Kaizen philosophy is a Japanese success system. Lean manufacturing organization

Management is not only a science, but also a real art. Particularly wisely and elegantly, the Japanese approach this issue. Their management system is considered a classic and recognized as one of the most effective in the world. In particular, it is worth paying attention to the kaizen philosophy.

What it is

Kaizen is the philosophy and practice of Japanese management, focused on the continuous improvement of the production and management process, as well as supporting business processes. It is worth noting that this philosophy applies not only to work, but also to all spheres of human life.

Translated from the Japanese language, the word "kaizen" translates as "continuous improvement." From the point of view of management, it involves involving everyone from top managers to ordinary employees.

For the first time this philosophy was applied during the recovery period after the Second World War. In particular, it was adopted by large companies like Toyota. After the release of the book "Kaizen: The Secret to the Success of Japanese Companies" in 1986, this concept became widely known and became one of the key in management practice.

Basic principles

Among economists, there is no consensus on the number of kaizen principles. Summarizing the information contained in the writings of researchers, we can distinguish the following points:

• Sorting. Everyone should do only his job. Thus, each employee should identify unnecessary operations and gradually eliminate them. As for the leader, he should learn to delegate responsibility.
• Organization of order. Focusing on key tasks, it’s worth moving on to optimizing the work process, that is, arranging operations in priority order. It is also useful to keep a working diary where completed tasks will be recorded indicating their priority and importance.
• Cleaning. For thoughts to be in order, it is important that the workplace is kept in order. Every day after a hard day, you need to clean the room and in your head (forget about business, going beyond the threshold of organization).
• Systematization. After getting rid of unnecessary duties and building a workflow, you need to combine all this into a system and follow it on an ongoing basis.
• Practice. Kaizen implies the formation of a new way of working, which cannot be abandoned for the sake of old habits.

Essence of the concept

The kaizen philosophy is a philosophy of continuous improvement. This idea can be seen in the following highlights:

• Customer focus. Goods or services sold by the company should satisfy the needs of customers to the maximum extent.

• Continuity of change. Improvement of all departments of the organization should be carried out constantly taking into account new trends and developments.

• Recognition of issues and their open discussion. If problems are hushed up and ignored, it is impossible to solve them.

• Openness. This refers to the erasure of barriers between business units and workplaces.

• Creation of teams. Each employee must be a member of the working group, quality circle, club, and so on.

• Cross-functional. Project management should be carried out using cross-functional teams. Work will not be effective if the group acts within the framework of one function.

• Supportive relationship. Workers should feel their importance, should be involved in all processes occurring in the organization. Friendly team relationships are also important.

• Horizontal development. The experience and success of the employee should not be a personal asset, but the achievement of the entire company.

• Self discipline. It is important that employees are able to control themselves, and colleagues, and the entire organization.

• Self improvement. The employee must be able to separate the issues for which he is personally responsible, fulfill them first and improve his skills.

• Total information. Each employee should have the most complete information about the company.

• Delegation of authority. Each employee must have sufficiently broad skills and abilities so that certain powers can be assigned to him.

• Factual analysis. Draw conclusions and make decisions only on the basis of reliable data.

• Elimination of the root cause. It is important to be able to distinguish the main problem from those that arose because of it.

• Quality as a process. Inspection and control do not guarantee quality. It must be present at all stages of the work.

• Standardization. It is necessary to highlight and apply techniques and methods that are guaranteed to lead to success.

Goals

The introduction of kaizen, or the organization of lean manufacturing, has some goals. Namely:

• improving the quality of products or services;
• sustainable increase in labor productivity;
• the maximum possible loss reduction;
• the most efficient use of production capacities;
• increase of flexibility in relation to the changing conditions of the external and internal environment;
• effective employee motivation system;
• improvement of the teamwork system;
• increasing the level of personal responsibility of employees by smoothing the hierarchy;
• ensuring the continuity of the training process and staff development.

People management

In the kaizen system, great attention is paid to the attitude of the leader to subordinates. It must follow these rules:

• a person cannot be publicly punished;
• you can not talk with a subordinate in a commanding tone;
• It is necessary to take into account the opinion of employees;
• do not skimp on the promotion;
• employees need to be supported both in work and in personal problems;
• positive motivation is needed;
• it is necessary to give subordinates a certain degree of independence;
• errors are not forbidden - at their expense, employees learn;
• Do not underestimate the intelligence of subordinates;
• it is important to encourage initiative.

Zero loss

In accordance with the kaizen system, all actions in the organization are divided into those that benefit, and those that do not benefit. Thus, the task of management is to eliminate or minimize actions that may result in losses or carry no value. So, in accordance with Japanese philosophy, it is important to nullify such losses:

• overproduction;
• overfilling of storage facilities;
• waiting and idle;
• losses associated with transportation;
• losses from useless actions of employees (smoking, chatter and so on);
• defective products and so on.

Gemba

In Kaizen, the term gemba exists. It means advanced production. The key to success is the manager’s awareness of the processes taking place at the very bottom of the business. That is, the leader must have a clear idea of ​​the processes that occur in all departments, the specifics of their work. Ideally, in order to make effective managerial decisions, the leader should go both horizontally and vertically in the organizational structure (starting with an ordinary employee, work in different departments).

Siemens Rules

Many successful firms operate in accordance with the Kaizen lean manufacturing philosophy. One of them is the German concern Siemens. For company employees, the following rules apply:

• A worker who has stopped getting better is a bad employee.
• One must be prepared to abandon traditional thinking.
• You need to think about how to complete the task, and not why it cannot be completed.
• It is better to solve the problem in half than not to solve it at all.
• It is necessary to correct errors immediately as they are identified.
• We need to look for solutions that are as cheap as possible.
• Learn to solve problems as they arise.
• It is important to ask a lot of questions to find out the true nature of the problem.
• The team solves the problem better than one specialist.

Differences of kaizen from the traditional management system

Kaizen in business is not just a way of making money. This is the way to achieve excellence in your field. Differences of the Japanese concept from the classical management system are given in the table.

The prospects of kaizen in domestic business

It is difficult to imagine kaizen in business in the domestic space. Indeed, there are significant differences between the cultures and philosophies of Russia and Japan. For example, in the Land of the Rising Sun, kaizen is vaccinated since childhood. In schools, children are taught that both large and small businesses are equally significant for the final result. Therefore, the elimination of gaps and improvements should be carried out methodically.

In addition to a different approach to education and training, it is also worth noting that the development of domestic business took place in specific conditions. So, after the Soviet philosophy, aimed at records and instability of the 90s, domestic entrepreneurs are focused on obtaining results in the short term. But kaizen is a different philosophy. It implies a slow but steady growth through continuous improvement.

Perhaps the main reason kaizen is not widespread in Russia is the philosophy's orientation towards decent and honest entrepreneurship (as the saying goes in the preface to the book of Imai). Unfortunately, domestic business has not yet “come to its senses” after the dashing 90s, and therefore it is almost impossible to introduce kaizen in most organizations. Nevertheless, this practice begins to gain momentum. Philosophy is gradually being introduced into Alrosa, GAZ, Baltika, Gidrosila and other large organizations.

Kaizen in Psychology

The kaizen philosophy has found its application not only in management, but also in psychological practice. The application of this concept allows you to achieve success in your career, creativity and even personal life.

The vast majority of people are afraid of change. For some, this fear is panic. Thus, it is easier for many people to constantly be in the comfort zone (without shocks, but also without development). The concept of kaizen implies a slow but continuous development. Thus, these small steps prepare the brain for global changes and mitigate the negative reaction to them.

Putting Your Philosophy Into Life

Living in accordance with the kaizen philosophy is not so difficult. It is only necessary to adhere to five fundamental principles:

• Accuracy. Divide the paper into two columns. In one write everything that helps you, and in the other - that which interferes (this applies to objects, and relationships, and personal qualities). Gradually get rid of the items in the second column.
• Order. Make a detailed daily routine. In addition to the general points, you need to write down in detail various little things that make you better, that benefit you.
• Purity. The room in which the person is located (home or office) should be kept in perfect order. In addition, cleaning is a purely mechanical work, which helps to distract and free oneself from negative thoughts.
• Standardization. Adhere to certain norms, rules, schedules and level of quality in your life.
• Discipline. Stop the smallest impulses and weaknesses that can lead to a return to old habits.

Conclusion

Kaizen in business and in life is a wise philosophy that helps to slowly but surely move towards success. In fact, this is not a recipe for achieving goals, but a way of thinking. To be successful, you need to constantly develop. Any pause is like a defeat, because the world does not stand still, and you do not keep up with it. Kaizen combines eastern wisdom and endurance.