literature review on kaizen

KAIZEN: An Ancestral Strategy for Operational Improvement: Literature Review and Trends

• Conference paper
• First Online: 10 May 2022
• Cite this conference paper

• Manuel F. Suarez-Barraza   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-6305-6122 12 ,
• José A. Miguel-Dávila   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-5191-0528 13 &
• Manuel F. Morales Contreras   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-1389-3798 12 , 13 , 14  

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering ((LNME))

Included in the following conference series:

• International Scientific-Technical Conference MANUFACTURING

518 Accesses

1 Citations

In 2016 marked the 30th anniversary of the publication of Masaaki Imai's book: “Kaizen. The Key to Japanese Competitive Advantage”, so conducting a review of the literature to determine value and trend conclusions became essential for the academic arena. The purpose of this article is to carry out a review of the Kaizen literature, exploring and analyzing the articles presented by the term in the last 30 years (1986–2020). Although clearly from 1986 to 2016 are 30 years, the latest advances in Kaizen were included in the three years that we have been in the second decade of the millennium, that is, until 2019 (33 years) to cover all the possible research in these two decades. Our findings explore quantitative and qualitative arguments and proposition. Therefore, according to the literature we detected five evolutionary stages of the Kaizen concept throughout the year.

• Literature review
• Research trends
• Kaizen philosophy
• Meta-analysis

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

• Available as PDF
• Read on any device
• Instant download
• Own it forever
• Available as EPUB and PDF
• Compact, lightweight edition
• Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
• Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Leite, H., Gruber, T., Hodgkinson, I.R.: Flattening the infection curve – understanding the role of telehealth in managing COVID-19. Leadersh. Health Serv. 33 (2), 221–226 (2019)

Article   Google Scholar  

Moyano-Fuentes, J., Bruque-Cámara, S., Einsenberg, J.: La influencia de las redes sociales en la adaptación de los trabajadores al cambio tecnológico. Cuadernos de Economía y Dirección de Empresa 1 (31), 147–170 (2007)

Moyano-Fuentes, J., Sacristán-Díaz, M.: Learning on lean: a review of thinking and research. Int. J. Oper. Prod. Manag. 32 (5), 551–582 (2012)

Jaca, C., Suárez-Barraza, M.F., Viles-Diez, E., Mateo-Dueñas, R.: Encuesta de sostenibilidad de sistemas de mejora continua: Comparativa de dos comunidades industriales de España y México. Intang. Capital 7 (1), 143–169 (2011)

Suárez-Barraza, M.F., Dahlgaard-Park, S., Ramis-Pujol, J., Estrada-Robles, M.: Applying Gemba-Kaizen in a multinational food company: a process innovation framework. Int. J. Qual. Serv. Sci. 4 (1), 27–50 (2012)

Google Scholar  

Oropeza-Vento, M., García-Alcaraz, J., Maldonado-Macías, A., Martínez-Loya, V.: The impact of managerial commitment and Kaizen benefits on companies. J. Manuf. Technol. Manage. 27 (5), 692–712 (2016)

Brunet, A.P., New, S.: Kaizen in Japan: An empirical study. Int. J. Oper. Prod. Manag. 23 (11–12), 1426–1446 (2003)

Aoki, K.: Transferring Japanese kaizen activities to overseas plants in China. Int. J. Oper. Prod. Manag. 28 (6), 518–539 (2018)

Cheser, R.: The effect of Japanese Kaizen on employee motivation in US manufacturing. Int. J. Organ. Anal. 6 (3), 197–217 (1998)

Laraia, A.C., Moody, P., Hall, R.: The Kaizen Blitz: Accelerating Breakthroughs in Productivity and Performance. Routledge, Iowa (1999)

Macpherson, W.G., Lockhart, J.C., Kavan, H., Iaquinto, A.L.: Kaizen: a Japanese philosophy and system for business excellence. J. Bus. Strategy 36 (5), 3–9 (2015)

Jorgensen, F., Boer, H., Gertsen, F.: Jump-starting continuous improvement through self-assessment. Int. J. Oper. Prod. Manag. 23 (10), 1260–1278 (2003)

Prashar, A.: Redesigning an assembly line through Lean-Kaizen: an Indian case. TQM J. 26 (5), 475–498 (2014)

Yokozawa, K., Steenhuis, H.J.: The influence of national level factors on international kaizen transfer: an exploratory study in the Netherlands. J. Manuf. Technol. Manag. 24 (7), 1051–1075 (2012)

Suárez-Barraza, M.F., Ramis-Pujol, J., Kerbache, L.: Thoughts on kaizen and its evolution: three different perspectives and guiding principles. Int. J. Lean Six Sigma 2 (4), 288–308 (2011)

Terziovsky, M., Sohal, A.S.: The adoption of continuous improvement and innovation strategies in Australia manufacturing firms. Technovation 20 (10), 539–550 (2000)

Awad, M., Shanshal, Y.A.: Utilizing Kaizen process and DFSS methodology for new product development. Int. J. Qual. Reliab. Manag. 34 (3), 378–394 (2017)

Singh, J., Singh, H.: Kaizen philosophy: a review of literature. IUP J. Oper. Manag. 19 (7), 902–970 (2009)

Sanchez, L., Blanco, B.: Three decades of continuous improvement. Total Qual. Manag. Bus. Excell. 25 (9–10), 986–101 (2014)

Suárez-Barraza, M.F., Rodríguez González, F.G., Miguel Dávila, J.-A.: Introduction to the special issue on Kaizen: an ancient operation innovation strategy for organizations of the XXI century. TQM J. 30 (4), 250–254 (2018)

Imai, M.: Kaizen: The Key to Japan’s Competitive Success. McGraw-Hill, New York (1989)

Sawada, N.: The Kaizen at Toyota production system. CHU-SAN-REN Qual. Control Course Nagoya 1 (6), 1–38 (1995)

Newitt, D.J.: Beyond BPR & TQM - Managing through processes: Is kaizen enough? In: Industrial Engineering, pp. 1–38. IEE Savoy Place, Institution of Electric Engineers, London (1996)

Suárez-Barraza, M.F.: El Kaizen: la filosofía de Mejora Continua e Innovación Incremental detrás de la Administración por Calidad Total, Panorama Editorial, México (2007)

Styhre, A.: Kaizen, ethics, and care of the operations: Management after empowerment. J. Manage. Stud. 38 (6), 795–810 (2001)

Gondhalekar, S., Babu, S., Godrej. N.: Towards using Kaizen process dynamics: a case study. Int. J. Qual. Reliab. Manag. 12 (9), 192–209 (1995)

Machi, L.A., Mcevoy, B.T.: The Literature Review Six Steps to Success. Corwin Press, Thousand Oaks (2009)

Nemoto, M.: Total Quality Control for Management: Strategies and Techniques from Toyota and Toyoda Gosei. Prentice Hal (1987)

Berger, A.: Continuous improvement and kaizen: standardization and organizational designs. Integr. Manuf. Syst. 8 (2), 110–117 (1997)

Imai, M.: Gemba-Kaizen: A Common Sense, Low-Cost Approach to Management. McGraw-Hill, New York (1997)

Coll, J.M.: Zen Business: Los beneficios de aplicar la armonía en la empresa. Editorial Profit, Barcelona, Spain (2015)

Deming, W.: The New Economics: For Industry, Government, Education. MIT Press, Boston (1993)

Kodama, K.: The important points in the improvement of the nutrition of our race. [Waga minzoku eiyō kaizen no zyūten.]”. [Kōsei kagaku]. Jpn. J. Public Health 7 (1), 37–39 (1948)

Rehder, R.R., Smith, M.M.: Kaizen and the art of labor relations. Person. J. 65 (12), 82–93 (1986)

Womack, J., Jones, D.: The Machine That Changed The World. Macmillan, New York (1990)

Krafcik, J.: Triumph of the lean production system. Sloan Manag. Rev. 30 (1), 41–52 (1988)

de Relaciones, A., del Japón, H.: Kaizen Teian I y II. Productivity Press, Cambridge (1992)

Tanner, T., Roncarti, R.: Kaizen leads to breakthroughs in responsiveness—and the Shingo Prize—At Critikon. Glob. Bus. Organ. Excell. 13 (4), 517–531 (1994)

Sheridan, J.H.: Kaizen Blitz. Ind. Week 246 (16), 18 (1997)

Melnyk, S.A., Calantone, R.J., Montabon, F.L., Smith, R.T.: Short-term action in pursuit of long-term improvements: Introducing Kaizen events. Prod. Invent. Manag. J. 39 (4), 69–76 (1998)

Bodek, N.: “Kaizen: KaZam!”. T and D 56( 1), 60 (2002)

Emiliani, M.L.: Using kaizen to improve graduate business school degree programs. Qual. Assur. Educ. 13 (1), 37–52 (2003)

Suárez-Barraza, M.F., Smith, T., Dahlgaard-Park, S.: Lean-Kaizen Public Service: an empirical approach in Spanish local governments. TQM J. 21 (2), 143–167 (2009)

Suárez-Barraza, M.F., Ramis-Pujol, J.: Implementation of Lean-Kaizen in the human resource service process: a case study in a Mexican public service organization. J. Manuf. Technol. Manag. 21 (3), 388–410 (2010)

García, J.L., Rivera, D.G., Iniesta, A.A.: Critical success factors for Kaizen implementation in manufacturing industries in Mexico. Int. J. Adv. Manuf. Technol. 68 (1–04), 537–545 (2013)

Chanda, M.: The study of the relationship between Kaizen practices and operations’ performance Improvement in Zambian manufacturing companies. Int. J. Multi-discipl. Res. 1 (119), 1–14 (2017)

Raiser, F., Dos Santos, A., Oliveira, C.: Gestão da manufatura enxuta no chão de fábrica. Um estudo de caso do Gemba Kaizen aplicado numa indústria fabricante de máquinas, Espacios 37 (30), 21–28 (2016)

Alvarado-Ramírez, K.M., Pumisacho-Álvaro, V.H., Miguel-Davila, J.Á., Suárez Barraza, M.F.: Kaizen, a continuous improvement practice in organizations: a comparative study in companies from Mexico and Ecuador. TQM J. 30 (4), 255–268 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1108/TQM-07-2017-0085

Arya, K.A., Choudhary, S.: Assessing the application of Kaizen principles in Indian small-scale industry. Int. J. Lean Six Sigma 6 (4), 369–396 (2015)

Ma, J., Lin, Z., Lau, C.K.: Prioritising the enablers for the successful implementation of Kaizen in China: a fuzzy AHP study. Int. J. Qual. Reliab. Manag. 34 (4), 549–568 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1108/IJQRM-12-2015-0173

Download references

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

International Business Department, Universidad de las Américas Puebla (UDLAP), 72810, Puebla, Mexico

Manuel F. Suarez-Barraza & Manuel F. Morales Contreras

Department of Management, Universidad de León, León, Spain

José A. Miguel-Dávila & Manuel F. Morales Contreras

Universidad Pontificia Comillas, ICADE Business School, Madrid, Spain

Manuel F. Morales Contreras

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Manuel F. Suarez-Barraza .

Editor information

Editors and affiliations.

Department of Production Engineering, Poznan University of Technology, Poznan, Poland

Adam Hamrol

Production Engineering Department, Poznan University of Technology, Poznan, Poland

Marta Grabowska

Faculty of Organizational Sciences, University of Maribor, Kranj, Slovenia

Damjan Maletič

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this paper

Cite this paper.

Suarez-Barraza, M.F., Miguel-Dávila, J.A., Morales Contreras, M.F. (2022). KAIZEN: An Ancestral Strategy for Operational Improvement: Literature Review and Trends. In: Hamrol, A., Grabowska, M., Maletič, D. (eds) Advances in Manufacturing III. MANUFACTURING 2022. Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-00218-2_13

Download citation

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-00218-2_13

Published : 10 May 2022

Publisher Name : Springer, Cham

Print ISBN : 978-3-031-00166-6

Online ISBN : 978-3-031-00218-2

eBook Packages : Engineering Engineering (R0)

Share this paper

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• Publish with us

Policies and ethics

• Find a journal
• Track your research

An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

• Publications
• Account settings

Preview improvements coming to the PMC website in October 2024. Learn More or Try it out now .

• Advanced Search
• Journal List
• Int J Environ Res Public Health

Scoping Review of Kaizen and Green Practices: State of the Art and Future Directions

Lidia sanchez-ruiz.

1 Business and Management Department, University of Cantabria, Avda. Los Castros s/n, 39005 Santander, Spain; se.nacinu@bocnalb (B.B.); [email protected] (E.D.-B.)

2 Research Group of Health Economics and Health Service Management, IDIVAL (Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Valdecilla), s/n, Calle Cardenal Herrera Oria, 39011 Santander, Spain

Beatriz Blanco

Juan a. marin-garcia.

3 ROGLE, Department of Organización de Empresas (Business and Management), Universitat Politécnica de Valéncia, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain; se.vpu.pmo@niramaj

Elsa Diez-Busto

Given the importance that environmental management is acquiring, the main aim of this work is to know what the state of the field kaizen and green practices is at present. A systematic narrative review is conducted in accordance with the PRISMA Statement. Two databases (Web of Science and Scopus) were searched. Finally, after applying the defined inclusion and exclusion criteria, 19 documents were analyzed. Based on the results, it might be concluded that, despite the growing interest in the relationship between kaizen and green practices, this is a topic in the early stages of development, with a clear predominance of case studies. It is, therefore, necessary to develop more research on this kaizen and green issue as improving environmental management is undeniably becoming a must in today’s competitive environment. For instance, more research is needed on the application of kaizen tools as results obtained so far seem not to be conclusive. Additionally, more academic and rigorous studies should be developed on this topic as many of the analyzed papers seem to be clearly created for dissemination among practitioners, some of them lacking the traditional academic structure and scientific method during their development.

1. Introduction

Sustainable development has been defined as “ development that meets the need of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs ” [ 1 ].

Researchers and practitioners agree with the idea that, in order to achieve sustainable development, first, sustainable organizations must exist [ 2 ]. Traditionally, companies have had to offer a quality product/service at the lowest possible cost in order to be competitive and stay in the market. At present, that does not seem to be enough, though. Now, society requires companies to be sustainable, reducing their negative environmental and social impact.

Therefore, due to the increasing competition together with the stricter environmental regulation and legislation, firms have had to adopt new strategies that allow them to deliver quality products/services while increasing effectiveness, reducing waste and costs and being environmentally responsible [ 3 , 4 ].

As a result, the sustainability concept emerged. Initially, sustainability was clearly linked to environmental aspects, but it has now acquired a more holistic vision and is considered to have three main pillars: economic, environmental and social sustainability [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]. This is what Elkington [ 10 ] first coined as the “triple bottom line” and these three dimensions have been commonly accepted. Recently, Lozano et al. [ 11 ] proposed a fourth dimension, time.

Throughout the literature, the environmental dimension, also known as the green dimension [ 8 ], has been widely studied [ 12 ], probably due to the escalating deterioration of the environment [ 13 ]. Due to the lack of a commonly accepted definition of green management [ 14 ], several terms have been used in relation to this concept throughout the literature: sustainable management, green management and environmental management [ 12 , 15 ].

In general, green management focuses on the environment and perceives waste as the extraction, and the disposal, of resources at rates or in forms beyond that which nature can absorb [ 16 ]. In the same line, Siegel et al. [ 9 ] define green as a philosophy and operational approach that enhances the ecological efficiency of an operation, reduces the negative environmental impact of a service or product and maintains or improves financial performance [ 17 ]. Thus, green ranges from reactive monitoring of the general environment management programs to more proactive practices [ 13 ].

Although it is true that initially the adoption of green strategies was seen as an imposition, perceptions are changing, and more companies see it as an opportunity [ 6 ]. It is observed that more and more stakeholders are asking for more responsible organizations with respect to their products and/or processes [ 18 , 19 ].

Regarding the concepts clean and green, the vast majority of authors consider them as synonyms. Only some authors, like Cagno et al. [ 20 ], consider clean practices to be included in and more specific than green.

In this study, as the main stream, we understand green and clean production as synonyms which, in turn, are included in a wider concept: sustainability.

Considering the existing need to combine economic benefits, operational efficiency and sustainability, it was considered whether it was possible to improve the environmental performance of companies through the application of philosophies or management systems traditionally focused on the improvement of processes (efficiency) and the client (effectiveness) [ 21 ]. For example, along this line, the literature shows a growing number of studies aimed at analyzing the relationship between lean management and green management [ 17 , 22 , 23 , 24 ].

In parallel, there would be the green kaizen movement, which is the focus of this study. Although there seems to be some confusion about the relationship between both concepts (lean and kaizen), without being exhaustive since this is not the object of our study, it should be mentioned that the concepts, although related [ 25 , 26 ], should not be treated as synonyms [ 27 ]. Each of them has its nuances and characteristics, so it seems appropriate to treat them separately.

Overall, the ultimate goal of this review is to know what the state of the field kaizen and green practices is at present. Thus, it is considered that a scoping systematic review is the most suitable approach to achieve it. Scoping reviews provide an initial indication of the potential size and nature of the available literature on a particular issue [ 28 ]. Similarly, systematic reviews are aimed at identifying, appraising and integrating the evidence about a specific topic in order to inform practice, policy and future research [ 29 , 30 ].

Specifically, the research questions stated in our study are the following:

• Which objectives and research questions do the papers respond to?
• Do theoretical or empirical papers predominate? What are the main methodologies applied? What are the most common sample sizes?
• Concerning the empirical studies, which economical activities and countries have they been applied to?
• What are the main conclusions achieved?
• What are the future lines of research stated by the studies developed so far?

2. Materials and Methods

This systematic review provides an indication of the size of the available literature on kaizen and green production. It also examines the extent of research and identifies research gaps. It was conducted and reported in accordance with the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) Statement [ 29 , 31 ].

2.1. Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria

The first step is the identification of the existing research papers which relate kaizen and green or clean production. Throughout this section, we describe the different phases that have been followed in the search [ 32 , 33 ].

First of all, the inclusion criteria used were:

• Document type: research paper or conference paper;
• Publication language: English or Spanish;
• Period: all years available until 31 December 2019;
• Topic: kaizen and clean/green production.

On the other side, documents were excluded if they did not meet the inclusion criteria and/or they met the exclusion criteria:

• Understanding sustainability as maintaining kaizen practices through time (opposite to the “honeymoon effect”) instead of environmental sustainability (green or clean production). For instance, this is the case of the work of Todorut et al. [ 34 ].

2.2. Search Strategy and Study Selection

Two electronic databases (Clarivate-Wos and Scopus) were searched. Research papers and conference papers (proceedings) written in English or Spanish were included in this review. Text words and indexed terms like “kaizen, clean, green” were included in the search terms. Table 1 shows the complete search strategy used for this review.

Search strategies by authors 1 and 2.

The 57 identified articles were imported into Mendeley software (manufacturer name, city, country). Twelve duplicates were removed and the title and abstract of the 45 remaining papers were screened. Two authors (LSR and BB) independently screened the titles and abstracts of those 45 papers and excluded those which did not meet the inclusion criteria. After that, the independent results of both authors were compared based on the decision matrix shown in Table 2 .

Decision matrix.

After the initial independent evaluation, authors 1 and 2 met to solve the differences. Twenty papers were included and eighteen were excluded by mutual agreement, but disagreement persisted on 4 papers (author 1 considered they should be included, and author 2 considered they should be excluded). Those four papers together with the three papers classified as “double doubt” were selected for an additional analysis by author 3 (JAMG). Finally, only one of the 7 undecided papers was included ( Appendix A ).

In order to calculate the inter-rater indexes, the three “double doubt” papers were considered as excluded to maintain two categories. Several inter-rater agreement indexes were calculated (observed agreement = 0.85; Cohen’s kappa = 0.53; bias-adjusted kappa = 0.70 and Krippendorff’s alpha = 0.43). Analyses were performed using the epi.R package v. 0.9–99 and irr v.0.84.1 for R version 3.6.1 (Mark Stevenson, Parkville, Australia). Considering the cut-off values [ 35 ], the agreement between author 1 and author 2 can be considered substantial.

As the final number of papers was 21, it was decided to widen the search with more terms. Therefore, author 3 (JAMG) independently conducted a new search. The inclusion criteria were the same, but the number of search terms was increased, as it can be seen in Table 3 .

Search strategies by author 3.

As expected, the number of results was higher than in the previous search as it also included “sustainab*” as a new term. However, once author 3 screened titles and abstracts checking that the papers met the inclusion criteria, the final number was dramatically reduced: 15 documents for Scopus and 4 documents for Web of Science. Among the 19 documents, 3 were duplicates, so the final sample in this case is 16 documents. Fourteen of those 16 papers were already included in the first search strategy conducted by authors 1 and 2, and only 2 were new [ 36 , 37 ].

Overall, 23 papers were selected to be included in the review (21 from the first search performed by authors 1 and 2, and 2 new papers identified through the second search performed by author 3). The full text was available for 20 documents. One of the documents [ 36 ] was excluded after reading the full text as it met the exclusion criteria.

The whole process is described in Figure 1 .

Flow chart of the study selection protocol.

2.3. Data Synthesis and Analysis

Once the final sample of documents has been identified, content analysis must be conducted. AtlasTi software (ATLAS.ti Scientific Software Development GmbH, Berlin, Germany) was used in this case. A set of codes was developed and agreed by the authors in order to collect the information from all the studies. The selected codes respond to the research questions set in the Introduction section. Table 4 includes the established codes that will be used. In addition, some coding examples for each of the codes are shown in Appendix B . It should be noted that the code “False Positive” will be assigned to those studies that, after a thorough review, do not meet the inclusion criteria or meet the exclusion criteria discussed above.

For the coding process, the first two authors (LSR and BB) will independently code the 19 articles. Once the codification is finished, the four authors will independently analyze the coded text fragments. After the independent analysis, a common work session will be held to draw the final conclusions of the study.

Throughout this section, the main results obtained from the coding and content analysis are described. Specifically, each of the subsections will answer one of the research questions posed.

Before starting, as an overview, Figure 2 shows the number of publications per year. The number of published papers related to the subject has been rising since 2015. Before this year, there is a period in which the number of publications follows a flat trend with continuous ups and downs.

Number of publications per year.

3.1. Which Objectives and Research Questions Do the Papers Respond to?

Among the nineteen articles analyzed, fifteen are case studies that show concrete applications of kaizen with a clear orientation towards environmental sustainability [ 4 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 ]. In all of them, the aim is to show the synergies between both kaizen and green philosophies. To measure these synergies, the works measure the impact of kaizen on certain environmental indicators, for example: energy consumption, resource use, CO2 emissions, carbon footprint and waste generation.

Although there is this common purpose in all of them, the approaches are subtly different. Some articles consider that the mere application of traditional kaizen techniques can already lead to an improvement in environmental indicators. In others, however, the authors highlight the need to rethink the operations management philosophy and orient it to the green philosophy, which in many cases is considered the next stage.

Another differentiation between the analyzed cases is that in some, continuous improvement is treated as an integral philosophy [ 8 ], while in other cases, the application and adaptation of certain tools is discussed [ 50 ].

As a noteworthy aspect, it should be noted that the work of Bellgram et al. [ 47 ] is the only one that refers to the importance of human resources in this type of change initiative. Specifically, the work tries to analyze how to “hook” the operators and managers to get involved in the process.

The remaining four articles, that are not case studies, have a more theoretical aspect. Thus, the work by Zokaei et al. [ 51 ] is a literature review, although not systematic, on how operational goals are aligned with green. On the other hand, the work of Cherrafi et al. [ 52 ] proposes a model/framework for running improvement workshops composed of five stages: prepare for the event, conduct the event, combine and organize ideas, decide on improvements and track and preserve the results. Finally, the studies carried out by Pampanelli et al. [ 8 , 53 ], in addition to including a model, present an application of their model in an engineering corporation and in an automotive production plant. Through their model, the authors intend to adapt the principles of continuous improvement, providing them with a greater environmental orientation.

3.2. Do Theoretical or Empirical Papers Predominate? What Are the Main Methodologies Applied? What Are the Most Common Sample Sizes?

As has already become apparent in the previous section, research on the subject is very scarce. Despite this fact, there seems to be a clear predominance of empirical studies and, more specifically, of case studies. Only three studies incorporate the proposal for a model and only one includes a review, although it is not systematic ( Table 5 ).

Typology of the studies.

With regard to data collection methodologies, many of the works do not specify the technique used. In some cases, however, express reference is made to individual or group interviews [ 39 ], surveys [ 4 , 42 ] and brainstorming sessions [ 47 ].

On the other hand, the analysis methodologies used include techniques such as descriptive analysis [ 4 ], modeling and simulation [ 48 ], structural equations [ 4 ], qualitative analysis methods such as content analysis [ 41 ], correlations [ 50 ] and ANOVA [ 42 ].

Finally, with regard to the sample sizes in the studies, a clear predominance of cases based on a single company is perceived. It is true, however, that some studies focus on a certain sector or the entire supply chain, therefore including information from several companies. Only the studies that incorporate the survey as a collection sample have larger sample sizes: 239 [ 4 ] and 250 [ 50 ].

3.3. Concerning the Empirical Studies, Which Economical Activities and Countries Have They Been Applied to?

There is wide variability in the sectors in which the studies are carried out ( Table 6 ), although there is a clear predominance of the manufacturing sectors. On the contrary, the work of Hussain et al. [ 4 ] is applied to the service sector, specifically to a group of hotels.

Sector distribution.

Likewise, it is important to note the work of Cherrafi et al. [ 52 ], since it is the only one that includes companies from different sectors in its sample (aerospace and automotive). This is because the authors consider validating their model in different settings.

On the other hand, with regard to the geographical distribution of the studies, it should be noted that this information is not specified in all of them. When reference is made to it, a wide variability is again perceived, and no pattern or area can be found that is at the fore in this subject ( Table 7 ). Although it is true that several studies were carried out in the US [ 42 , 49 , 52 ], there were also projects in Europe (UK [ 44 ], Romania [ 38 ], Italy [ 45 ]), Asia (Thailand [ 41 ], United Arab Emirates [ 4 ]) and South America (Brazil [ 8 ]).

Geographical scope.

3.4. What Are the Main Conclusions Achieved?

One of the first conclusions derived from the studies is the growing interest in the relationship between kaizen and green, especially since 2009. In the opinion of Zokaei et al. [ 51 ], this movement is right now where the movement of quality was 40 years ago. At that time, quality was understood as an extra cost, an opposite objective to profitability. With the passage of time, it was seen that more quality implied more value and that doing things right the first time meant a reduction in costs. Now, the same is happening with sustainability and environmental aspects. There are many companies that consider environmental objectives to be at odds with cost objectives, the same perception that existed with quality in past decades [ 51 ]. As with quality, with the passage of time, it has been proven that there is no dilemma between sustainability and cost. It is high time that sustainability is seen as an opportunity and not as a cost. On the other hand, it must be considered that, as Zokaei et al. [ 51 ] point out, environmental management can now be a competitive advantage, but the future will be a “must have”.

Zokaei et al. [ 51 ] also proposed the term total environment management, in a clear reference to the commonalities between quality and environmental management. They suggest that the latter can borrow many ideas in terms of structures and methods of quality management that, undoubtedly, has a much longer history.

Pampanelli et al. [ 8 , 53 ] proposed a model which adopts a kaizen approach. Specifically, Pampanelli et al. [ 53 ] suggest moving from the traditional quality, delivery, cost (QDC) to QDCE (also incorporating “environment”). For instance, in operational terms, a new type of waste could be incorporated in traditional waste: environmental. In this way, the three core sustainability dimensions: profit, people and planet, would be worked on.

More specifically, some of the analyzed studies show how there are certain tools traditionally associated with kaizen that can be successfully applied to environmental issues. For example, in the work of Ramakrishnan et al. [ 48 ], a value stream map (VSM) is applied. Instead of using inventory level or time consumption to identify areas for improvement, energy consumption levels are incorporated.

It is true, however, that there are no conclusive results concerning tools’ application and their usefulness for environment management, as studies differ. Garza-Reyes et al. [ 50 ] conclude that the impact of the tools is uneven. According to the authors, the application of kaizen/continuous improvement only showed an effect on the use of materials and release of pollutants. In the same vein, the work of Alves Pinto Junior and Mendes [ 40 ] concludes that the use of some tools such as the Poka-Yoke and the Ishikawa diagram, or the application of the Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) cycle are useful when reducing consumption of energy and water.

Another of the main conclusions drawn from the analyzed articles is that the application of kaizen and green generates direct benefits of various kinds for companies, for example: cost reduction derived from lower energy consumption [ 48 ], higher productivity in the use of natural resources [ 8 ] or a reduction in emissions without reducing the quality of the product/service offered [ 37 ]. Likewise, indirect environmental benefits are perceived, for example, by reducing transport, fewer emissions are achieved [ 47 ]. In this line, the conclusion drawn by Hussain et al. [ 4 ] is interesting. These authors, through a correlation analysis, conclude that, just as continuous improvement practices have a greater impact on economic indicators, green practices have it on environmental indicators. Therefore, it seems logical to think that to achieve a balance, it is necessary to unite both philosophies and obtain synergies.

Finally, in a different vein, two additional ideas stand out that are worth mentioning. The first one is the importance of human resources in this type of change initiative. Bellgran et al. [ 47 ] emphasize the need for management support, as well as the commitment and positive attitude of employees. The second idea, included in the works of Goyal et al. [ 37 ] and Pampanelli et al. [ 53 ], is that large investments are not necessary to reduce the environmental impact of a company. Both studies consider it important to put an end to this myth since large investments represent a barrier to companies that dare to work on reducing their environmental impact. While it is true that these improvements could come from the hand of reengineering, that undoubtedly requires large investments, it is important to show that there are other possible alternatives, more economical, kaizen being one of them.

3.5. What Are the Future Lines of Research Stated by the Studies Developed So Far?

There are several lines of research that are suggested in the analyzed studies. In the first place, and despite the number of case studies identified, the authors point out the need for more practical studies that demonstrate the existing synergies between kaizen and green. In addition, it is also proposed to study whether companies that apply kaizen and green simultaneously obtain better environmental results than those that apply only one of the techniques [ 51 ].

It is also suggested to work on more theoretical models that, synergistically, combine the ideas of both philosophies (non-value-added activities removal and green), developing the idea of total environment management more precisely [ 51 ].

Finally, as lines of work to be developed, it is pointed out the need to carry out more studies in service sectors such as health or banking [ 4 , 48 ], as well as increasing the scope of the studies. These are mostly focused on a single company (even a department or area of the same), when in reality it would be interesting to broaden the perspective and cover the entire value chain [ 8 ].

4. Discussion

Based on the obtained results, it might be concluded that, despite the existing homogeneity among the analyzed articles, with a clear predominance of case studies, it is difficult to draw generalizable conclusions since these are very specific application cases with a clear vocation for dissemination among practitioners, with some of them lacking the traditional academic structure and scientific method during their development. Without a doubt, their usefulness is undoubted since they serve as a model for other companies and because they allow us to see common aspects to take into account. That said, it would be necessary to go one step further to achieve the development of a firm theory in the field of kaizen and green/clean practices. Although it is true that three of the articles found make an attempt to propose a model, they follow the same framework as previous models do (PDCA), the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) being the main and unique difference. Therefore, more research should be developed in this respect, and one of the questions that might be answered in the future is how companies might manage to be green. A future research line will be proposed in the final paragraphs of this section in this respect.

This may be due to the fact that the intersection of both philosophies is still a topic in the early stages of development [ 51 ]. There are several results that support this statement. Firstly, the high percentage of case studies and the almost total absence of more elaborate theoretical works is also indicative that we are facing an expanding field. Finally, the fact that most studies focus on industrial/manufacturing economical activities suggests that this particular topic might be in its initial phase. It could be that, as happened with other management systems (mass production at the beginning of the 20th century or the lean philosophy at the end) which were first applied in manufacturing (especially in the automotive industry), kaizen–green practices may have been first applied in manufacturing environments and, over time, the number of studies based on service industries will increase. In this sense, it would be interesting to know which economical activities are the ones that produce the highest CO2 emissions so that efforts are focused on them. Thus, the highest impact will be achieved.

From all the above, it might be concluded, as other authors pointed out, that it is necessary to develop more research on this kaizen and sustainability issue that allows obtaining generalizable conclusions [ 4 , 8 , 48 , 51 ].

Another interesting idea regarding the analyzed case studies is that they are all success stories. It is hard to believe that there has been no case of implementation with unfavorable results and that the synergies between kaizen and green/clean initiatives have always been clear. In the authors’ opinion, the publication of failure cases should be encouraged as they serve as an example of what not to do. Of course, these must be well informed and grounded.

Regarding the relationship established between kaizen and green/clean management, there are several aspects to highlight. In the first place, it is striking how, although our search strategy used the kaizen concept, there are many studies obtained that are about lean management. This leads us to wonder if both concepts are understood as synonyms, although, in theory, they are not. The need to clarify these concepts and the relationship between both has already been evident in previous studies [ 27 ]. Therefore, and although it is not the objective of this work, it seems that a greater theoretical reflection is necessary to end the confusion of existing terms.

Secondly, another reflection is that in all the analyzed articles, the relationship between kaizen and green/clean management is given by the fact that the application of improvements results in a reduction in waste associated with environmental impact. However, in the opinion of the authors, this orientation should be enriched, and the relationship should also be established from the point of view of value. In other words, environmental improvements should not be understood as a consequence of kaizen, but as an objective. More and more customers are already demanding, as a sign of value, that companies’ processes are sustainable. A clear example of this is the B-Corp certification that is only given to those companies that, after an audit process, prove to be economically, socially and environmentally sustainable [ 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 ]. These companies are a clear example of how environmental objectives can be incorporated into the mission of the company from the beginning, not only as a result of the application of improvements in the process.

What does seem clear is that the environment has become another key business variable, in addition to quality, service and cost. The question is, are they compatible or conflicting objectives? Is it a question of priorities? If the priority is cost, the company will ask what its best environmental performance is given this cost limit. However, if the environment is the priority, the question will concern what the cost will be, given certain environmental goals. The big question is, can a situation where these objectives are not in conflict be reached? In this sense, and as Zokaei et al. [ 51 ] highlight, it would be advisable to learn from the trajectory of the total quality management movement which concluded that quality and cost were not conflicting objectives.

From a more operational point of view, the results on the application of kaizen tools do not seem conclusive. Therefore, it would be necessary to carry out more studies in this regard. If kaizen and green/clean practices are to be applied synergistically, can the tools be applied in the same way? Are adaptations needed? Of course, the analysis of the tools and their application must be preceded by the necessary theoretical reflection that has already been commented on in previous paragraphs.

Based on the above, as a future research line, it would be interesting to compare whether there are differences in how continuous improvement is applied between cost-driven and environmental-driven companies. If, when comparing their vision, it is concluded that their perspective is the same, the application of the same tools could be recommended. If, on the other hand, the perception is not the same, it would not only be necessary to change the focus (from cost to sustainability), but also the way of applying the tools. As a concrete example, a study between B-Corp companies could be carried out. Specifically, it would be interesting to know the case of a company that, having practiced continuous improvement habitually, has been certified as B-Corp. It could be analyzed whether it still has the same vision of continuous improvement, or if it has changed, one could check what the changes have been.

On the other hand, continuous improvement is a cornerstone of other operations management paradigms (such as Total Quality Management (TQM), Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), Lean, Agile …). Therefore, it would be interesting to investigate the relationship of these paradigms with clean production and compare those results with the specific results related to kaizen that have been presented in this work. Thus, it could be distinguished whether this relationship is due specifically to kaizen, as analyzed here, or to the whole set of practices and pillars that integrate other broader paradigms.

Finally, as mentioned above, it would be necessary to develop more research on how a company can become green. In our opinion, three ways are possible: randomly (not recommended), implementing changes through reengineering or implementing changes through kaizen.

5. Conclusions

The objective of this study is to know what the state of the field kaizen and clean-green practices is at present. To achieve this, a systematic literature review has been carried out.

Regarding the first research question, which objectives and research questions the analyzed papers respond to, the results obtained seem to show that kaizen can be an interesting philosophy to achieve environmental sustainability, which must be incorporated as an additional objective. Thus, the analyzed articles show how synergies can be obtained from the joint application of kaizen and green management techniques.

At this point, it is important to note that, as indicated in several of the articles reviewed, environmental objectives are becoming increasingly important, ceasing to be an option and becoming a must-have. In fact, in the future, other objectives (cost, for instance) may have to be subordinated to environmental KPIs. As a result, the research perspective might also be changed. So far, environmental improvements have been analyzed as a consequence of applying kaizen; henceforward, environmental objectives should be included as an input for kaizen. They are not a consequence but a requisite.

Concerning the type of studies and the methodologies applied, based on the results, it might be seen that empirical studies predominate, especially case studies. Many of them do not inform about the method they used when collecting the data for their analysis (action research, survey, interview, KPIs analysis ….). Therefore, we recommend authors to include this information in their future research works. On the other side, more qualitative studies should be carried out, spreading the research on this field to other sectors and geographical areas.

In this line, as seen in Figure 2 , it can also be concluded that it is a field of growing interest for both academia and industry, as shown by the clear informative orientation of many of the analyzed articles. It is true, however, that it seems necessary to extend empirical research to other sectors, and to carry out more theoretical research to obtain generalizable conclusions.

From an operational point of view, it is essential to investigate whether the tools traditionally associated with kaizen are useful for fostering green/clean initiatives and how they should be applied. The results obtained so far, although interesting, are limited and, in some cases, contrary.

All in all, based on the main conclusions and future research lines stated by the analyzed papers, it might be said that the kaizen–green topic is a developing and very promising field in which further research is required. As mentioned above, it is necessary to develop more research on this topic in order to obtain generalizable conclusions.

Finally, regarding the future research lines, concerning the empirical studies, two points should be highlighted. On the one side, we have realized that most of the case studies do not inform about the method they used when collecting data (action research, survey …). Therefore, we recommend future authors to include this information in their research works. On the other side, it is recommended to develop more quantitative studies, spreading research to other sectors and geographical areas.

Overall, the main contribution of this paper is that it develops a rigorous literature review about kaizen and green/clean terms. In fact, as far as the authors are concerned, this is the first review that relates both concepts. Similarly, we consider that this paper is useful for academics interested in this field of research. First, it shows that the topic kaizen–green is in its early stages and more research should be develop. Secondly, the main research works of the field are identified and commented on. Finally, throughout the Discussion and Conclusion sections, several recommendations and future research lines have been proposed.

On the other side, we believe the content of this study might be of interest to practitioners. Our results might show them that the green movement, as it happened with quality in the previous decades, is becoming a key issue. In fact, environmental objectives will probably become a must in the near future. Thus, we hope that this paper has raised practitioners’ awareness of the relevance of this topic.

This work has two main limitations. In the first place, the search was based on two databases: Web of Science and Scopus. Although it is true that both bring together the largest number of articles on the subject, their scope in conference proceedings is more limited. Therefore, in future reviews, it would be interesting to incorporate other databases such as EBSCHO or ABI. Secondly, the number of publications found is limited, a sign of the incipient development of the topic. In this sense, it would be advisable to repeat this analysis in a period of three to five years. By that time, new works that are currently under development will have been published.

Article selection matrix.

1 I: included; D: doubt; E: excluded.

Appendix B. Some Codification Examples

CODE: OBJECTIVE

2:1 This paper’s purpose is to review how the field of lean and green has…… (2:62 [2:227])-D 2: 23_Zokaei et al. 2017.pdf

This paper’s purpose is to review how the field of lean and green has been evolving. The authors draw parallels between the fields of sustainability and quality management.

4:1 The main objective of this paper is to propose a new model, which we c…… (1:1394 [1:1766])-D 4: 7_Pampanelli et al. 2014.pdf

The main objective of this paper is to propose a new model, which we call the lean and green model. In this model, we integrate environmental sustainability into pure lean thinking. The model presented in this paper adopts a kaizen approach to improve mass and energy flows in manufacturing environments that already possess the necessary deployment level to apply lean thinking.

5:1 The purpose of this paper is to empirically assess the impact of integ…… (2:372 [2:563])-D 5: 12_Hussain et al. 2019.pdf

The purpose of this paper is to empirically assess the impact of integrated lean and green practices on the sustainable (environmental, economic and social) performance of a hotel supply chain.

6:18 Morocco (9:1885 [9:1891])-D 6: 18_Cherrafi et al. 2019.pdf

7:11 India (1:2570 [1:2574])-D 7: 28_Goyal et al. 2019.pdf

14:16 Latin America (9:1271 [9:1283])-D 14: 6_Alves Pinto Junior and Mendes 2017.pdf

Latin America

18:3 Telford (UK). (1:420 [1:433])-D 18: 11_Whyle and Bland 2017.pdf

Telford (UK)

CODE: SECTOR

3:4 high-end server manufacturing facility. (2491:2529)-D 3: 17_Ramkrishnana et al. 2009.docx

high-end server manufacturing facility

5:2 A case study of a large sample of UAE hotels is used to collect an…… (2:780 [2:970])-D 5: 12_Hussain et al. 2019.pdf

A case study of a large sample of UAE hotels is used to collect and analyze empirical data, validate the measurement model and test study hypotheses using structural equation modeling (SEM).

6:3 The model was validated through two case studies in the aerospace and a…… (1:1635 [1:1725])-D 6: 18_Cherrafi et al. 2019.pdf

The model was validated through two case studies in the aerospace and automotive industries.

5:16 f 239 respondents were considered in the analy (8:277 [8:322])-D 5: 12_Hussain et al. 2019.pdf

239 respondents were considered in the analysis

14:24 single case study (18:1651 [18:1667])-D 14: 6_Alves Pinto Junior and Mendes 2017.pdf

single case study

CODE: METHOD FOR COLLECTING THE DATA

13:4 The methodology used for this case study entailed observation a…… (5:1872 [5:1955])-D 13: 10_Nahmens.pdf

The methodology used for this case study entailed observation and interviews

15:8 team member, 12 in total), observations at the production lines (both…… (4:1 [4:414])-D 15: 5_Birkie et al. 2018.pdf

Observations at the production lines (both as included in the GPM structured 5-step procedure and as follow-up), individual interviews with selected respondents and group interviews and discussions with the production operator teams and the supportive team (lean manager, lean change agent, production engineers, environmental expert and coordinators, energy experts and production leaders).

17:11 Two methods were applied for developing these analyses: (1) brainstorm…… (5:316 [5:446])-D 17: 16_Pampanelli et al. 2015.pdf

Two methods were applied for developing these analyses: (1) brainstorm sessions with participants and specialists and (2) A3 analysis.

19:6 Surveys (5:1624 [5:1632])-D 19: 9_ Harris et al. 2011.pdf

CODES: METHOD FOR ANALYZING THE DATA

3:10 modeling and simulation techniques (19385:19417)-D 3: 17_Ramkrishnana et al. 2009.docx

modeling and simulation techniques

5:18 AMOS software package was used for the SEM to study the causative rela…… (8:1001 [8:1169])-D 5: 12_Hussain et al. 2019.pdf

AMOS software package was used for the SEM to study the causative relations and to test study hypotheses. SEM was mainly performed through confirmatory factor analysis.

11:2 Quantitative data analysis was carried out with the LISREL co…… (3:4120 [3:4282])-D 11: 8_Acharry et al. 2014.pdf

Quantitative data analysis was carried out with the LISREL computer program, whereas analysis of qualitative data was carried out using content analysis.

12:18 The collected data were then subjected to a correlation analysis, which…… (5:1974 [5:2328])-D 12: 21_Garza-Reyes et al. 2018.pdf

The collected data were then subjected to a correlation analysis, which was performed using the IBM SPSS Statistics software version 23, to investigate the effect of lean methods on environmental performance. To verify the findings of the correlation analysis, a structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis was subsequently performed using the AMOS22 software.

CODE: CONCLUSION

2:3 this paper contributes to the fields of operations management a…… (2:1681 [2:2073])-D 2: 23_Zokaei et al. 2017.pdf

This paper contributes to the fields of operations management and sustainability by proposing a change in businesses’ mind-set about sustainability. Rather than seeing environmental protection as a cost, it should be regarded as an opportunity for enhancing economic performance. In doing so, we can seek inspiration from the fields of quality management and the total quality movement.

3:7 This paper presents a framework (Exhibit 2) to identify forms of energ…… (7886:8563)-D 3: 17_Ramkrishnana et al. 2009.docx

This paper presents a framework (Exhibit 2) to identify forms of energy waste in processes and operations in a supply chain, which can be used in conjunction with the eight types of lean waste. Once the various forms of energy waste are identified, kaizen bursts will be used to represent the green opportunities and then improvement actions will be defined. We represent these bursts as an alphanumeric indicator that signifies the degree of energy consumption and the ease of addressing the opportunity. Once these actions are defined, the framework employs discrete event simulation techniques to quantify the energy savings, along with its impact on addressing other types of lean waste.

16:10 results achieved allowed demonstrating how, in this applica…… (7:2700 [7:3418])-D 16: 13_Antamaroni et al. 2018.pdf

Results achieved allowed demonstrating how, in this application, lean practices implementation favors better environmental performances without recurring to any heavy investment. For more accurate monitoring of energy consumption, however, the network should be provided with separate counters for each production cell. In this way, data used for the environmental evaluation could be more precise and the results would provide a global view of the effective sustainability performances. Extending the lean practices event to lithography and drawing and blanking operations will surely contribute to improve operational performances further.

CODE: FUTURE LINES

2:21 Similarly, research needs to be carried out to define “total environmen…… (8:2254 [8:2621])-D 2: 23_Zokaei et al. 2017.pdf

Similarly, research needs to be carried out to define “total environmental management” beyond conforming to end-of-pipe specifications and in terms of building environmental sustainability into products and processes. This new research is likely to be informed by systems theory, organizational behavior and change management (Argyris, 1999; Senge, 1990).

4:35 The model presented in this paper was designed for, and is limited to,…… (10:2797 [10:3266])-D 4: 7_Pampanelli et al. 2014.pdf

The model presented in this paper was designed for, and is limited to, the cell level, which is the first-value stream level of a manufacturing business that supports the principles of lean thinking. This study can be expanded to the other value stream levels, including the second-level flow (i.e., the factory) as well as the third-level flow, or extended value stream, level (i.e., multiple factories or the supply chain). These extensions will be the subject of future studies.

5:27 Secondly, data have been collected from the hotel industry only. Inclu…… (16:3498 [16:3661])-D 5: 12_Hussain et al. 2019.pdf

Secondly, data have been collected from the hotel industry only. Including other service supply chains such as health care and banking may yield interesting insights.

6:26 In the future, the proposed model can be extended to other ind…… (22:1992 [22:2335])-D 6: 18_Cherrafi et al. 2019.pdf

In the future, the proposed model can be extended to other industrial sectors and manufacturing firms where the need to improve environmental performance is critical. The model can also be modified to extend its scope for reducing other environmental impacts and exploring the integration of more advanced techniques and tools.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, L.S.-R.; methodology, L.S.-R., B.B. and J.A.M.-G.; analysis, L.S.-R., B.B., J.A.M.-G. and E.D.-B.; writing—original draft preparation, L.S.-R.; writing—review and editing, L.S.-R., B.B., J.A.M.-G. and E.D.-B. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

This research received no external funding.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

To read this content please select one of the options below:

Please note you do not have access to teaching notes, thoughts on kaizen and its evolution: three different perspectives and guiding principles.

International Journal of Lean Six Sigma

ISSN : 2040-4166

Article publication date: 22 November 2011

Since Masaaki Imai coined the term Kaizen in the mid 1980s it has been regarded as a key element in the competitiveness of Japanese companies. However, even though Kaizen was defined by the author who created the term, writings by scholars and practitioners in the field exhibit a certain degree of ambiguity and inconsistency. Finally, there is a clear need to develop this theory in the field of operations management. The purpose of this paper is to analyse Kaizen in the academic and practitioner literature, in order to better understand it and further explore and contribute to its potential theoretical profile.

Design/methodology/approach

A literature review was carried out using Kaizen as a search term. Various databases were used for this purpose and books written by both scholars and by practitioners on the subject were also consulted. The literature concerning Kaizen was methodically analysed and categorised.

The findings of the study indicate that Kaizen is presently displayed under three perspectives or umbrellas, which include a series of principles and techniques. By comparing the three perspectives, a set of guiding principles and/or cornerstones for Kaizen have also emerged.

Research limitations/implications

Analysis and classification is based on the literature that has been found and reviewed, along with the knowledge of authors on the subject, and may include other features as well as other angles of analysis.

Practical implications

The Kaizen literature review is very limited. In writing this paper a considerable number of articles and research related to Kaizen has been reviewed. This review resulted in an initial classification of Kaizen (three umbrellas) and four major topics, which may prove useful for managers or executives who are introducing or developing Kaizen in their organizations.

Originality/value

As far as the authors are aware, this is one of the first papers that proposes a literature review in an attempt to clarify Kaizen , both in academic and practitioner ambits.

• Continuous improvement
• Operations management
• Literature review
• Guiding principles

Suárez‐Barraza, M.F. , Ramis‐Pujol, J. and Kerbache, L. (2011), "Thoughts on kaizen and its evolution: Three different perspectives and guiding principles", International Journal of Lean Six Sigma , Vol. 2 No. 4, pp. 288-308. https://doi.org/10.1108/20401461111189407

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2011, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Related articles

We’re listening — tell us what you think, something didn’t work….

Report bugs here

All feedback is valuable

Please share your general feedback

Join us on our journey

Platform update page.

Visit emeraldpublishing.com/platformupdate to discover the latest news and updates

Questions & More Information

Answers to the most commonly asked questions here

Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer.

To browse Academia.edu and the wider internet faster and more securely, please take a few seconds to  upgrade your browser .

Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link.

• We're Hiring!
• Help Center

Kaizen Philosophy: A Review of Literature

Related Papers

International Journal of Operations & Production Management

Adam Brunet , Steve New

iaeme iaeme

Quality has become a prerequisite for success of any organization. It is being increasingly recognized that a high quality of products and services and their associated customer satisfaction are the key to survival for any enterprise. Quality consciousness of the customer and competitors has forced the manufacturers and service providers to search for more effective ways to achieve quality as defined by ultimate end users. In today’s turbulent and market driven economy, only those companies will survive who will adopt such practices, programs or methods which help in considerable and continuous improvement in products and services offered by them. Total quality management ( TQM) is widely accepted philosophy for achieving continuous quality improvements in all aspects of business. Kaizen, a philosophy, a strategy, a programme & an inherent part of the TQM process, helps to improve quality of goods & services of an organization. Continuous improvement( or kaizen) is the philosophy of continually seeking ways to improve operations. It transforms the drive towards quality into a never-ending journey. Kaizen means improvement & ongoing – continuous & never ending improvement involving everyone in work life. This has been one of the key concepts in success of Japanese industries. Kaizen is built on the premise that the knowledge of how to improve the work place should come from the work place itselg and not to be imposed from Outside. This paper Illustrates the concept, principles of kaizen with a structured approach for its implementation. This paper also presents an insight into the kaizen system in a large petrochemical plant based at Surat, Gujarat, India. Areas for improvement of the system in this organization are also presented which helps to continuously improve quality and productivity of work process of the organization and thereby helping the organization in setting and reaching higher and higher standards of performance.

JIGNESH BHOI

New Technology, Work and Employment

Hedley Malloch

International Scientific days 2016 :: The Agri-Food Value Chain: Challenges for Natural Resources Management and Society :: Proceedings

Erika Sujová

IJIEM - Indonesian Journal of Industrial Engineering and Management

muhammad julian syaputra

A business philosophy in a corporate organization that involves all elements from the leadership level to workers to contribute to the processes that support an organizational system, such as work and time efficiency, work environment and safety, waste management, production processes and other processes. Kaizen has been widely accepted by various types of industries, both manufacturing and services, in response to these requirements, because kaizen itself can eliminate waste without additional resource requirements. This research aims to know and provide information about Kaizen implementation from various types of industries. This paper uses the literature review method of research papers that generally apply kaizen. A total of 52 research papers have been reviewed as research contributions, type of research methodology adopted, techniques and tools used, type of industry, and year of publication. The results obtained were published in many researchs about kaizen at 2012-2019, ...

The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology

Temitope S Omotayo, PhD

SSRN Electronic Journal

Wayne Macpherson

Journal of emerging technologies and innovative research

Yllza Jasiqi

In today’s highly competitive and globalized market, companies have come to a concern of saving production cost. For this purpose, one of the way to reduce cost is by avoiding non-value added activities i.e. muda and suggesting Ideas to improvement the work that is carried out. Identifying hidden opportunities in work place by various Kaizen tools and techniques, suggesting an improvement that will eliminate or reduce the muda. Kaizen (Continuous Improvement) is a concept that aim to improve every time through problem identification and solving. This kaizen implementation will lead to innovative performance and help in companies’ success and workers development. In order to support required standard, kaizen technique PDCA is used. KE focused on structured improvement, using the approach of “cross-functional team” to improve the target work. Kaizen ergonomic also make assembly work so easier that even young female workers and aged workers may work there to “humanizing” assembly.

Dhamodaran Lingappan

Thousands of small & medium scale industries are present in India. All are facing certain problems resulting in shortage of production and quality issues. This case study deals with the kaizen implementation in an industry in an assembly line in India that manufactures front and rear axle for heavy and medium vehicles. Kaizen technique has tremendous effect on operations of a firm, including design, distribution, marketing etc. and thus all level of a firm's management. A case study is presented to motivate practitioners to implement in small & medium scale Industries.

RELATED PAPERS

Valerica Cociug

Mashhoor Alfayez

World Journal of Endocrine Surgery

Loreno Enny

Tongli Wang

João Victor Dande

Rachel L Q Chacur

Obesity Research & Clinical Practice

Nguyen Ngoc

Acta Botanica Gallica

Ercan Ekbic

Journal of Health, Medicine and Nursing

yemisi babalola

Public Policy And Administration

Revista Umática

Albert Alcoz

austine uwakwe

Revue Française de Photogrammétrie et de Télédétection

Eugene Konan

IEEE Transactions on Information Theory

Yousef Saad

European Journal of American Culture

Catherine Gander

Gordana Beg Paklar

Richard Reuben

Water Resources Research

Nancy Grimm

Hospital chronicles

Spyridon Koulouris

BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care

Miriam Leung

Editora Artemis eBooks

Sância Pires

hjjhgj kjghtrg

revista brasileira de ensino de física

Ana Paula Bispo

Music and Medicine

Rebekah Rousi

See More Documents Like This

RELATED TOPICS

•   We're Hiring!
•   Help Center
• Find new research papers in:
• Health Sciences
• Earth Sciences
• Cognitive Science
• Mathematics
• Computer Science
• Academia ©2024