BUS4101 Week 2 Disc

Continuous Improvement

Kaizen is a Japanese word for a process of continuous improvement.  The Kaizen approach can be used

for the continuous improvement of processes involved in basic day-to-day activities, as well as in the

overall change of an organization. Kaizen encompasses all the strategies for continuous improvement

and involves not only the management, but also the customers and employees of an organization.

Organizations use a variety of approaches and methods to achieve the continuous improvement of

processes. However, having a road map based on a strategic process is always helpful in such

implementations.  Five strategies for a successful continuous improvement approach are as follows: 

1. Make sure you understand the process that needs to be improved. This understanding might

include a description of the way in which the process is currently handled.

2. Analyze the existing process, make the necessary changes, and delineate a standard process map for everyone to follow. This step will make sure everyone is doing the same thing.

3. Eliminate errors by evaluating the process; determine if it is the most appropriate method for

doing a particular task.

4. Streamline the process to make sure it is the most ef�cient.

5. Make sure there are no variations and reevaluate the process to check for errors. You may use

SPC to accomplish this task. 

Related to the continuous improvement of processes, benchmarking is another method used to implement total quality management. Benchmarking is a process for comparing an organization's

operations or processes with those of a world class leader for the operation or process under

consideration. It is important to note benchmarking focuses on processes, not products.  An example

of such benchmarking could be an auto parts retailer benchmarking their own shipping procedures

against Land’s End’s shipping process, for which Land’s End is well known. 

In the decades after World War II, Japanese industry embraced the ideas of continuous improvement.  The Supplemental Media entitled “Kaizen” describes the �ve elements of the Kaizen approach. 

Additional Materials

View a PDF transcript of Kaizen  (media/week5/SUO_BUS4101%20W5%20L2%20Kaizen.pdf?

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