How To Do Kaizen

In 1950, while America was ranked first in gross national income (per capita), Japan was ranked 29th, with the average American earning at least seven times more than the average Japanese. In 2009, Japan was ranked third, behind Luxembourg and Switzerland, and America dropped to fifth, with the average Japanese earning over $2,000 more than the average American ($35,474 to $33,070). To put it simply, the average Japanese worker did Kaizen (continuous improvement). Like the story of the tortoise and the hare, Japan just did Kaizen continuous improvement every single day. And The big question is, can we reverse the trend and teach Kaizen? I hope so!

The average Japanese worker submits 20 improvement ideas per year to make their work easier and more interesting, and to build their skills and capabilities. Yes, it’s amazing what people are capable of doing when challenged by management, are listened to, and are allowed to identify and solve problems on their own. People do amazing things when they are off the job but are often very limited at work. We must change this. We have to stop sending all of our good jobs to China and India and recognize that we have very talented people working for us, if we only ask them!

Gulfstream Corporation, a winner of this year’s Shingo prize, received over 44,000 implementation ideas in their Mexicali plant last year – 44 ideas per employee. Quality went up, costs went down, and workers became very excited about coming to work. Autoliv in Ogden, Utah received 63 ideas per employee last year. Go visit either of these plants for yourself and see what Kaizen does for them, and see how easy Kaizen is to do. You, the manager, only have to ask each worker to submit two ideas per month – praise them and thank them and support them in the implementation of those ideas. It is not complicated, but you have to overcome the ninth waste – manager’s resistance to change. Like Walt Kelly’s Pogo once said, “I have met the enemy and it is us.”
If you can’t go to Mexico or Utah, then pick up a copy of How to Do Kaizen and carefully follow the steps suggested. You don’t have to be a brain surgeon, all you have to do is trust and respect people, understand that they want the company to succeed, and that they are willing to put in the effort to help you succeed.

With that simple idea, from a fixture holding two metal plates to four, he was able to double his productivity and that one idea probably saved the company $40,000 a year.

One of my past clients, Clark Metal Products, implemented a Quick and Easy Kaizen process. When I was there last I walked over to one of their workers and asked him to show me one of his ideas. He showed me a fixture that was housing four metal plates. His job was to grind those plates. He told me that earlier he used a fixture that could only contain two metal plates. With that simple idea, from a fixture holding two metal plates to four, he was able to double his productivity and that one idea probably saved the company over $40,000 a year.

People have amazing abilities if we just challenge them.

So, read my new book How to Do Kaizen, follow the simple instructions, and I guarantee you success. If not, I will be very happy to send your money back. It hasn’t happened yet.

Best wishes,

Norman Bodek