Smruti Subrat Patra

Kaizen Kai means change, Zen means for the better. Kaizen is an approach for solving problems and forms the basis of incremental continual improvement in organizations. A problem is a difficulty that has to be resolved or dealt with. When applied to the workplace, Kaizen means continuous improvement involving everyone, managers and workers alike, every day and everywhere, providing structure to process improvement. Kaizen is about continuously improving: everyday, everyone and everywhere. Kaikaku Lean also recognizes that there are moments that more radical, step change is necessary. This type of change is known as Kaikaku. This refers to a revolutionary change to the existing situation. Following the software example, Kaikaku would be the upgrade of an application currently in use from a release level to a new release level. Software providers will often substantially change both the technical basis of the software and its functionality. Kakushin A third type of improvement known within Lean is Kakushin. The idea here is that some change will form a complete departure from the current situation. It is about innovation, transformation, reform and renewal. Example of Kakushin is where the organization standardizes a process and supporting software across the entire organization where previously various groups had different processes and applications to achieve similar goals. For organizations to stay competitive in today’s economy, it is essential for them to adopt and ingrain-in three important concepts of Kaizen (Change for Better), Kaikaku (Revolutionary Change), and Kakushin (Innovation). Organizations do benefit from these through continual improvement of their processes, transformation of their organizational culture, and becoming an innovative entity. Kaikaku is Radical Change, where emphasis is on revolutionary change and big improvements. It allows organizations to reform and transform their culture and work habits into greatness via implementation of fundamental changes in the existing production systems. It is a large-scale and wide-ranging activity that is initiated and invested in by the executives and top management. To clarify this more, let’s look at different scenarios in an automotive manufacturing plant. When we perform projects to reduce the production time, implement 5S, or redesign the assembly line, we are implementing Kaizen. On the other hand, when we introduce a new lighter material to be used for the vehicle’s body or install robots to weld, press, or paint the vehicle, we are applying Kaikaku. So far you have explored making either small incremental improvement changes to better the production processes (Kaizen) or big revolutionary changes to reform existing production systems (Kaikaku). However, there are times that new revolutionary and breakthrough ideas, products, or services are desired and needed and thus we have to renew our way of thinking and doing and become innovative. This innovation and renewal is called Kakushin. The concept of Kakushin was mentioned by former President of Toyota, Mr. Katsuaki Watanabe; during interviews with Wall Street Journal and Harvard Business Review in 2007 as a Radical Innovation. He elaborated this concept by saying that if we could make simplified cars by cutting the number of parts in half and design more flexible production lines to manufacture many different car models rapidly, then we had made a new revolutionary reform in our production system and that is Kakushin. In conclusion, effectively applying these three essential concepts of Kaizen, Kaikaku, and Kakushin is the right solution for any organization who wants to deliver a sustainable high quality product or service and to ensure a steady growth in the global market.

What is Measurement.? It is the process of collecting, analyzing and reporting information regarding the performance of an individual, group, organization, system or component. One of the most important aspects to be considered in relation to performance measurement process is that the performance measures work qualitatively to provide the useful information about products, processes, and services that are produced in a business. Hence, implementing performance measures is a great way to understand and manage and improve what a business organization does. The measurement of performance is a continuous process which involves checking the performance against the standards that have been fixed to be followed. It leads to comparing the actual performance with the established standards. Example - A manager needs to supervise, observe and control the activities of his subordinates while he is involved in studying various summaries or reports, so that he may manage the work in an effective manner getting the things accomplished in a desirable manner. It requires the manager to constantly check the performance in order to take corrective actions in case of deviations ensuring that such deviations do not occur again. Thus the Performance measurement is an ongoing, continuous improvement operation. As stated above, the process of performance measurement leads to comparing the actual performance with the standards. This, in turn, helps managers to understand the extent at which the performance is getting deviated from the expected ones. This way determining whether performance matches standards entails evaluating the differences and take necessary actions to improve the performance. However, while analyzing deviations, it is important to consider that some deviations in performance can be expected and so control by exception is used in this way. It is therefore important that a manager should concentrate on exceptional deviations instead of trying to control each and every deviation. According to management by exception principle by Fredrick W. Taylor, Managers should concentrate on only exceptional deviations instead of trying to correct each and every deviation. It is also worth mentioning the saying, “If you try to control everything, you may end up controlling nothing.” The importance of performance measurement system lies in the fact that it not only improves the performance but also the productivity of a business entity by reducing costs. It is a good way to align the activities with the plans being established. It provides necessary feedback that the activities may be guided accordingly by allowing managers to implement best practices. It may thus be said that performance measurement process is a great way to understand, manage and improve the overall functioning state of a business organization. If done effectively and efficiently, it drives success in business definitely.

he purpose of root cause analysis is to check at the root of a problem by finding and resolving its root causes. Root cause analysis is “a class of problem solving methods aimed at identifying the root causes of problems.The practice of root cause analysis is predicated on the belief that problems are best solved by attempting to correct or eliminate root causes, as opposed to merely addressing the immediately obvious symptoms.” Most sustainability problem solvers are doing exactly what the above definition cautions against. They are “merely addressing the immediately obvious symptoms” with superficial solutions. These absolutely cannot work because they do not “correct or eliminate root causes.” Root cause analysis is an approach for identifying the underlying causes of an incident so that the most effective solutions can be identified and implemented. It’s typically used when something goes badly, but can also be used when something goes well. Within an organization, problem solving, incident investigation, and root cause analysis are all fundamentally connected by three basic questions: • What’s the problem? • Why did it happen? • What will be done to prevent it from happening again? Three problem-solving steps Root causes analysis using the Cause Mapping methods consists of three steps: steps-defined-01- Define the issue by its impact to overall goals. People often disagree over how to define the problem. You can get alignment when the problem is defined by the impact to the goals. steps-defined-02-Break the problem down into a visual map. Using a Cause Map provides a thorough explanation revealing all of the causes required to produce the problem. steps-defined-03-Prevent or mitigate any negative impact to the goals by selecting the best solutions. Effective solutions should make a change to how people execute work process.