Kaizen: a quick introduction | Instant Noodles

Kaizen is a Japanese philosophy that emphasises continuous improvement in all aspects of life. The word "kaizen" is a combination...

Kaizen is a Japanese philosophy that emphasises continuous improvement in all aspects of life. The word "kaizen" is a combination of the Japanese words "kai," which means "change," and "zen," which means "good." The philosophy of kaizen is based on the idea that small, incremental changes can lead to significant improvements over time.

In the business world, kaizen is often used as a method for improving productivity, efficiency, and quality in an organization. It involves identifying areas for improvement, making small changes to processes and systems, and then measuring the results to see if the changes were effective. The goal of kaizen is to make continuous, incremental improvements in an effort to achieve long-term success.

While Toyota may have popularised kaizen, it can be applied to a wide range of areas, including manufacturing and service industries. It is based on the belief that everyone can contribute to the improvement of an organisation, and that small, incremental changes can lead to significant long-term benefits.

This involves regularly reviewing and analyzing current processes and systems in order to identify areas for improvement and making small, incremental changes to address those issues. This approach is in contrast to the traditional Western model of making major, sweeping changes in order to achieve a desired outcome. While the Western model results in large changes in a shorter amount of time, the risk and scale of failure are also exponentially higher than a kaizen organisation.