:author

:Preface

Since I joined the Kaizen Institute Consulting Group in 1998, I have had the privilege of applying kaizen in many corporations worldwide. People’s perceptions of kaizen have evolved since Masaaki Imai first presented the kaizen principles in 1985, and nowadays it is accepted as a fundamental management philosophy. The meaning of kaizen is “change for the better” or “continuous improvement,” and more and more companies are adopting continuous improvement (or CI, as it is more commonly known) management systems. In fact, CI is becoming a company strategy dedicated to the continuous improvement of operations, a truly operational strategy based on kaizen principles and tools. Lean is another way of describing kaizen or continuous improvement, and we often hear of companies implementing a Lean management system (sometimes called a Lean transformation process). Six Sigma is also very popular. Many consulting companies have recently altered their marketing strategy to Lean Sigma, which is supposedly a combination of Six Sigma and Lean. Regardless of terminology, the goal of all these strategies is the same—the implementation of a sustainable operations strategy that delivers extraordinary results in terms of safety, quality, delivery, cost, and motivation (SQDCM). This is exactly what happened in Toyota with its well-publicized Toyota Production System (and lesser-known Toyota Operations System). The relentless, step-by-step application of kaizen principles changed the company’s culture, defined the way of thinking of all its employees, and produced extraordinary results. Today this strategy has contributed to Toyota’s undeniable global success and its recognition as a true leader in the field of manufacturing. Toyota is a truly dantotsu (meaning “by far the best”) company