Applying The Kaizen Management Model Into Process Theory

Streamline operations, reduce costs, improve efficiency, maximize profit, minimize waste, devote talent to core business

The flow of work in an organization is strongly influenced by the nature of the product or the service. The product or the service usually suggests the sequence and balance between jobs if the work is to be done efficiently.

There comes a time in every organization when certain ineffectiveness and inefficiencies disrupts business operations. These ineffectiveness and inefficiencies cause companies to suffer in the quality of service, products, reputation and ultimately, profits. In today’s economy, companies of all sizes and industry need to continuously be improving their way of operating their business in effort to remain competitive in today’s market place.

The Japanese word for continuous improvement, kaizen, is frequently used exchangeable with the word continuous improvement. From the Japanese character kai, signifies change, and the character Zen, meaning good, taken exactly, it means improvement. Even if kaizen is a Japanese notion, various U.S. firms taken it with significant achievement by uniting the finest of traditional Japanese practices with the strengths of Western industry practice, in other terms, by merging the profit of teamwork with the creativeness of the individual (Flint 2004). Some refer to its execution in the West as lean manufacturing since then, when joint with the doctrine of just-in-time (JIT), kaizen or continuous improvement shapes the groundwork for notion of lean manufacturing.

Throughout every organization, there is a system set up for effective performance management. It is known that there is a continuous process associated with performance management. In order have success in the process; managers must have extensive knowledge of the mission and goals of the organization. Once the mission and goal is set in place, there should be a cascading effect that trickles down to each employee within the organization. This paper summarizes an article titled “Performance Management Done Right: It’s Not the Form, It’s the Process” (Murray, n.d.) The published article breaks down what performance management actually entails and introduces a variety of ways to implement the tool that helps build

In the modern world, organizations need to focus on continuous improvements to their strategies, rules and structures in different departments of the organization, in accordance with the altering business environment and markets.

This a report of my experiences and findings during an eight month industrial internship placement (Jan 2014 to August 2014) at SeisWare International Inc: an “industry leader in the development, sales and support of seismic interpretation software” [1]. In particular, it is a company that focuses on exploration and production in the oil and gas industry through the support and development of its software package. Contained within this package are varied applications which provide the tools and utilities needed to streamline a geophysicist’s workflow.

In our modern organization, there are certain tools that are used to shape & build a more quality infrastructure. The significance of the various elements attached to KM cycles help provide innovation on propelling organizations. There are four essential areas that play a significant difference on developing a firm foundation. (1) Knowledge creation and/or capture, helps increase our effectiveness within displaying on ability of exemplifying quality work results. It also develops better efficient ideas of innovation or developing a sense of techniques to effectively demonstrate an effective effort in attaining desirable results (2) Knowledge Acquisition & Application helps building between areas that may needed to be redefined with new innovation/knowledge. The other incentive maybe understanding new efficient opportunities to reach the conceptual goal (3) Knowledge codification helps with attaining organization from various entities that are essential to organizational functioning proper. At Swift Transportation, the knowledge codification for drivers stem from the Qualcomm. The Qualcomm helps store routes, paperwork, newsletter, & other important information concerning jobs specifics (4) Knowledge Sharing & Dissemination becomes available through the Qualcomm (Frost, 2010). There are outlets that helps all departments within our company to transfer information. The new developments are readily made accessible from corporate headquarters to our trucks.

Kudler’s management team change management approach consists of management and employee’s interacting in a shared mission (Leban & Stone, 2008). The change management approach will ensure management that employees understand the importance of the modification how he or she and company stakeholders will benefit from the modification (Green, 2007). Sharing the mission with employees and stakeholders will help employee’s easily follow the organization’s purpose and adapt to the change within the division. Sales employee will also have the opportunity of obtaining receiving bonuses reward for result achieved in the modification by an increase in sales and productivity.

In the operation of the company, there are some continuous improvements, that can be applied, but the operation in essence is the same. It could have some points in the process that can be change and/ or improve, inside a cycle of changes.

However, I refer to Information flow as visualizing the operational data flowing in a system, consider an automated system for stock ordering or billing. Supermarket tills are linked automatically to stock rooms, stock rooms to logistics and logistics to suppliers. The meter readers employed by utility companies are likely to have hand-held electronic readers linked to the organization’s invoicing system.

The implementation strategy for the organizational change that includes the introduction of key performance indicators (KPIs), lean performance initiatives and cash-flow management will be both top-down and bottom-up. Clear communication that brings employees of all levels on board with the changes being made and how it affects them and the future of their company and job must be made. Ensuring that all stakeholders understand that they have a say in the success of their company and therefore increased success for themselves is paramount.

Kaizen - is one of approaches for improving organization of performance. This term was coined in Japan and meant a system of interrelated activities which lead to the improvement of the quality of products, processes and management system. In the modern sense kaizen is a system of continuous quality improvement, technologies, processes, corporate culture, productivity, reliability, leadership and other aspects of the company.

In the literature review I talked about some of different principals that kaizen has. I also explained the importance of teamwork in an organizations which is one of kaizen’s principals. I discussed about how teamwork can be beneficial for the company and also for each employee. Teamwork would be a chance for each employee to speak up and come with ideas that can actually improve the company’s performance. Also it’s an opportunity for the company to take advantage of each employee’s skill and talent and to get the work done in the less amount of time and reduce waste of time.

Altogether these factors couple together to compel the business establishments to adopt modern methods, procedures and mechanisms (Shaw, 2009). This can be estimated from the fact all businesses that have taken up the new working methodology have survived/grown, whereas all businesses that have avoided the adaptation of the modern methods have run out or are in bad shape. The cause for their failure is not lack of resources or less effort, merely only the deficiency in work distribution and monitoring. One recent trend observed in the business management is that each business operation needs to be carried out at an optimal level that might create the best results (Chowdhury, 2016). This is not an easy task and needs careful monitoring of the business managers. In order to cope up with this is a requirement, all these activities are categorised under the respective departments.