Deploying Kaizen events in the manufacturing industry: an investigation into managerial factors

Abstract

Despite the extensive research on Continuous Improvement (CI), limited reflection has been reported regarding the managerial factors needed to successfully deploy Kaizen Events (KEs). This study investigates various managerial aspects that affect the implementation of KEs.After conducting a literature review and gathering experts' inputs, the objectives of the study and six research questions were formulated. A survey questionnaire responded by 175 manufacturing organisations was designed and validated. A combined approach of descriptive statistics and one-way ANOVA tests were used to analyse the collected data. Besides other 'soft' aspects, the results determine: (1) the drivers and barriers in the pre-implementation stage of KEs; (2) the critical success factors and challenges related to the implementation stage of KEs; (3) the reasons that result in unsuccessful KEs; and (4) the reasons that stop organisations from running KEs.The study provides insights into an under-researched topic by looking at different phases of KEs implementation. The study contributes to the contingency and the RBV theories by offering an understanding of the importance of different contingencies and resources planning for KEs implementation. The findings are beneficial for industrialists who may aim at driving CIs in their organisations through the implementation of KEs.

Implementation of continuous improvement cells: a case study from the civil infrastructure sector in the UK

“…They evolved, taking inspirations from QCs, from a group of Toyota consultants, named Toyota Autonomous Study Group, who were banded together to instil lean management techniques in Toyota's suppliers in the West in the late 1980s (Bodek 2004). The main differences between QCs and kaizen events in application are that the latter is typically executed faster within three to five days while QC projects may last for several months, and focuses mostly on reducing processing times and the amount of non-value adding activities through radical improvements (Manos 2007;Russell and Taylor 2002;Glover, Farris, and Van Aken 2014;Garza-Reyes et al 2020). Bicheno and Holweg (2008) suggest that kaizen events are concerned with the stimulation of swift and even flow of throughput within a value stream, and should be the responsibility of senior management.…”

Employee's performance and Kaizen events' success: does supervisor behaviour play a moderating role?

“…The Kaizen Events (KEs) are small, incremental and mutually independent innovative activities developed by workers and have become popular in achieving the goal of continuous improvement (Imai, 1986a, b). KEs involve cross-functional teams composed of individuals from different departments applying LM tools that focus on enhancing the performance of a specific work area within a specified time frame (Garza-Reyes et al ., 2022; Vo et al ., 2019; Iwao and Marinov, 2018). Kaizen-based events are highly appreciated in businesses, particularly for process improvement, as it increases productivity and give workers more autonomy (Tortorella et al ., 2021a, b; van Assen, 2020).…”

“…It has been shown that the characteristics of a WSM has a substantial impact on KEs success or failure, among other influences (cultural differences and the existence of unions at work) (Koo and Park, 2018; Zuo et al ., 2018). The KEs' success may result in long-term viability and development, while failure may result in discouragement (Garza-Reyes et al ., 2022; Meng and Berger, 2019; Warrick, 2017).…”

“…Most studies are restricted to a subset of constructs concerning top management practices and their relationship with employees' performance (Afzal et al ., 2019; Bakotic and Rogosic, 2017). Studies on identifying critical variables of a WSM and their relationship with KEs success are seldom published (Garza-Reyes et al ., 2022; Vo et al ., 2019). Despite many studies emphasising the significance of supervisor support for project completion, there is little published evidence demonstrating the moderating effect of supervisors' behaviour on the link between the WSMs' performance and KEs success.…”

Makerspace, higher education and technical institutions

“…With continuing progress in a globalized world, it is becoming increasingly apparent that open questions involving various sectors, such as energy supply, food security and transportation, must be solved (Arturo, et al, 2022; Leydens et al, 2021). The engineer of the future must be able to harness creativity and innovation to stay competitive and relevant in an economy with ever-growing needs (Adams et al, 2008).…”