1) kaizen for managers; 2) kaizen for the group and 3) kaizen for the individual.

1) Kaizen for managers.

The first component of the program is management-oriented kaizen, as it is aimed at solving key issues of logistics and strategy, overall progress and morale. Since kaizen is everyone's business, it is the manager's responsibility to improve his performance. Japanese managers believe that they must devote at least 50% of their time to improvement. Kaizen projects that management has to consider require the highest level of problem solving skills, as well as technical and engineering knowledge, although sometimes the Seven Statistical Tools are sufficient. They clearly relate to the work of a manager and often involve the interaction of employees from different departments, who, uniting as a team, solve cross-functional problems.

Opportunities for improvement are everywhere. In the workshops of Japanese factories, a special grid with numbers is usually applied to the floor, which marks the places reserved for components, raw materials and work in progress. “At our plant, we started kaizen activities by observing how people do their jobs,” says Toyota's Taiichi Ohno, “because there is no cost involved.” Therefore, the starting point for kaizen is to identify the "wastes" in the worker's movements. In practice, identifying them is one of the most difficult problems, since these irrational movements are an integral part of the sequence of actions.

Kaizen for management can also include group forms of work, such as kaizen teams, project teams and problem solving groups. However, they differ from QC (quality control) circles mainly in that they include management, and the organization of their activities is part of its work.

2) Kaizen for the group.

Kaizen for the group, as a permanent form of work, is represented by QC circles, JK-teams (jishu kanri - self-managed) and other types of small groups that use various statistical tools to solve problems. Kaizen for a team requires the application of the full PDCA cycle and requires team members to not only identify problems, but also be able to find and analyze their causes, adopt and test countermeasures, and establish new standards and/or procedures.

As part of this ongoing work, group members are involved in problem solving and decision making. This suggests that the PDCA cycle includes an inner PDCA cycle in the Do stage (Fig. 1). The work of QC circles and other groups is limited to the range of problems that arise on the shop floor, but due to the fact that everyone masters the art of solving them, kaizen has a positive effect on people’s morale.

Rice. 1. Inner PDCA loop included in PDCA loop

Group work can also be temporary in nature if we are talking about proposals submitted by small teams formed specifically for a given case.

Kaizen is a long-term strategy of Japanese management

Often their members are trained in the use of statistical and analytical tools, but once the goal is achieved, the circle ceases to exist.

When implementing kaizen, it is very important for both the group and the individual that management properly understands the role of workers and fully supports such activities.

Typically in a Japanese factory, each shop floor has a corner that provides information on workplace activities such as proposal submission and small group work. Sometimes tools that have been improved at the suggestion of workers are collected here, and representatives of other workshops can borrow the ideas of their comrades.

At Mitsubishi Electric, these places are called Kaizen Corners, and a variety of tools and mechanisms are selected there, allowing everyone to benefit from improvements made as suggested by small groups or individuals.

There are several “kaizen people” at each Mitsubishi Electric plant. These are long-time production workers who are temporarily relieved of their daily duties and walk around the plant looking for opportunities for improvement. Experienced workers are appointed as kaizen people for about six months, after which they are replaced by others.

Small groups, including CC circles, play a very important role in kaizen strategy in Japan.

3) Kaizen for the individual.

The third level is individual-oriented kaizen. It manifests itself in the form of a system for submitting proposals that allows you to realize human capabilities and apply the maxim that you need to work smarter, not harder. Here the possibilities for improvement are almost inexhaustible. So, if the office uses paired phones, an employee can suggest that phones with a common number should be the same color for convenience. At Canon, a specialist who cleaned lenses using a special, rather expensive paper, discovered that using cotton wool swabs, which are sold in the supermarket, could do it both better and cheaper. At the Hitachi Tochigi plant, improved equipment is equipped with a metal plaque with the worker's name and the date the proposal was submitted to commemorate his contribution.

The starting point for kaizen in the case of personal initiative is the employee’s positive attitude towards changing and improving his work methods.

Kaizen for an individual is often seen as a moral incentive, and management does not always expect immediate payback from submitted proposals. If a manager wants his people to become “thinking workers” who strive for continuous improvement in their work practices, he must be attentive and empathetic.

Thus, Kaizen is a humanistic approach because, without exaggeration, it involves the participation of everyone. At its core is the belief that anyone can improve the workplace where they spend a third of their lives. Therefore, the application of the kaizen concept can reduce costs, the percentage of defects, increase employee loyalty, and increase capital turnover.

Literature:

1. Imai Masaaki Kaizen: The Key to the Success of Japanese Companies / Masaaki Imai; Per. from English – 2nd ed. – M.: Alpina Business Books, 2005. – 274 p.

2. [Electronic resource]. – Access mode: http://ru.wikipedia.org

3. [Electronic resource]. – Access mode: http://www.ctrgroup.com.ua/concept/lean_article_5.php

Kaizen: 5 principles that ensured the success of the Japanese management model

Description of service and results

Standard plan of action and its mistakes

Typically, mass training is carried out, plus strategic sessions are held for managers, where they independently (with the help of experts) develop implementation plans for their departments, plus several kaizen teams are created from volunteers. These kaizen teams then receive training from experts.

This option assumes the greatest activity and independence of your employees, and the least degree of expert intervention. We are that way we do not recommend most companies, since they can change their thinking immediately large quantity people are difficult, the risks of failure are greatest. This path is possible only if the team initially has high cohesion, a positive attitude towards the project or great respect for the initiating leader, and the management itself is an agent of change.

About the Kaizen system

We have never encountered such a situation.

Features of the lean production project with our company

Unlike most consulting companies working in this area, which are focused on expensive large projects or only on training (they say, we will teach, and you somehow implement it yourself - as described above), we offer various implementation options.

Step by step path.

The project is broken down into steps, each of which is valuable in itself and produces a measurable result. By the time the second step is implemented, the activities of the first step are already bringing their commercial effect.

Example of a plan yourself steps for implementing lean manufacturing is given in our Kaizen Group service.

These steps can be performed in one group, in all departments at once, or only in selected ones.

Path by department. We start with a pilot unit, then we expand successful models to other areas.

Pilot project. One area of ​​intervention is taken, quite problematic (maybe even the most problematic), but so that there are at least 2-3 potential active people who could get carried away or are determined in advance to change something. Ideally, the problem is known to the entire team, and at the same time it can be solved quickly ( the best place we will advise you after the audit).

And then, using lean manufacturing and kaizen methods, a result is achieved (reducing defects, reducing costs, increasing speed or productivity) and this result is consolidated in the activity, that is, it becomes stable.
This result is widely “promoted” within the company. Participants receive incentives and additional powers. So that everyone can see that management is ready to cooperate and is ready to reward results.

Breakthrough team members then become change agents in other departments. You can send the entire team or several people to the new unit.

Expected results of the first stage (maximum program for the pilot project)

Suggestions for improvement have been collected
A system of indicators has been created to track work results and process quality
A problem solving procedure was introduced and several “old” problems were successfully resolved
Implemented an improved operating procedure (working standard)
Reduced losses (time, labor, material, etc. - depending on the situation)
Discipline has increased (workers are more careful with equipment and resources, maintain cleanliness, follow standard operating procedures) People gained experience in solving improvement problems and liked it
It was possible to implement at least 30% of the developed activities, and the rest were analyzed and the action plan was adjusted
Marriage has decreased
As a rule, the time of employees and space in the workshop or warehouse are freed up.

Kaizen

Material from Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia

Kaizen, kaizen (Japanese: 改善 kaizen, romaji Kaizen; sometimes incorrectly referred to as "kaizen") is a Japanese philosophy or practice that focuses on continuous improvement of production processes, development, supporting business processes and management, as well as all aspects of life.

“Kaizen” in business is constant improvement, starting with production and ending with top management, from the director to the ordinary worker. By improving standardized activities and processes, the goal of kaizen is production without waste (see Lean Manufacturing).

The kaizen philosophy was first applied to a number of Japanese companies (including Toyota) during the recovery period after World War II, and has since spread throughout the world. The term “kaizen” became widely known thanks to the book of the same name by Masaaki Imai (1986, Kaizen: The Key to Japan’s Competitive Success).

Since 1986, when the book Kaizen: The Key to Japan's Competitive Success was published, the term "kaizen" has been adopted as a designation for one of the key management concepts. In 1993, it was included in the new edition of the New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, which defines kaizen as the continuous improvement of work methods, personal effectiveness, and so on, that is, as a business philosophy.

In Japanese, the word "kaizen" means "continuous improvement."

Based on this strategy, everyone is involved in the improvement process - from managers to workers, and its implementation requires relatively small material costs. The Kaizen philosophy suggests that our life as a whole (work, public and private) should be focused on continuous improvement.

In the field of project management, Kaizen has developed into the Japanese methodology for managing innovative projects and programs - P2M.

Kaizen principles

1. Focus on customers - for a company using kaizen, the most important thing is that their products (services) satisfy the needs of customers.
2. Continuous change is a principle that characterizes the very essence of kaizen, that is, continuous small changes in all areas of the organization - supply, production, sales, personal relationships, and so on.
3. Open recognition of problems - all problems are openly brought up for discussion. (Where there are no problems, improvement is impossible)
4. Promoting openness - a low degree of separation (especially in comparison with Western companies) between departments and workplaces.
5. Creation of work teams - each employee becomes a member of the work team and the corresponding quality circle (an employee new to the organization is also a member of the “first-year” club).
6. Managing Projects with Cross-Functional Teams - No team can work effectively if it only operates within one functional group. The rotation inherent in Japanese management is closely related to this principle.
7. Formation of “supportive relationships” - not only and not so much financial results are important for the organization, but the involvement of employees in its activities and good relationships between employees, since this will inevitably (even if not in this reporting period) lead the organization to high results.
8. Horizontal development. (Personal experience should become the property of the entire company)
9. Development of self-discipline - the ability to control oneself and respect both oneself and other employees and the organization as a whole.
10. Self improvement. (Train yourself to identify issues for which you are personally responsible, as opposed to those for which others are responsible, and start by solving your own problems)
11. Informing every employee - all personnel should be fully informed about their company.
12. Delegation of authority to each employee - transfer of a certain amount of authority to each employee. This becomes possible thanks to training in many specialties, possession of broad skills and abilities, etc.
13. Managing means starting with planning and comparing the plan with the result.
14. Analysis of what is happening at the enterprise and action based on facts. (Draw conclusions based on reliable data)
15. Eliminate the root cause and prevent relapses. (Do not confuse the cause of the problem with its manifestations).
16. Building quality into the process as early as possible. (Quality must be built into the process. Inspection does not create quality)
17. Standardization. (We need methods to consolidate the success achieved)

Kaizen in software development

In the late 2000s, kaizen began to gain popularity in the software development industry. In particular, one of the creators of the Scrum methodology, Jeff Sutherland, views kaizen as a process of eliminating impediments, by a team (and not just one Scrum Master). At the retrospective meeting, the most serious obstacle is identified, and the task to eliminate it is included in the next sprint backlog along with other user stories, that is, along with cost estimates and acceptance tests.

Kaizen in psychology

In addition to application in the business sphere, according to psychologists, the application of kaizen principles contributes to the development and achievement of success in both professional and personal life. Any change frightens people; radical or revolutionary ways of achieving set goals are often unsuccessful because they increase this fear. However, small steps of kaizen soften the negative reaction of the brain, stimulating both rational and creative thinking.

Notes

1. Capers Jones, Olivier Bonsignour, Jitendra Subramanyam. Chapter 4: Pretest defect removal // The Economics of Software Quality. - Addison-Wesley, 2011. - P. 226. - 587 p. - ISBN 978-0132582209.
2. Scrum Inc Sprint 2 Retrospective: The Happiness Metric. Jeff Sutherland's blog (December 27, 2010). Retrieved August 16, 2012. Archived from the original on August 18, 2012.
3. Maurer, Robert, 2014, p. 39

Literature

• Robert Maurer. Step by step to achieve your goal: Kaizen Method = One Small Step Can Change Your Life. - M.: Alpina Publisher, 2014. - 192 p. - ISBN 978-5-9614-4788-0.
• Masaaki Imai. Gemba Kaizen. The Path to Reducing Costs and Improving Quality = Gemba Kaizen: A Commonsense, Low-Cost Approach to Management. - M.: "Alpina Publisher", 2010. - P. 344. - ISBN 978-5-9614-1347-2.
• Masaaki Imai. Kaizen. The key to the success of Japanese companies = Kaizen: The Key to Japan’s Competitive Success. - M.: “Alpina Publisher”, 2011. - P. 280.

  The Kaizen system and its application in business

  ISBN 978-5-9614-1618-3.

• Masaaki Imai Japanese miracle / M. Imai // Own business. - 2007. - No. 1. - P. 13-17.
• Kaoru, I. Japanese methods quality management / I. Kaoru. - M.: Economics, 1988. - 215 p.
• P. Wellington. Kaizen Strategies for Successful Sales = Kaizen Strategies for Customer Care. - St. Petersburg: Peter, 2004. - P. 272. - ISBN 5-94723-164-6.
• Colenso, M. Kaizen strategy for successful organizational change / M. Colenso. - M.: INFRA-M, 2002. - 175 p.
• Kulikov, G.V. Japanese management and the theory of international competitiveness. - M.:: Economics, 2000. - P. 247. - ISBN ISBN 5-282-01982-5.
• Melnikova, E. V. Improvements in Kaizen style / E. V. Melnikova // Methods of quality management. - 2007. - No. 3. - P. 8-11.
• Staff motivation. Key factor of management / ed. Y. Kondo. - N. Novgorod: SMC "Priority", 2002. - 206 p.
• I. Oh. Japanese management: past, present and future = Japanese Management: Past, Present and Future. - M.:: Eksmo, 2007. - P. 160. - ISBN ISBN 978-5-699-21789-2.
• Kaizen for Workers / Productivity Press Development Group. - M. Publishing house ICSI, 2007. - 152 p.

see also

• P2M - Japanese methodology for managing innovative projects and programs
• Kanban is a system for organizing production and supply based on the “just in time” principle.
• Management system