Kaizen – It’s not just the tools, it’s alive!

One of the minor irritations of being a teacher and practitioner of Kaizen is the way in which so many people think that it is simply a standard collection of tools such as Kanban, Poka Yoke, and 5S. Kaizen is really a frame of mind, one that is predisposed to improvement as a daily practice, a way of life, something that is as natural to do as eating or sleeping. The term Kai means “change for the better” or improvement, the term Zen coming from the practices of Zen Buddhism implies “way of life”, “daily practice” or “learning by doing”. The word Kaizen is thus usually translated into English as Continuous Improvement. The Kaizen tools built up over the years in industrial and service contexts are the result of the practical application of this Kaizen attitude of mind. Paradoxically, it is also possible to come to an understanding of Kaizen thinking by first being introduced to the tools it has produced. By using the tools people can come to understand and live the philosophy, and by learning about the philosophy and living it, they develop the tools for their own situation. In this way the toolset of Kaizen develops organically to suit any new industry, sector or situation to which Kaizen thinking is applied. So rather than a rigid set of specific tools Kaizen is a mind set that people choose to adopt, which enables their organizations to continually adapt to the changing requirements of both their customers and marketplaces.

Peter Prior-Mills - Director
Sanderson & Neale Lean Process Ltd
www.sandneallp.com
Copyright 2007 Six Sigma City Ltd