Tibor Dőry

Innovation and excellence

Management methods for innovation transformation

Kaizen as continuous improvement

The method became known worldwide as one of the cornerstones of organisations' long-term competitiveness strategies thanks to Masaaki Imai's 1986 book, Kaizen: The Key to Japan's Competitive Success. In other words, Kaizen can be seen as a systematic approach to business development, because companies that apply the method, starting with Toyota, consistently achieve outstanding results (Imai, 1986). The word Kaizen itself means improvement in Japanese, or rather continuous improvement in our environment, at work, and even in our personal lives. Moreover, we understand it to mean improvements in which both managers and employees participate. Therefore, the Kaizen method can be considered not only a corporate process optimisation method, but also a general philosophical approach. It is based on the idea that everything can be improved and developed, and that small changes implemented continuously will lead to significant, comprehensive and long-lasting development over time.

Applying the method alone does not bring quick results, but if it is applied persistently within the company, it leads to a mindset that encourages employees to become more involved in solving problems as they arise, and these problems are resolved more quickly, even without managerial intervention. Kaizen has five principles that form the basis of all Kaizen tools and behaviours (Imai, 2021):

Know your customers. In order for a company to earn customer loyalty, it must provide products and services tailored to their needs, which requires a thorough understanding of its customers.
Help the flow. Kaizen focuses on adding value by minimising waste. This principle indicates that processes should be continuous, that everything does not have to be stopped for changes, and that even small changes can go a long way towards reducing waste.
Go to the Gemba. The Japanese word gemba means "the real place". The principle encourages managers to be physically present at different stages of operations and to obtain first-hand information about what is happening in all departments. Regular Gemba walks help managers identify opportunities for improvement and encourage employees to participate in the process.
Empower your employees. Kaizen does not limit responsibility for change to managers. It encourages active participation by employees at all levels in the search for improvement opportunities. Empowering employees is not just about actively involving them in the process of finding solutions.
Be transparent. It is not enough to simply make changes. You also need to be able to measure their impact. It builds trust in the system and encourages the team to make these metrics accessible and share them with employees.

Masaaki Imai provides specific guidelines for developing and implementing a Lean strategy. He interprets Kaizen specifically as a corporate strategy. One of his main messages is that corporate processes should be created with a flow approach and that isolated operations, known as silos, should be eliminated. Another important consideration is that the flow should be synchronised and balanced, thereby creating harmony between senior management decisions, customer satisfaction and the functioning of the gemba (the place where value is created) (Imai, 2021).

Tartalomjegyzék

Kiadó: Akadémiai Kiadó

Online megjelenés éve: 2026

ISBN: 978 963 664 182 5

Menedzsment

The aim of the book "Innovation and Excellence" is to inspire and encourage company leaders, managers, and experts to initiate and implement innovation transformations with the help of professional literature and corporate case studies. Another important goal is to help develop the innovation capabilities of small and medium-sized enterprises in particular by sharing simple, proven management methods that can be tested in practice.

The first part of the volume reviews the factors of corporate excellence and success, then highlights the possible sources of innovation, with a focus on the role of users and employees. The empirical section presents a detailed description of the supportive role of the workplace environment and creative working conditions based on corporate case studies (AUDI, BOSCH, MELECS). The volume concludes with a description of selected tested practical methods and management techniques that readers can try out in their own businesses.

Hivatkozás: https://mersz.hu/dory-innovation-and-excellence//

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