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Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to introduce a framework for the design and management of a Kaizen event program where short-term improvement projects (Kaizen events) are systematically used to introduce rapid change in targeted work areas, often relying on lean work system principles. Design/methodology/approach -To develop the framework and the assessment approach, a comprehensive literature review and a field study of Kaizen event programs in three organizations were conducted. To illustrate the potential usefulness of the framework and the assessment approach, this paper presents a case study of how the framework was applied to design and improve a Kaizen event program in the Belgian Armed Forces. Findings -Use of the framework as a design and assessment tool appeared to make the Kaizen event program more effective in the case study organization. Specific areas of improvement identified included: clearly defining event goals, scheduling extended follow-up activities, defining measures to track results, assigning roles for Kaizen event evaluation activities, and sharing lessons learned in areas of the organization outside the work processes targeted by Kaizen events. Originality/value -With the increased use of lean work system practices in recent years, many organizations are using Kaizen events to rapidly introduce change and to create a culture of continual improvement (or kaizen). However, organizations lack systematic, research-based guidance on how to best design and implement Kaizen event improvement programs and how to best assess results. The proposed framework attempts to address these gaps.

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The purpose of this paper is to describe and illustrate an application of a tool for assessing the maturity and effectiveness of enterprise performance measurement systems. Design/methodology/approach -Assessment elements were defined based on the literature, and the scoring approach was designed based on performance excellence frameworks such as Baldrige and EFQM. A research case application in a Belgian public sector organization is used to illustrate how the tool can be used and the types of insights generated. Findings -The case application indicates that the tool can be used to generate useful and actionable feedback for leadership to increase the maturity of enterprise performance measurement systems. The tool can also be used to longitudinally track progress in performance measurement system effectiveness.Research limitations/implications -The current paper represents the pilot application of the tool. Future work is needed to further test and refine the tool, refine the assessment process, and collect additional assessment data in other organizations. Originality/value -This tool provides a more holistic yet detailed assessment of performance measurement systems. It assesses measurement system design quality, as well as implementation/use Specific feedback on process gaps can be used to detect and address problem areas, providing value for practitioners. The tool provides researchers with a standard, structured approach for collecting and codifying detailed observations and artifacts when studying measurement systems.

Previous research has shown that military units operating in

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