Kaizen Practices Research Articles

Achieving operational resilience through kaizen practice: a case in a commercial livestock farm in Nigeria

PurposeThis study is focused on achieving operational resilience through the practices of kaizen across the operational structure. The research is based on a case study of a commercial livestock farm in Nigeria. The study views the practice of kaizen from the perspective of the commitment of the members of the case study organisation who are directly involved with the operations of the organisation.Design/methodology/approachThe study applies a qualitative approach to explore the topic, engaging members of the case study organisation in the research to gather relevant data on the implementation of kaizen practices and the drive to attain resilience in the case study organisation. Semi-structured personal interviews and workshops were used for data collection. The study adopts systems theory to explore the topic, identifying and engaging relevant stakeholders.FindingsParts of the findings relating to kaizen are the issues with the livestock production process, aggressive leadership and the issue of livestock mortality in the case study organisation. These were discussed based on extant literature. The study affirms the importance of organisational members' commitment and adequate leadership support to achieve sustainable kaizen practices. The study highlights the need to align kaizen practices with relevant organisational practices, such as reward systems and contextual requirements for its implementation in an operational process. The study suggests that further study can focus on the dynamics of the legal system on the implementation of kaizen, especially from a developing economic background like Nigeria, where this study was conducted.Originality/valueThe study projects learning about the spatial factors that can affect the practices of kaizen in critical sectors like livestock management.

Development, validation and verification of innovative integrated Kaizen philosophy (CI) framework and its implementation procedure for enhancing manufacturing industries sustainable competitiveness

PurposeExisting conceptual, empirical and case studies evidence suggests that manufacturing industries find the joint implementation of Kaizen philosophy initiatives. However, the existing practices rarely demonstrated in a single framework and implementation procedure in a structure nature. This paper, therefore, aims to develop, validate and practically test a framework and implementation procedure for the implementation of integrated Kaizen in manufacturing industries to attain long-term improvement of operational, innovation, business (financial and marketing) processes, performance and competitiveness.Design/methodology/approachThe study primarily described the problem, extensively reviewed the current state-of-the-art literature and then identified a gap. Based on it, generic and comprehensive integrated framework and implementation procedure is developed. Besides, the study used managers, consultants and academics from various fields to validate a framework and implementation procedure for addressing business concerns. In this case, the primary data was collected through self-administered questionnaire, and 244 valid questionnaires were received and were analyzed. Furthermore, the research verified the practicability of the framework by empirically exploring the current scenario of selected manufacturing companies.FindingsThe research discovered innovative framework and six-phase implementation procedure to fill the existing conceptual gap. Furthermore, the survey-based and exploratory empirical analysis of the research demonstrated that the practice of the proposed framework based on structured procedure is valued and companies attain the middling improvements of productivity, delivery time, quality, 5S practice, waste and accident rate by 61.03, 44, 52.53, 95.19, 80.12, and 70.55% respectively. Additionally, the companies saved a total of 14933446 ETH Birr and 5,658 M2 free spaces. Even though, the practices and improvements vary from company to company, and even companies unable to practice some of the unique techniques of the identified CI initiatives considered in the proposed framework.Research limitations/implicationsAll data collected in the survey came from professionals working for Ethiopian manufacturing companies, universities and government. It is important to highlight that n = 244 is high sample size, which is adequate for a preliminary survey but reinforcing still needs further survey in terms of generalization of the results since there are hundreds of manufacturing companies, consultants and academicians implementing and consulting Kaizen. Therefore, a further study on a wider Ethiopian manufacturing companies, consultants and academic scale would be informative.Practical implicationsThis work is very important for Kaizen professionals in the manufacturing industry, academic and government but in particular for senior management and leadership teams. Aside from the main findings on framework development, there is some strong evidence that practice of Kaizen resulted in achieving quantitative (monetary and non-monetary) and qualitative results. Thus, senior management teams should use this research out to practice and analyze the effect of Kaizen on their own organizations. Within the academic community, this study is one of the first focusing on development, validating and practically testing and should aid further study, research and understanding of Kaizen in manufacturing industries.Originality/valueSo far, it is rare to find preceding studies proposed, validated and practically test an integrated Kaizen framework with the context of manufacturing industries. Thus, authors understand that this is the very first research focused on the development of the framework for manufacturing industries continuously to be competitive and could help managers, institutions, practitioners and academicians in Kaizen practice.

Kaizen practices and performance improvement in Zambian manufacturing companies

There is strong evidence that Zambian manufacturing organisations are increasingly implementing Kaizen programs to help them improve productivity and enhance delivery performance. This study aims to investigate the relationship between Kaizen practices and improvement in performance in Zambian manufacturing companies. The study also sought to determine the challenges faced by manufacturing companies in implementing Kaizen practices. The study employed a cross-sectional descriptive research design with the target population being manufacturing companies in two highly industrialised regions in Zambia. Thirty-three questionnaires were distributed, and 31 companies responded. Based on the conceptual framework developed, hypotheses were formulated and tested using the ordinary least squares regression modelling approach. The results show that the 5Ss were the most popular activities implemented, while the Suggestion System was the least implemented. Implementing Kaizen practices leads to significant operations performance improvements in manufacturing companies in the form of productivity, quality, and overall equipment effectiveness. The results also show that employee attitude is the major challenge in implementing Kaizen, while management support or leadership is the last hurdle. The research provides an early understanding of the successes of the implementation of Kaizen practices in manufacturing companies in Zambia.

Razlike u primeni Kaizena između zemalja i tipova industrije u multinacionalnom lancu snabdevanja

Previous research shows that Kaizen's benefits are multiple and evident, but its practices in the supply chain have been sufficiently examined now. Conversely, we are witnessing numerous issues in contemporary global supply networks. In this survey, after conducting a literature review, three research questions regarding Kaizen modes of usage were formulated and tested on the sample of 195 enterprises that are part of the global supply chain, located in 31 countries, and active in two different types of industries - aircraft, and transportation. A combined approach containing descriptive statistics, reliability, factor analysis, and statistical hypothesis testing by Kruskal-Wallis one-way ANOVA and Mann-Whitney U tests were used. Results show significant differences between Kaizen practices applied in countries such as Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada, the USA, Japan, and China, where national and corporate cultures differ. Kaizen implementation significantly differs between companies operating in the aircraft and transportation sectors, which is unsurprising since aircraft industry has a higher formalization level. The goal to determine the differences in Kaizen practices around the globe was fulfilled since statistically significant differences indicate the importance of the contextual factors and connect adverse and Kaizen events.

Kaizen Approach to Quality Improvement and its Financial Implication

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the impact of kaizen practice and how it affects the quality of large manufacturing firms particularly, Kilimanjaro international leather company.
 Design/methodology/approach. In this study, the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle technique was employed to lower the production process's defect rate. The fishbone served as a tool for support. The PDCA cycle and fishbone are two top-notch techniques that aid in reducing the number of defective parts.
 Findings: The defect rate decreased by 2%. Improvement in the production process was achieved.
 Research limitation: One large manufacturing industry is insufficient to generalize the study's primary results. This will be achieved in the future by doing additional investigations in several large manufacturing firms.
 Practical implication: This study will provide consultants and practitioners with a valuable understanding of how Kaizen improves the financial performance of large manufacturing industries in Tanzania.
 Social Implications: The majority of learning exercises carried out during kaizen projects seek to enhance social outcomes in terms of staff members' problem-solving skills and attitudes. Particularly, Kaizen coordinators are concerned with group members' understanding of continuous improvement as well as their communication and problem-solving abilities.
 Originality/Value: Although some studies on kaizen have been conducted, it is currently discovered that there is insufficient literature on the application and impact of the kaizen concept in large manufacturing enterprises. Based on this case study, the framework of kaizen philosophy practices is offering useful insights for leather companies, other manufacturing industries, and organizations, including the Tanzania Kaizen unit, practitioners, and academicians.

Conceptual Framework of Kaizen Practices on Organizational Performance

The purpose of this study is to examine the Kaizen practices has a significant influence on organizational performance. Researchers will use a quantitative approach by distributing questionnaires to obtain data from respondents. This paper is prepared by reviewing the relevant literature on the Kaizen practices. The conceptual framework developed in this study can be used as a guideline for implementing Kaizen practices and organizational performance. The researchers concluded that Kaizen practices is appropriate to be implemented in higher education institutions because it provides a great advantage to the performance of the organization. Therefore, higher education institutions need to implement Kaizen practices to create a culture of continuous improvement to improve the education system in the future.

The Effect of Kaizen Implementation and Sustainability on Performance of the Manufacturing Sector in Ethiopia

Today’s modern society, where business dynamism is changing fast, requires going beyond the traditional managerial approach. This research examines how and the context of Kaizen implementation affects the sustainability and Performance of manufacturing companies in Ethiopia. The study follows the framework of the Kaizen practices implemented in Ethiopia as the application of Kaizen tools, kaizen thinking, and culture. The findings indicate that there is a positive correlation between Kaizen Implementation factors (input factors) and sustainability factors in relation to the Performance of manufacturing companies in Ethiopia. The results of the study suggest that manufacturing companies in Ethiopia should emphasize working on promoting the Kaizen culture and empowerment of employees coupled with the use of the Kaizen tools effectively and adapted to the context of each company to enhance the Performance and achieve competitive advantage. Empowerment factors include all variables that measure thinking and culture. The variables are critical for sustaining Kaizen in terms of maintaining improved culture. For Kaizen to be sustainable, employees need to be empowered to learn, apply and own the changes. The results from the PLS path model analysis indicate that the dependent variable (improved culture) is found to have a strong relationship with two implementation variables (independent variables): empowerment and leadership commitment. Keywords: Culture, Empowerment, Leadership Commitment, Sustainability, Performance.

The integrated effect of Kaizen and innovation culture on the police performance: an empirical investigation

PurposeLimited use of Kaizen practices in police agencies, together with very few studies that investigated the link between it and police performance, gives a gap and good indication to conduct this study. Thus, this study seeks to explore and examine this relationship through the lens of innovation culture as a mediating factor.Design/methodology/approachThis paper was based on a survey with 352 effective participants, including the head section officers of the Dubai Police in the UAE. A structural equation modelling technique was used for statistical analysis.FindingsResults indicate that Kaizen was positively associated with police performance. Innovation culture also plays a mediating role in the relationship between Kaizen and police performance.Originality/valueThis paper has theoretical and practical contributions. It is one of the first studies to create and test the direct and indirect associations between Kaizen and police performance, providing evidence on the mediating role of innovation culture with regard to Kaizen and performance in the policing field.

Human resources quality improvement from the perspective of Kaizen practices

Kaizen has long been known as an improvement philosophy that starts with small frequent changes to make larger changes in production. These changes come from the ideas and creative thinking of employees to ensure that the production conditions and processes are continuously improved. However, Kaizen not only helps motivate employees to think creatively with effective methods and skills, but it also helps them develop their capabilities, personality, and good work habits. The purpose of this paper is to show a new approach to human resources quality improvement through the Kaizen philosophy as a sustainable and active strategy to improve work performance. With analytical research on the relationship between Kaizen implementation, human resources quality improvement, and production efficiency and exploratory research on particular cases in manufacturing enterprises in Vietnam, the authors point out changes in production efficiency and human capacity before and after implementing improvement (Kaizen) projects. The paper finds significant changes of employee capability (Kaizen practitioners) after evaluating the human resource development process on the basis of six indicators of two groups (namely capacity development, personality development) and a set of criteria using a 5-point scale. In addition, the paper proposes a PDCA based framework with 12 contents corresponding to stages of the human resource development. This paper extends theories related to Lean Manufacturing or Kaizen, highlighting how philosophy of Kaizen has hard and soft impacts on the improvement of performance and human resources.

KAIZEN PRACTICES AMONG ACCOUNTING STUDENTS AND LECTURERS IN AZMAN HASHIM INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS SCHOOL

The implementation of Kaizen had widely been adopted in many organizations. Higher Education Institutions (HEI) is one of the organizations that there is no exception in practicing Kaizen to enhance the continuous improvement in their education institution performance. The objective of this study is to identify the Kaizen practices among accounting students and lecturers in Azman Hashim International Business School. The researcher will use a quantitative approach by distributing questionnaires to obtain data from respondents. The researcher concludes that Kaizen practices are suitable to be implemented in higher education institution because it gives huge advantages towards the entire organizational performance. Education institutions should guide the Kaizen practices to create a culture of ongoing improvement to improve the education system from time to time in the future.

Application of Kaizen philosophy for enhancing manufacturing industries’ performance: exploratory study of Ethiopian chemical industries

PurposeKaizen is an umbrella concept for a management philosophy based on a set of principles and values with different tools and techniques that form part of Company-Wide Quality Control. The purpose of this study to explore the empirical evidence of Kaizen philosophy practice and its effect on Ethiopian manufacturing industries, chemical companies in particular.Design/methodology/approachAfter the literature review, an exploratory empirical research, supported on a company observation, was adopted. The eight companies visit giveaway collecting annual technical reports and Kaizen award presentations. The review structure encompassed four major approaches. The first approach is conducting extensive literature review and adopting methodologies. The second approach is examining secondary data and developing SWOT analysis. The third is exploring Kaizen practices, developing framework, identifying drivers and barriers using charts, diagrams and graphs. The final approach is proposing way forward and implications based on the findings from the investigative study to emphasize the link between Kaizen practice and its effect on manufacturing industries’ performance.FindingsThe findings indicate practice of Kaizen brought in achieving monetary, nonmonetary and qualitative results. However, results vary from company to company. The average attained improvements of productivity, production volume, machine productivity and sales volume are 2.77%, 28.69%, 10.14% and 31.53% respectively. Moreover, a total of 71,932,472.19 ETB is saved by following structured framework and practice of social and technical factors. However, companies could not sustain Kaizen activities and unable to maintain the attained substantial improvements due to less effort made on some of the Kaizen practices identified as barriers on the cause and effect diagram of this exploratory study.Research limitations/implications:A sample size of eight companies is not adequate to generalize key findings of this study. This will be put right by carrying out further surveys in the future using questionnaire and semistructured interviews.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study underlined that practice of Kaizen philosophy on chemical companies supported by structured implementation framework, full practice of drivers, eradicating barriers, sustaining practices and maintaining improvements enable in enhancing chemical companies performance through achieving quantitative (monetary and nonmonetary) and qualitative results.Originality/valueAlthough there are a number of studies published on Kaizen, currently it is found that there is lack of literature on practice and effect of Kaizen philosophy. Based on this exploratory study and assessment, the framework and circumstance of Kaizen philosophy practices are providing valuable insights for chemical companies, other manufacturing industries and organizations, which will be on board on this voyage including Ethiopian Kaizen Institute, practitioners and academicians.

Разработка и реализация процедуры решения производственных проблем

The article presents the main results of the development of a comprehensive toolkit for solving production problems in the field of quality built on the basis of Kaizen practice.

МЕТОДИКА СТАНДАРТИЗАЦИИ ОПЕРАЦИЙ В МАШИНОСТРОИТЕЛЬНОМ ПРОИЗВОДСТВЕ

The article presents the main results of the development of a comprehensive toolkit for solving production problems in the field of quality built on the basis of Kaizen practice.

Experience of providing quality standards in investment projects under uncertainty

Methods. The methodological basis of the study is comparative analysis – to compare global and domestic experience in ensuring product quality. Along with this, methods of generalization and systematization were used – to identify and justify the criteria for assessing risks that are used in the practical activities of enterprises when making decisions in investment activities. Results. The European and Ukrainian regulatory documents that regulate economic activity in the field of production of cosmetics are analyzed. The requirements for the quality of cosmetic products are characterized. Examples of the implementation of general requirements for quality standards are given both in Ukrainian industries and those that determine quality parameters based on the use of Japanese kaizen practice. The main criteria are analyzed when substantiating the adoption of effective decisions in the activities of enterprises whose functioning is associated with risk and uncertainty. Five stages of the life cycle of the investment project are highlighted and the need for them to be taken into account by the investor when choosing the best investment option and determining the capital investment efficiency ratio is demonstrated. Novelty. Attention is focused on the need to determine the presence of random and systematic causes of uncertainty and its risks in the practical economic activity of enterprises. A technique has been developed that allows one to determine the value of the analyzed indicators, which are formed due to various reasons of uncertainty and risks. Various methods have been identified for describing uncertainty and risks in practice. Practical value. The implementation of the relevant requirements for product quality and their synchronization with EU requirements are a particularly important stage in industrial development, which will increase the competitiveness of domestic enterprises in the European economic space.

The conceptual framework of Kaizen influence on employee performance

Kaizen is a complex organisational phenomenon with potential ability to affect both a technical system (e.g., performance of work area) and a social system (for example, participating employees and work area employees). The aim of this study was determination conceptual framework of kaizen implementation effect on employee performance. We conducted two focus groups discussion and five individual interviews. Interviews and focus groups were conducted to determine the effect of kaizen implementation on employee performance. Data were analysed based on deductive-inductive content analysis approach and analysed with Open Code software. Participants' points of view were analysed within 201 codes. Data analysis matrix was the conceptual framework of dimension of kaizen and employee performance. In this conceptual 11 dimension of employee performance include: work quality, work quantity, cooperation, person, security, reliability, initiative, learning and personal development, attitude, judge and leadership. Five dimensions of kaizen include: suggestion system and partnership, work environment regulations, automation, technology and mutual cooperation and between management and staff. There is a need to combine kaizen practices with improvement and innovation practices that help staff and managers to address complex issues.

The conceptual framework of kaizen influence on employee performance

Kaizen is a complex organisational phenomenon with potential ability to affect both a technical system (e.g., performance of work area) and a social system (for example, participating employees and work area employees). The aim of this study was determination conceptual framework of kaizen implementation effect on employee performance. We conducted two focus groups discussion and five individual interviews. Interviews and focus groups were conducted to determine the effect of kaizen implementation on employee performance. Data were analysed based on deductive-inductive content analysis approach and analysed with Open Code software. Participants' points of view were analysed within 201 codes. Data analysis matrix was the conceptual framework of dimension of kaizen and employee performance. In this conceptual 11 dimension of employee performance include: work quality, work quantity, cooperation, person, security, reliability, initiative, learning and personal development, attitude, judge and leadership. Five dimensions of kaizen include: suggestion system and partnership, work environment regulations, automation, technology and mutual cooperation and between management and staff. There is a need to combine kaizen practices with improvement and innovation practices that help staff and managers to address complex issues.

Understanding KAIZEN practice in Japanese overseas manufacturing: a framework

The ultimate purpose of KAIZEN is to assure that a company becomes stable with long perpetuity. While findings from existing research are broad and meaningful, none of them has focused on the explanation of how an environment can be created for successful KAIZEN deployment. Furthermore, it is unclear if companies studied by the prior research are still operating or not. In this paper, we collected data from seven Japanese overseas manufacturing subcontractors that have continued their long-term operations with KAIZEN since their founding year. We present a framework to interpret that two necessary and complementary factors, secure climate and collective mato, must co-exist to stimulate voluntary contributions that are essential to KAIZEN success, which may not otherwise occur if either factor is missing. From this study we present propositions that yield insights into KAIZEN's overseas applications along with a theory that deserves further study and validation.

Understanding KAIZEN practice in Japanese overseas manufacturing: a framework

The ultimate purpose of KAIZEN is to assure that a company becomes stable with long perpetuity. While findings from existing research are broad and meaningful, none of them has focused on the explanation of how an environment can be created for successful KAIZEN deployment. Furthermore, it is unclear if companies studied by the prior research are still operating or not. In this paper, we collected data from seven Japanese overseas manufacturing subcontractors that have continued their long-term operations with KAIZEN since their founding year. We present a framework to interpret that two necessary and complementary factors, secure climate and collective mato, must co-exist to stimulate voluntary contributions that are essential to KAIZEN success, which may not otherwise occur if either factor is missing. From this study we present propositions that yield insights into KAIZEN's overseas applications along with a theory that deserves further study and validation.

Implementation of Kaizen and 5S in Plastic Pipe Manufacturing Unit

Thousands of small & medium scale industries are present in India. All are facing certain problems resulting in shortage of production and quality issues like productivity, greater lead time, processing time etc. The paper contains basis definition of kaizen philosophy & a brief review of kaizen concept & its implementation. The purpose of this paper is to represent Kaizen, its related terms in a concrete way & its implementation in improving the overall effectiveness of organization. This paper illustrates about kaizen implementation in small manufacturing industry & also focuses on the scenario of Indian manufacturing company while implementing Kaizen. The paper also illustrates the implementation of kaizen technique in a company who is dealing with manufacturing the PVC pipes. The company is currently facing with the problem of increased lead time and backorders. The main objective is to implement kaizen practice in the case company. This implementation is focused on reducing the lead time of sales order processing by mean of which the productivity of organization will be improved. We also suppose to generate case based simulation models which estimate the basic Kaizen implementation process before & after implementation. The tools used are Kaizen, 5S, kaizen sheet 5S sheet etc., and monte-carlo simulation method (for analysis).

The Mediating Effect of Kaizen between Total Quality Management (TQM) and Business Performance

Every customer preference is different but yet important. The global market is shifting rapidly, organizations are needed to continuously identify new opportunity to obtain competitive advantages. Literature suggested that manufacturing companies are needed to differentiate themselves through emphasize on quality and continuous improvement in product and services as a crucial part to secure and success in the future. The Total Quality Management (TQM) practices has developed a strong bearing on growth and competitiveness in market. Therefore, a proper continuous improvement (Kaizen) practice is needed to eliminate waste and value added in production to remain competitiveness and retained the potential customer. However, based on the previous study it had indicated an inconsistent result between TQM and BP. Besides that, researcher also less emphasized on mediator in previous work. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to recommend the relationship between TQM and business performance with a mediator's effect of Kaizen. This proposed model attempt to create knowledge to both academician and company players to acquire a better understanding among the TQM and Kaizen practices. Consequently, the Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) techniques is applying to identify and evaluate the relationship among TQM, Kaizen, and business performance in developing a new TQM model.