Key term and why you are interested in it
I chose to do more research on the key term Kaizen, or continuous improvement, as it is a technique I have been exposed to extensively in my employment. I have worked in the manufacturing field for the last 2 years. In this industry there is always a focus on key factors of production and an emphasis on improving production efficiency while reducing cost. Where I currently work, we have a cross functional team assigned to continuous improvement we call the Kaizen team. They have formal training in continuous improvement and are deployed to different departments throughout the production facility.
Explanation of Key Term
Continuous improvement or Kaizen is a philosophy and application of various techniques in an organized and systematic way to improve key performance matrix. When it is applied correctly it is a sustained effort by managers as well as workers over time. A continuous improvement system is a process of identifying ways to get better and then making the necessary changes. The most common areas of focus for continuous improvement are to increase productivity, reduce waste, and reduce production costs. The term Kaizen is Japanese which means “good change” or improvement (Satterlee, 2018).
Major Article Summary
The article is a comparison between two companies and their application of continuous improvement, or Kaizen, principles. One of the companies is in Mexico and the other in Ecuador. The entire article looks at the two companies and their effectiveness in applying Kaizen techniques and principles. It identifies key factors of success when using continuous improvement techniques and some of the shortcomings.
The introduction gives a definition of “Kaizen specifically is a managerial approach that seeks to achieve competitive advantage through continuous learning and small and gradual improvements in the process of any organization” (Lewis,2000).
The theme throughout the article is next introduced that for continuous improvement to be successful everyone must be involved. A key point to the longevity of any Kaizen efforts is “Management commitment” (Bessant,2003; Imai 1986). The benefits of Kaizen are examined in two ways. The first of which is “qualitative” the second “quantitative”. The article links qualitative benefits to human resources of a company. Training and betterment of the employees is addressed in this perspective. The quantitative aspect is linked to financial gains achieved through continuous improvement. Some of the financial gains noted are “increased productivity, reduced lead times, reduced stages in production processes, increased inventory turnover, reduced cost, reduced defects” (Ramadani and Gerguri, 2011; Suarez-Barraza et al, 2011).
The comparative study was done using mostly interviews with companies that had 50 or more employees and had annual sales exceeding $1,000,000. The actual breakdown is 33 Ecuadorian companies and 20 Mexican companies.
Surprisingly the knowledge of Kaizen was low in companies in both countries. Between the two Ecuadorian companies had lower knowledge. The simple point of knowledge of Kaizen practices is driven home by the authors when they declared “understanding of Kaizen by managers tends to coincide with the continual quest to satisfy internal and external customers of the organization, which has an impact on economic performance and sustainability of continuous improvement” ( Alukal and Manos, 2006; Prajogo and Sohal, 2004).
In both countries “training programs, checklist, and flowcharts” were the most commonly used. In addressing all aspects of Kaizen barriers to applying it are explained. Continuous improvement is identified as “complicated and costly” (Bateman and Rich, 2003). Results of the study conducted cited “low understanding” as the biggest barrier. The next was “lack of staff involvement” ( Lillrank et al, 2001). The final barrier was a lack of support from higher management. All of these barriers were existent in both countries.
The benefits uncovered during the study were as identified in the opening section and quantitative numbers were given from each country. The locality of Mexico in its relation to the United States is given as a possible reason that the Mexican companies did a better job in continuous improvement.
Discussion
- The article did a good job staying within the scope of the title when the study was explained, and the results were given. Various techniques and improvement tools were given as examples of things companies might use but the focus remained on the proper and continuous application of Kaizen efforts. In the opening paragraphs of the article Kaizen is defined as small and continuous changes instead of mighty shifts. A key theme in the article is managerial support of the small changes and worker involvement to properly apply continuous improvement.
- The Kaizen article focuses on the technique and application. An article titled “Do more, better, for less” gives an account of a library in Ohio and the necessity of Kaizen due to a budget freeze. The library’s number of patrons was increasing while the budget stayed steady. Through continuous improvement tools and techniques, the library was able to improve in efficiency and reduce wait time. Two early successes drove more efforts to be rolled in.
An article titled “Keeping sight of the end while working through the means” is continuous improvement applied to public office. The author tells of a county office and their successes while applying continuous improvement efforts.
An interesting look at continuous improvement as applied to higher education came in the declarations and responses in an article titled “The Continuous Improvement Trap”. The first part of the article addresses the author’s negative views on continuous improvement and why it doesn’t apply to the higher education field. The second part is a response to each of the previous authors assertions and explanations to the shortsightedness of the first author. It is a good opportunity to see both sides of the same argument.
References
Alvarado-Ramirez, K. M., Pumisacho-Alvaro, V. H., (2018). Kaizen, a continuous improvement practice in organizations: a comparative study in companies from Mexico and Ecuador. The TQM Journal, 3(4), p. 255-268. 10.1108/TQM-07-2017-0085
Everett, S. (2006). Do more, better, for less. Library Journal, 131(15), 28.
Buchanan, W., & Hanes, P. (1999, June). Keeping sight of the end while working through the means. Public Management, 81(6),
Arnold, D. L., & Marchese, T. J. (2011). Perspectives: The Continuous Improvement Trap. Change, 43(2), 16–20.
Riley, S. (2010). Practice management. Journal of Practical Estate Planning, 12(5), 11-12.
Critique
Continuous Improvement (Kaizen) is an interesting topic. It is a broad concept, which has been applied in many organizations to enhance the visibility of efficiency, productivity and continues work improvements (Pérez, Castillo, Fernández, Hamelius, & Rosales, 2008). When explaining the key term, just putting the definition is not a good idea. In the essay, it seems imperative to set a direction to write a complete essay. It is not a weakness. However, it is a key suggestion to write an effective essay. The biggest weakness derived from the article summary is the absence of key principles, initiatives, or steps to contain continuous improvements. Despite containing the comparison between two companies, some key principles regarding the continuous improvements are not visible. Just talking about waste reduction and improving quality is not enough (Mitki, Shani, & Meiri, 2018). You have to articulate the impact on cost, employee force, and overall company’s profitability. Another weakness in the article summary is the lack of clarity. Several qualitative and quantitative aspects have been elaborated. The inclusion of these aspects seems baseless. The impact of the continuous improvement in production, supply chain, customers, employees, and the executive leadership team must be presented. It does not matter what research method is being used in the article. The focus is to be on results. Thus, this weakness can be improved easily to make the essay clearer. Despite elaborating training programs, checklist, and flow charts, the summary misses some causes of barriers (Jabnoun, 2001). For instance, you mentioned that Kaizen implementation is costly for companies. It is to be stated that what makes the continuous improvement difficult and costly along with a pertinent rationale. These are some weaknesses and suggestions for the writer to make this essay effective and well organized. I appreciate the concerns readings, continuous improvement, but it can be improved through injecting some more insights or examples.
References
A Six Sigma Application Project in an Air Conditioning Assembly Line. (2008). IIE Annual Conference. Proceedings, 1457-1461.
Jabnoun, N. (2001). Values underlying continuous improvement. The TQM Magazine, 13 (6), 381-387.
Mitki, Y., Shani, A. B., & Meiri, Z. (2018). Kaizen, a continuous improvement practice in organizations. TQM Journal, 30 (4), 255-268.
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