Is Kaizen limited only to the manufacturing industry?
Not at all. This is a misconception. Kaizen is equally applicable in the service industry, retail industry and even on the golf course. It has relevance in one’s personal life too, you know. There is simply no end to it. Please elaborate. ‘Go to Gemba’ is the motto we all follow. Gemba in Japanese means the place where all activities are actually taking place; in other words, the place where value is added. In case of the manufacturing industry, gemba is the shop-floor; for the hotel industry, it is the place where the food is actually being cooked; and in case of the service industry; it is everywhere. Gemba is thus the most precious place for the management. How popular is Kaizen in Japan? If you take a look at the hierarchy triangle of most Japanese companies, you will notice that gemba is placed at the top-most level, followed by the middle level managers and then there is the CEO of the company. The best example I can state is that of Toyota. Today, when the automotive industry is
