Movie Case Study
Two brothers Mac and Dic Mcdonalds are explaining their cooking process at Mcdonalds to Ray Krock (played by Michael Keaton). To improve their kitchen staff to work efficiently, they took their staff to a tennis court and started finding the best way to operate.
In this blog, Learning Perspectives will explore the meaning of Kaizen.
What is Kaizen?
Kaizen is a Japanese term that translates to ‘continuous improvement’. Kai means to change and zen means ‘for the better’. This scene is a classic example of what continuous improvement looks like in business. Kiazen mentions making small improvements daily so that efficiency and quality can be achieved. It involves engaging employees while making decisions.
Features of Kaizen
Reducing Waste
Kaizen helps in the reduction of waste. This includes eliminating unnecessary steps in the process or in inventory management or waiting time. Similar to the scene that we saw, the brothers are trying to make the process of making burgers smooth in the kitchen.
Regular Improvement
Toyota, an automobile company adopted the principles of Kaizen in their production process. It identifies any challenges in the production process and eliminates anything that doesn’t work.
Employee Engagement
People who are closest to the process can make the best improvements hence Kaizen engages employees while implementing changes.
Principles of Kaizen
- Know your customer
- Let it flow, targeting zero waste
- Go to Gemba, where the action happens
- Empower people
- Be transparent
References:
Kaizen.com
Toyota.com
