Managing Quality:

Kaizen

Kaizen and Total Quality Management (TQM)

A Movement Aimed at Improvement of Managerial Performance at All Levels

"Everybody in an organization has to believe their livelihood is based on the quality of the product they deliver"

– Lee Iacocca

What is TQM Concept in Japan?

TQM, also known as Total Quality Control (TQC), is a management tool for improving total performance.

TQC means organized Kaizen activities involving everyone in a company – managers and workers – in a totally systemic and integrated effort toward improving performance at every level. It is to lead to increased customer satisfaction through satisfying such corporate cross-functional goals as quality, cost, scheduling, manpower development, and new product development.

In Japan, TQC activities are not limited to quality control only. Elaborate system of Kaizen strategies has been developed as management tools within the TQC approach. TQC in Kaizen is a movement aimed at improvement of managerial performance at all levels. 

According to the Japan Industrial Standards, "implementing quality control effectively necessitates the cooperation of all people in the company, including top management, managers, supervisors, and workers in all areas of corporate activities such as market research and development, product planning, design, preparation for production, purchasing, vendor management, manufacturing, inspection, sales and after-sale services, as well as financial control, personnel administration, and training & education. Quality control carried out in this manner is called company-wide quality control or total quality control (TQC)."

Quality control in Japan deals with quality of people. It is the fundamental concept of the Kaizen-style TQC. Building quality into its people brings a company a half-way towards producing quality products.

Successful Implementation of Kaizen: 7 Conditions

One of the most difficult aspects of introducing and implementing Kaizen strategy is assuring its continuity.

When a company introduces something new, such as quality circles, or total quality management (TQM), it experiences some initial success, but soon such success disappear like fireworks on summer night and after a while nothing is left, and management keeps looking for a new flavor of the month.

This if because the company lacks the first three most important conditions for the successful introduction and implementation of Kaizen strategy... More

Kaizen Mindset

• Quality first, not profit first – an enterprise can prosper only if customers who purchase its products or services are satisfied... More

Quick and Easy Kaizen

Quick and Easy Kaizen (or Mini-Kaizen) helps eliminate or reduce wastes, promotes personal growth of employees and the company, provides guidance for employees, and serves as a barometer of leadership. Each Kaizen may be small, but the cumulative effect is tremendous.

The quick and easy kaizen process works as follows:

1. The employee notices a problem or an opportunity for improvement... More

Three Stages of the Suggestion System

1. Encouragement. In the first stage, management should make every effort to help the workers provide suggestions, no matter how primitive, for the betterment of the worker's job and the workshop. This will help the workers look at the way they are doing their jobs... More

Education and Training

As a natural follow-up to the concept of building quality into people, TQC starts with education and training of managers and workers. The major aim of these awareness and training programs is to implant TQC thinking in all employees.

TQC education and training is a continuous process. Separate courses for different organizational levels are organized to reach everyone in the company.

 Case in Point  7 Principles of Toyota Production System

Toyota Production System (TPS)

• Quality at the Source: To eliminate product defects, they must be discovered and corrected as soon as possible.  Since workers are at the best position to discover a defect and to immediately fix it, they are assigned this responsibility. If a defect cannot be readily fixed, any worker can halt the entire line by pulling a cord (called Jidoka).

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Quality Control Circles (QCCs)

To involve employees in productivity and efficiency improvement activities, a team-based environment must be developed in which they can participate actively in improving their process, product, or service performance. One such employee participation program is quality control circles (QCCs).

QC-circle activities are usually directed towards improvements in the workplace. They focus on such areas as:

• cost

• safety

• productivity

References:

1. "Productivity Improvement in the Service Sector," Mah Lok Abdullah, APO Newsletter

2. "Kaizen: The Key To Japan's Competitive Success," Masaaki Imai

3. "Gemba Kaizen: A Commonsense, Low-Cost Approach to Management," Masaaki Imai

4. "Lean Manufacturing That Works", Bill Carreira

5. "The Toyota Way," Jeffrey Liker

6. "The Lean Manufacturing Pocket Handbook," Kenneth W. Dailey

7. A Team Leader's Guide to Lean Kaizen, William Wes Waldo and Tom Jones