Search results

The purpose of this paper is to depict how Kaizen and continuous improvement (CI) are represented in scientific journals focusing on quality management (QM) from the 1980s until 2017. Additionally, the study aims to examine how Kaizen is studied and described and how the relationship between Kaizen and CI is portrayed.

The study applies a mixed methods approach to search for tendencies and outlines concerning Kaizen and CI in four scientific journals focusing on QM and two focusing on OM. The data set contains entries from 1980 until 2017, which makes it possible to depict how Kaizen has evolved over more than 30 years.

The findings show that Kaizen and CI attained special interest in the mid-1990s, after which interest appears to have decreased. However, the findings imply that a regenerated interest for the areas spiked post 2010. In addition, the results indicate that Kaizen is on the one hand accepted by one part of the management community but on the other hand completely ignored by the rest. Finally, the data illuminate a need to strengthen and clarify Kaizen’s theoretical basis and its relationship to CI.

If an aspiration exists to increase the success rate of Kaizen implementation, the results from the study highlight the need to address and clarify epistemological, terminological and theoretical issues.

Prior data mining studies pinpointing how Kaizen and CI have evolved over the last 30 years appear not to exist.

Describes Rover′s setting up of a quality strategy and policy based on a process model of the company, representing an integrated set of activities and goals which Rover must achieve in order to reach its vision. Discusses the Rover Group′s quality policy. Contends that failure to achieve any one milestone may have an effect on the achievement of the goal. Asserts it is only when the processes of the daily work are consistent, in harmony, and directed at customer satisfaction that Rover will be able to make its vision a reality. Concludes that Rover has now moved away from a quality system defined in detail from the centre to a delegated system which relies totally on people wanting to do it right.

The Gemba‐Kaizen approach is a key business process strategy employed by companies (multinationals also) to enhance their manufacturing performance. However, whilst there is significant research information available on implementing management systems in a sequential manner, there is little information available relating to the application of this approach to provide a single and highly effective methodology for process innovation in the context of the Gemba‐Kaizen approach in multinational companies. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to develop and apply a process innovation framework in terms of methodology for multinational companies. The research question that governs the study is: How is the Gemba‐Kaizen approach applied in an organisational context such as that of a multinational food company in Mexico?

An exploratory case study was conducted. One multinational food company (chocolate) which has been established in Mexico for at least 19 years was selected. The paper chronicles the design and application of a process innovation framework in the context of the Gemba‐Kaizen approach. In total, four methods were used to gather data: direct observation; participative observation; documentary analysis; and semi‐structured interviews.

This paper proposes a process innovation framework using the Gemba‐Kaizen approach. The development, refinement and implementation of a process innovation framework in the context of the Gemba‐Kaizen approach has been achieved, working closely with a multinational food company. Consequently, as a result of the application, a conceptual framework was established, based on the results of comparing theory and fieldwork: this provides a glimpse into the relationship of the Gemba‐Kaizen approach with other improvement methodologies, known as Process Redesign, in the organisation analysed.

Derived to describe the case study on how to apply the Gemba‐Kaizen approach through process innovation methodology, the paper may prove to be of value to practitioners and managers involved in the field. Similarly, a section on managerial implications has also been included.

The paper contributes to the limited existing literature on the Gemba‐Kaizen system and subsequently disseminates this information in order to provide impetus, guidance and support towards increasing the development of companies, in an attempt to move the Mexico manufacturing (food) sector towards world‐class manufacturing performance.

This is a wise book about management, not another book about miracles from the Orient. Masaaki Imai believes that in corporate races the turtles can still beat the hares if they become smarter competitors. But they have to work at management to win. Why break your rule about not reading another book on Japanese management? For one thing, Kaizen is not just about Japanese management. Masaaki Imai writes about “management” in its fullest sense—how to make best use of all the resources in a company to set desirable objectives and then attain them. He bases his work on his long familiarity with business in the U.S. as well as Japan, and like much of Peter Drucker's work, it makes simple sense. Finally, it's about people and how to stimulate them to make their best contributions to corporate success. Perhaps the greatest hazard to its acceptance will be the response, “I already knew that!” But if that's true, why do so few executives really practice these things?

Since Masaaki Imai coined the term Kaizen in the mid 1980s it has been regarded as a key element in the competitiveness of Japanese companies. However, even though Kaizen was defined by the author who created the term, writings by scholars and practitioners in the field exhibit a certain degree of ambiguity and inconsistency. Finally, there is a clear need to develop this theory in the field of operations management. The purpose of this paper is to analyse Kaizen in the academic and practitioner literature, in order to better understand it and further explore and contribute to its potential theoretical profile.

A literature review was carried out using Kaizen as a search term. Various databases were used for this purpose and books written by both scholars and by practitioners on the subject were also consulted. The literature concerning Kaizen was methodically analysed and categorised.

The findings of the study indicate that Kaizen is presently displayed under three perspectives or umbrellas, which include a series of principles and techniques. By comparing the three perspectives, a set of guiding principles and/or cornerstones for Kaizen have also emerged.

Analysis and classification is based on the literature that has been found and reviewed, along with the knowledge of authors on the subject, and may include other features as well as other angles of analysis.

The Kaizen literature review is very limited. In writing this paper a considerable number of articles and research related to Kaizen has been reviewed. This review resulted in an initial classification of Kaizen (three umbrellas) and four major topics, which may prove useful for managers or executives who are introducing or developing Kaizen in their organizations.

As far as the authors are aware, this is one of the first papers that proposes a literature review in an attempt to clarify Kaizen, both in academic and practitioner ambits.

Since Masaaki Imai coined the term Kaizen in the mid-1980s, it has been seen as a key element for the competitiveness of Japanese companies, and it is currently a widely discussed philosophy and is applied in a wide range of organizations throughout the world. The purpose of this paper is to serve as guidance for researchers who are developing their studies in the field of the Kaizen philosophy, in order to improve their knowledge on the most relevant articles, the most productive authors or the key scientific journals that make up this subject.

In order to fulfill the proposed objective, a descriptive bibliometric study was carried out with the analysis of citations from 138 articles included in the multidisciplinary database Scopus (Elsevier) until 2016. For the search of documents, a tracking strategy was chosen that allowed for the development of the ad hoc database required to analyze each of the basic variables of the bibliometric indicators.

The results obtained show a growing interest of the scientific community in its study in the last decade, as shown by the significant increase in citations received by articles, despite the reduction in the number of papers published in the last two years.

The main limitations are derived from the choice of a specific database, as well as the specific search equation.

The study presents an in-depth analysis of the current state of research regarding the Kaizen philosophy through its bibliometric study, providing useful information for academics and professionals by providing a series of significant indicators to measure the bibliographic material.

Understanding work and its improvement from the individual’s perspective has become a critical issue in the 21st century. We are witnessing an overwhelming amount of information that is contributing to high stress levels among workers worldwide, which in turn has a significant impact on their physical health. From Imai's (1986) concept of Kaizen-Individual and Ohno’s (1978) idea of Manual Kaizen, the individual has always been at the heart of Kaizen philosophy. Recent research continues to explore this concept, focusing on aspects such as a sense of urgency or self-improvement. In this way, the purpose of this research is to explore and understand in depth Individual Kaizen in the micro work of Japanese companies; for this, the following research question is available: How is Individual Kaizen implemented in the work processes of the Japanese manufacturing companies examined?

The methodology used was qualitative due to its exploratory nature. To this end, the strategy of multiple case studies was used during stays in manufacturing companies in Japan. Methods of direct observation, documentary analysis, and in-depth semi-structured interviews were used.

The study in Japanese companies shed light on the micro work environment and how workers execute their processes through operational standards focused on visual control (mieruka), individual and manual Kaizen as well as quality at the source. With all this context, the result was that Individual Kaizen is made up of four major elements: willingness to improve (Jishusei), life purpose (Ikigai), sense of urgency and commitment to work (Kodawari).

The authors acknowledge that this study may have certain limitations due to its exploratory nature. Although a case study methodology was employed, limitations are always possible, primarily due to the small sample size and the bias that may arise from leaving out certain companies or key actors. Furthermore, the interviews were conducted only in a few Japanese companies, most of which are large and have an international presence.

Few studies have analyzed Kaizen in Japan, perhaps those by Brunet and New (2003), Macpherson (2015) and Yokozawa et al. (2021). However, delving deeper into the term Individual Kaizen in the micro-work of Japanese companies is novel and unique, in the sense of generating more theoretical constructs of Kaizen. First article that attempts to explain this work dynamic in micro work through Individual Kaizen.

World Health Organizations (WHO) (2023) states that governments and employers have a responsibility to uphold that right by providing work that simultaneously prevents workers from experiencing excessive stress and mental health risks. The business environment continues to produce a lot of stress on workers, which includes internal pressures to achieve results and employees suffer the consequences. Some companies have turned to mindfulness as a technique that helps mitigate these consequences and have joined Kaizen as a process improvement technique in the work environment. Therefore, this study has a research purpose: “to comprehend the possible linkage between Kaizen philosophy from an individual perspective, with Mindfulness ZEN Buddhism technique to understand the individual benefit (well-being) of each employee in organizations.” The answer to this represents the research gap in this article. The research questions governing this study are as follows: RQ1: Does Mindfulness is used as Kaizen technique of personal-individual improvement in 21st-century organizations? RQ2: What elements and characteristics of Kaizen and mindfulness can be found working together? And RQ3: Which qualitative impact of mindfulness and Kaizen in the workplace outcome (well-being, performance of the job (process)) and relationships with other employees)?

This research used a qualitative approach due to the recent phenomenon studied. In a certain way, it was used a mixed-method (combination of qualitative data – web search secondary data analysis and qualitative research-Convergence Model). First, it was done an intensive web search with the aim to identify companies' corporate mindfulness programs, along with companies which have applied mindfulness and Kaizen programs. It was identified a group of big companies with global and international presence (“famous” for their products and services) in diverse industrial and service sectors, country of origin and business locations; with the purpose of getting a holistic vision of all organizations which have practice Kaizen and mindfulness. Therefore, this study explored secondary data related to both practices, analyzing reports or briefings published in management magazines and official WEB pages and/or business magazines.

As a result of the triangulation of the data with its secondary data convergence model and qualitative research, a theoretical framework was reached that shows the benefits of the two combined twin techniques of Kaizen and mindfulness. The worker experiences a path that goes from concentrating on the execution of their processes, following their operating standards (Standardize, Do, Check, Act [SDCA] cycle), going through the evolution to continuous improvement or Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle, experiencing work with concentration-awareness and reducing your daily stress, maintaining high sensitivity to the work process and your environment and finally, discovering an essential life purpose. Finally, worker experiences benefit when there is wide application of both with the SDCA and PDCA cycles such as high motivation, constant learning from your mistakes, day-to-day learning and the Munen Musso (not using the mind).

The main limitation is the qualitative methodological bias and secondary data research. In addition, to have a theoretical sample. However, the richness of the data helps to overcome this limitation. On the other hand, the qualitative research interviews are for a certain geographical area, therefore, the results cannot be generalized.

The results of this research can shed light on operations managers in the use of techniques for continuous improvement and improvement of people's quality of life, such as mindfulness. In Mexico, they are beginning to be used jointly (twin techniques) to comply with Regulation 035 of psychosocial risk, the researchers are sure that in other countries it will be used in the same way to comply with regulations. However, the research findings show the benefits that can be provided to workers in organizations by applying Kaizen and Mindfulness together.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, according to the literature review, this is the first article that explores the relationship between Kaizen and Mindfulness as twin techniques that help improve the individual quality of life of employees in organizations.