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Italiano 
Cosa significa kaizen
Un metodo di lavoro che può andare bene oggi, potrebbe non essere più adeguato domani. Un aspetto molto importante del fare business è non dare nulla per scontato e cercare sempre il modo di migliorare le cose, anche quando oggi queste sembrano funzionare. E’ ciò che sta alla base del kaizen. Se vuoi saperne di più leggi l’articolo direttamente in inglese!
Kaizen comes from the Japanese words wisdom and school. It was born in Japan after the second world war and it refers to a system aimed at improving the business so as to guarantee quality and productivity. It is based one several pillars:
It is continuous. It does not take place once a year or in a particular period of the year, it is an on-going activity, on a day-to-day basis.
Everyone is involved, not just the managers or top-managers but also the low-end workers. In fact, it is a bottom-up approach. All workers and employees can make suggestions about how to improve several aspects of the business, especially processes and procedures or practical issues related to logistics and reducing waste.
Employees coming up with an idea will receive feedback on that idea which either will be implemented or will be left aside. However, especially in the latter case, the managers will explain to the person why his/her idea cannot be implemented.
Everything will be questioned for improvement. Kaizen is not just about ‘fixing’ things which may not work. It is about improving things that may work well today but they may not be adequate or effective in a few years time.
What about us then? Does kaizen reflect our way of thinking and acting? Do we give credit to our employees for the good ideas they may have? Are we ready to try and implement these ideas? Are we brave enough to take the risks, question our assumptions and find a better way to do business so as to reach a higher level of quality and productivity?
