For the professional manager or student of management, a comprehensive handbook of 16 Kaizen management practices that can be put to work. KAIZEN uses more than 100 examples in action and contains 15 corporate case studies.

Average Customer Review: ( 11 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.

So why is a book on Japanese management techniques still so relevant?

First of all, continuous improvement and lean manufacturing have become universal management tools, not strictly limited to one country. This book presents as good an introduction to the subject as any. With today's focus on execution, this topic are becoming even more current. (Dare I say topical?)

Additionally, understanding continuous improvement is still important in the context of broader corporate change. What are the strength and limitations of incremental changes versus more radical corporate moves? Read the book and learn more.

This book certainly won't turn a mediocre manager into a great leader, but Kaizen is a useful addition to the toolbox of any manager.

21 of 23 found the following review helpful:

A sound basis for working out an implementation strategyOct 19, 2001
By Dirk Vervacke
This book covers the relevant aspects of Kaizen and its implementation. Don't expect this book to give you a step-by-step implementation plan for your company. It does something better than that: it gives you the understanding to design your own implementation plan. It is a good basis for discussion. I often reference it while lecturing about Kaizen and TPM and take a few sentences from the book to challenge the audience.
Everyone who pioneers in Kaizen in his/her company needs this understanding (and a set of brains to translate the concept to the everday reality, but that's why they pay you the big bucks, I hope).
Although it's a very good book, you will find yourself stimulated to read other material on this topic because it creates an "eager want" to know more and to see the puzzle come together. In the end, no author will do that; finalizing the puzzle is your job...

To be concrete, this book is definately recommended. You'll never understand it all by just reading one book (or by just reading, period). It will give you a quantum leap in your understanding and all concepts will be there. Only action and involvement can do more.

10 of 10 found the following review helpful:

Excellent Book on Kaizen ConceptMay 24, 2006
By Elijah Chingosho "Dr Elijah Chingosho"
This is an excellent book on how production is organised in Japan. It explains the Kaizen concept of continuous improvement and its implementation, highlighting the essential differences between the production and operations management philosophies of the West with those of Japan. The foundation of the Kaizen method consists of five fundamental elements namely teamwork, personal discipline, improved morale, quality circles and suggestions for improvement.

This is a very enlightening book for those who want to understand the basic concepts of continuous improvement (as opposed to innovation or business process reengineering) in the production process and how this has been successfully applied in Japan. Some very successful companies like Toyota owe their success largely to the employment of this concept.

This is essential reading for those who wish to introduce Kaizen in their organisation. The book is written in a simple and easy to follow and understand style. However, the book is becoming a bit dated having been written two decades ago, and in any case, the spotlight nowadays has shifted to China, but nevertheless, this is excellent reading about a concept that is still delivering good value to those companies that are correctly employing it.


13 of 16 found the following review helpful:

Kaizen- the strategies for future successOct 30, 2003
By Alex Pun
Kaizen, a Japanese word means improvement. How can Japanese enterprise success is the main topic in this book. Actually, Japan has been under economic recession for nearly 10 years. But the Japanese enterprise can still survive, and some enterprises are under the list of Fortune 500. There must be some secret behind.

This first version of this book is written in 1986, Japan at that moment still maintain a high growth, and Japanese enterprise takes a major role in the global business environment. The author found that the major reasons are due to their modification rather than innovation. And these management concepts were learned by foreign companies and used as a framework to develop their management structure. From this book, you will learn lots of the Japanese culture and Japanese management style.

Moreover, you also understand the history of management development. Most of the management concepts used in foreign countries are based on Japanese firm. Like the TQM, process oriented management, and strategies in R&D. So, after reading the book, you will learn the difference between western working culture and Japanese one.

Before writing this book, the author has done lots of primary research, and he try to summary all the findings and success factor of major Japanese enterprise, like Toyota, NTT. And all these companies now become the Global 100 companies. After reading this book, you will learn more about the success story of these enterprises, and you will also know that their history and culture as well.

But, there is some limitation, because the book has been written nearly twenty years before, the business environment is totally changed, the competition and the consumer behaviour have been changed, therefore some of the strategies are not applicable. Also, the failures of some Japanese enterprises during the economic recession also prove that some strategies mentioned here are not worked.

Kaizen is a good book for you to understand more about the Asia culture especially the Japanese firm culture. If you want to do business with Japanese partner, this book is a must to read.

See all 11 customer reviews on Amazon.com