IMPROVING KAIZEN SUCCESS IN CIS COUNTRIES: A 4M–7W–5K CHECKLIST TO ELICIT IDEAS FROM MANAGERS AND WORKERS

Abstract

There are many activities to improve production efficiency, such as the Toyota Production System (TPS) and the Lean Production System (LPS). These activities involve the use of many specific tools, like Kanban and Just-in-Time (JIT), and are often introduced into factories in developing and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries, although they do not necessarily result in satisfactory achievement. This is because managers and workers might introduce many TPS and LPS solution tools in parallel without considering the relationship between waste and solution tools. Factories will have a better chance of achieving satisfactory improvements in production efficiency and quality with Kaizen when they have a fuller understanding of the relationship between “waste” and “waste solutions”, as clarified in this study. Also provided is a 4M–7W–5K checklist to elicit from managers and workers their own Kaizen ideas. Furthermore, the use of video recording of daily activities is discussed as an effective tool.