Kaizen: learn what it is and how to use this method

Have you ever heard of the Kaizen method? We can say that Japanese culture is characterized by its philosophical worldview — which is why Japan stands out for its brilliant minds and companies that are role models for the market.

This methodology was created in the country in the 1950s with the aim of rebuilding it after the Second World War. Its purpose is to improve production, provide continuous improvement to the business and reduce inefficiencies .

If you are interested in learning more about the meaning of Kaizen and how to use this method, continue reading the post to check out the details. Let’s go!

What is Kaizen?

Kaizen is a way that means “continuous improvement”, so it focuses on the search for improvements. After all, no matter what you do, there is always a way to do it better. In a broad sense, it is a methodology that is connected with the concept of optimization, showing how it is possible to achieve improvement.

Due to its concept, this method is often used by the marketing area as a management system aimed at constantly improving processes. In this context, the objective is to reduce inefficiencies and negative practices that reduce the performance of a company’s system.

Thus, through small change processes, it is possible to perceive relevant and positive impacts in the long term using the Kaizen method.

What is this method for?

The Kaizen method provides constant progress to processes by creating and measuring certain quality standards. To understand what this methodology is really for, we can look at its advantages. The main ones are:

• the reduction of costs;
• increased productivity;
• reducing waste in the organization;
• the improvement of quality;
• increasing customer satisfaction levels.

In fact, it is worth highlighting productivity in particular. After all, implementing an agile culture and improving processes through the adoption of tools are currently fundamental factors for companies.

In this sense, the continuous improvement advocated by the Kaizen methodology has as one of its main benefits, precisely, the increase in productivity levels. In other words, the famous phrase “do more with less” is put into practice.

What are its main steps?

The Kaizen method uses the five “S” to reduce or eliminate unproductive periods and to plan the step-by-step process of an improved production system. They are:

1. seiketsu — involves taking care of hygiene, both personal and environmental;
2. seiso — includes maintaining cleanliness and order;
3. seiri — involves making a classification between useless and useful;
4. seiton — involves ordering what is useful and deciding about what is useless;
5. sheitzuke — encompasses the promotion of self-control and discipline to improve productivity.

Where can the Kaizen method be applied?

It is possible to apply the five steps of the Kaizen method both in the professional environment and in personal life (to learn how to plan financially or raise funds , for example). However, in general, the methodology is more commonly adopted by companies.

As a rule, all departments in a company can apply Kaizen. However, the focus is on the factors that are most likely to generate a greater financial return.

The sectors of an organization that usually require faster solutions are those that must respond quickly to consumer dissatisfaction. Examples include technology, product development, etc.

When a company’s customers are dissatisfied, the consequences are often felt in cash flow — which is why it is essential to always seek continuous improvement, especially in the most critical areas. Projects that directly impact corporate profits are usually the target of the methodology.

However, Kaizen can be relevant to several areas, such as those involving the following aspects:

• costs — reduction in expenses, use of materials, labor, resources and energy;
• safety — improving working conditions and reducing damage to the environment;
• quality — improvement in services, practices, products, processes and the work environment;
• management — positive impacts on administration, process flows, procedures, information systems and the preparation of reports and documentation;
• delivery — reduction of delivery time.

It is also worth highlighting that, although Kaizen was designed for manufacturing, it can also be applied to other segments, such as Information Technology, Finance , Healthcare, etc.

How to apply it?

To be able to apply the Kaizen method in practice, it is interesting to follow some tips, such as:

• not to remain stuck in the past, always seeking to replace traditional and fixed ideas with new ones;
• always question the standards and practices that are used in order to discover what can be improved;
• try to think about how to put the improvement or idea into practice instead of focusing on the negative aspects of something or the reasons why something cannot be done. In other words, try to see the positive side of the change;
• put solutions into practice — which is even more important than seeking perfection — even if the goal is not fully achieved, since the method presents gradual results;
• seek to act instead of making excuses;
• Try to correct errors as soon as you notice them, because, according to the Kaizen method, you should not fix what you identified today another day.

It is worth noting that Kaizen can also be seen as a philosophy. In other words, a way of thinking, and therefore the method should not be treated as a project with an expiration date that must be completed. This means that the ways of application that we present should be seen as “mantras” by those who adopt the methodology.

Now that you know what Kaizen is and that it is the result of a continuous effort that requires the participation of everyone involved, try to put this philosophy into practice if you want to generate improvements in your life. This applies to both the professional sphere (leveraging your company, for example) and the personal sphere (maintaining financial organization , emotional balance, etc.).