Set out and carried abroad by Masaaki Imai (Kaizen, 1986) from Toyota's production system and the postwar Japanese quality movement.
Commits everyone in an organization to small, daily improvements in their own work, with time and recognition for making them, so gains compound between big change programs.
When to reach for it
Building an improvement habit, or large change programs that keep stalling while the gains need to accumulate steadily.
How it runs
- Let every employee propose small improvements to their own work.
- Give explicit time, tools, and recognition for improving.
- Put small improvements in place quickly.
- Track and share the cumulative effect.
- Have leaders practice the habit visibly.
Where it sits in SOLVE eX
Go to the source
- Kaizen: The Key to Japan's Competitive Success, 1986