Features of Kaizen

 Kaizen improves the processes thereby delivering better results for the organization
 It uses appropriate data to improve thereby improving accuracy
 Because of continuous improvement philosophy, Kaizen removes the issues and
problems from the root and might completely change the operational flow.
 It encourages employees to come up with ideas and managers to act on them to improve
processes.
 It results in the elimination of poor processes & issues which are creating problems, steps
which are not needed and helps in the overall functioning of the organization.
 If an organization follows the philosophy of Kaizen, then everyone – from the CEO to the
employees – are responsible for continuous improvement in their organization.

Kaizen can contribute not only in manufacturing but every other

department in a company. In fact, if you look closely, Kaizen can
contribute in your own personal life (which we will cover later). Overall
Kaizen implementation is divided in two types

Flow Kaizen – Optimize the flow of goods from the company to the
customer in a continuous manner. Companies which have huge
movement of goods like FMCG companies
and Automobile manufactures need to continuously improve their flow
of goods to match market demand and adapt to changing business
conditions. Thus, Flow Kaizen can help them with this continuous
improvement.

Related: 8 Signs Of Change Resistance

Process Kaizen – Optimizing the processes existing within a company

in a continuous manner to make the process efficient and productive.
Example includes – Manufacturing assembly wherein steps are cut or
improved from time to time to improve output rate and output quality.
Kaizen Cycle type 1 – The Cycle of Kaizen for continuous
improvement

There is a continuous cycle of Kaizen which exists with the sole focus of
improvement. It is a guide on how to spot the shortcomings and improve
on them for a better and more efficient process. The Kaizen cycle has 7
steps and they are as follows

1. Involve Employees – The Kaizen cycle starts with analyzing the issues and problems
which needs improvement. Employee involvement is very important at this stage.
2. Process analysis / Finding problems – In step 2, you analyse the complete process and the
reason why the issues and problems are arising or cropping up.
3. Think of the solution – A creative method is involved where a person can think of any
idea and innovate. No idea is rejected. Out of the ideas presented, one solution is picked
as the winner and then this idea is implemented and tested.
 4. Implementing the solution – The idea which was selected in step 3 is then implemented
and action is taken on it. Remember that in Kaizen, everyone is involved in the
implementation and everyone is responsible.
5. Analysis of results – The resulting change caused by the implementation is analysed.
Again the complete process is analysed to determine the fit of the new method with the
complete process.
6. Standardize if results are optimal – If the results were optimal and there is a complete fit
between the new method and the complete process and if the issues and problems are
removed, then the new process is standardized. Standardization means adopting the new
method throughout the organization (example – different production facilities or different
offices)
7. Repeat – The philosophy of Kaizen says that a single step will rarely bring about drastic
improvement. Instead, small and continuous change is required to bring about a major
change in the organization. Thus the cycle of Kaizen is repeated. The cycle can also be
repeated after the 5th step if the new process implemented is not found upto mark.

We have discussed more on this cycle in the article on how to implement

Kaizen.

Kaizen Cycle part 2 – The PDCA cycle of Kaizen

The previous cycle was one of the cycles of Kaizen. There is an
Alternate cycle on the philosophy of Kaizen which is much similar to
the first one. This cycle is known as the Shewhart cycle or the PDCA
cycle. It is similar because the net result is the same as the 7 step
continuous cycle of Kaizen.

The four steps of PDCA cycle are

1. Plan – Think and plan the improvements which are needed.

2. Do – Implement the changes in the organization.
3. Check – Check the implementation and the compatibility of the change with existing
processes.
4. Act – Act on the findings again and repeat the process and keep identifying processes and
elements which need to be improved.
Related: What are Key Performance Indicators and their role in
evaluation?

The Five S Framework and its role in Kaizen

The five S is an organizational framework which helps in the
improvement of workplace and specifically focuses on people. It results
in a healthy work culture with specific rules and regulations to follow
thereby standardizing work and making things easier.

Naturally, it is closely associated with Kaizen and Kaizen uses the 5S

framework for continuous improvement within the work culture and the
work processes of the organization. In fact, a combination of 5s and
Kaizen can actually humanize the workplace by reducing unnecessary
work load and making employees happier.

The 5S framework guides the employees on how to maintain their work

space, how to have a better and efficient layout of your work space, how
to keep yourself safe etc.
The 5S framework stands as follows

1) Seiri (Sort)

The concept of Seiri or Sorting basically says that employees can get
distracted with unnecessary objects and this distraction can affect their
efficiency and productivity. Imagine an employee sitting with a
complete pile of documents on his or her desk. The pile of documents
has current projects he is working on as well as old projects and even
future projects.

This is not the way to operate and it will definitely affect the
productivity of the individual. As a result, the 5s framework says that
you need to sort this out in such a manner that they don’t become
obstacles.

2) Seition (Set in order)

The best example to explain Seition is an automobile garage. When you

go to such a garage, it will be divided and sorted into specific sections.
One section will be for the cleaning of the automobile, another will be
for checking of engine and yet another will be checking of tyres, so on
and so forth.

The garage is very much sorted and “Set in order”. Furthermore, there
will be countless tools arranged in their specific section, so that these
tools can be used and reused by the service engineers of that section.

Seition means setting objects in order so that it is easier for them to be

removed. Many retailers use barcoding to set their objects in such a
manner that deliveries become quicker and accurate. It is also preferable
to decide a manner of setting the objects so that they can be removed on
a FIFO basis.

3) Seiso (Shine)

Cleanliness is godliness. If it wasn’t people wouldn’t be bathing daily.

And this is exactly meant by Seiso for the workplace – Keep your
workplace clean so that your mind is clear and can help you with
progress. Organizations who follow the 5S of Kaizen keep regular
inspections to look into the implementation of Seiso.

4) Seiketsu (Standardize)
Good things should be a norm and not an occasional thing. They should
be followed daily and done by the book. So if there is a procedure which
is working well then the same process should be standardized. This
reduces stress and saves a lot of manpower and actually gives more
space for creativity and efficiency.

5) Shitsuke (Sustain)

Shitsuke helps with maintaining order and discipline and ensuring that
there is continuous implementation after all processes have been
standardized. For this, it may use audits from time to time. Once you
find something good to do, it should become more of a habit. Therefore,
the 5th S should be sustained throughout the organization for a long
period of time and people should improve on it further.

Related: How To Be Proactive? 10 Ways to be Proactive

Rather then losing the important knowledge and becoming complacent,

the company should find ways to cultivate and sustain the knowledge of
the 5S within an organization. Without this step in place, the other steps
are meaningless as they will soon be forgotten. This step makes the
employees and decision makers more independent and they themselves
can implement the 5S of Kaizen and try to sustain and motivate others to
adopt it.

Importance of Kaizen and Benefits of Kaizen

 Waste Reduction – Whenever you want to improve things, you start with removing the
waste thereby optimizing the process. Waste can be the wastage of resources or
manpower.
 Productivity – With the reduction of waste, productivity increases positively.
 Results orientation – Kaizen is a process which is result oriented. There is clear
demarcation of where the company is operating and where it wants to reach.
  Quality – With improvement in mind, managers always strive for the optimum quality.
Kaizen helps bolster the quality of products and processes.
 Accuracy – Due to the focus on getting results productively and with high quality,
processes are found which are effective and accurate.
 Cost advantage – With everything working on high efficiency and productivity, there is a
huge cost advantage to the firm because it gets more output with lesser input.
 Competitive advantage – Firms following Kaizen gain a competitive advantage because
they are continuously improving and they might take newer competitors as benchmarks,
learn new things and take their competitors down.
 Safety – Kaizen has a 6S which was recently introduced which stands for Safety wherein
all organizations have to ensure that the process is safe thereby keeping the manpower
away from any kind of harm.
 Empowerment – With several levels of hierarchy involved in Kaize, everyone is given
freedom of expression which empowers them and helps them grow in the workplace.
 Happy workplace – All of the above results in a happy workplace where ground level
employees also know that they can create a difference in the organization.
 Satisfaction – With a positive morale, there is all around satisfaction and this satisfaction
reaches even customers who turn out to be satisfied themselves with the product and the
services they receive.
 Continuous improvement – The best advantage of Kaizen is that it is never over and
there is continuous improvement providing many number of opportunities for the firm to
improve.

This was the complete outlook on Kaizen, Why it is important as well as

how to Implement Kaizen in your organization by using the PCDA
model or the 5s framework. Also read – How to Implement Kaizen.

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About Hitesh Bhasin

I love writing about the latest in marketing & advertising. I am a serial
entrepreneur & I created Marketing91