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Most likely you endeavor everyday to reliably achieve the purpose of your work. You do not work without thinking. In your work you probably more than once have said, "We should do it this way" or "Couldn’t we do it that way?"

Kaizen (continuous improvement) activities occur when these ideas are not just set aside, but rather everyone applies his or her own ingenuity to the work to improve it in a tangible way, whether that be making it faster, easier, more reliable or safer. The result of kaizen are an improved workplace, which leads to better company performance. Accordingly making a kaizen suggestion also becomes a way of actively participating in management.

The Definition of Kaizen

Definition 1: Selection of measure, change of methods

Kaizen is the selection of measures and change of methods for achieving one’s aims in a better and more efficient way. Work is made up of "aims" and "measures/methods". Kaizen applies to the measures and methods. Kaizen in one’s own work always involves the following questions:

How far does work go, and how far does kaizen go?
Where is the boundary between work and kaizen?

These questions stem from the concept that work and kaizen are separate things.
"Work is done to achieve the aims of business. Changing how one works in order to better and more efficiently achieve the aims of the work is very important, that is kaizen."

Definition 2: Generally not big changes, but small changes

Kaizen does not mean making big changes, but rather small changes to the majority of things. We do not necessarily have to make big changes in the way we work. Kaizen starts with taking something you know how to do at your work to a point you can handle and making change a little at a time. So anyone can do kaizen. Kaizen is fine as long as one is doing what he or she can within the range of his or her own abilities.

What Can be Considered as Kaizen?

Kaizen includes all departments of the company. Also, the following kinds of contents are generally kaizen.

1. General Suggestions

Quality improvement
Reducing lead times
Cutting costs
Reducing work processes
Economizing on material costs and energy

2. Safety Suggestions (improvement of safety)

Many of us have the experience of being frightened or startled by a dangerous situation in the work place. These frightening and alarming experiences are an important focal point for kaizen.

3. Technological Suggestions (improvement of technology)

4. Environmental Suggestions (improvement of environment)

Energy saving, resource management, recycling
Pollution (air, water, soil)
Garbage reduction
Global warming, noise, odors, vibrations
Other, contributing to improving awareness of the environment

5. Service Suggestions (improvement of sales and customer service)

Reducing the customer’s waiting time
Improving display shelves
Short repair period
Improving the level of satisfaction the next process

6. Others

Sales promotion improvement, development of attractive products, and so on.

Kaizen Steps

Kaizen activities are classified broadly in three stages:

Grasping the problem
Coming up with a suggestion for sollution (putting out ideas)
Solution of the problem

Further, "grasping the problem" is divided into focusing and study, "putting out ideas" is divided into conceptualizing, organizing and suggesting measures, and "solution of the problem" is divided into implementation, follow-through and handling in kaizen forms.

Figure-1. Kaizen Steps