The influence of national level factors on international kaizen transfer

Yokozawa, Kodo; Steenhuis, Harm‐Jan

doi:10.1108/jmtm-05-2011-0046

Cited by 18 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 68 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Also, the use of practices, tools and/or techniques allows the development of continuous improvement among all members of the organization. Some studies have shown that quality tools such as Pareto charts, check sheets, cause-effect diagrams, and brainstorming are the most widely used (Alvarado and Pumisacho, 2017; Yokozawa and Steenhuis, 2013; Bessant et al , 1994). In this sense, the link to quality management systems as support for daily continuous improvement activities has a positive influence on the organization (Singh and Singh, 2015).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Kaizen, a continuous improvement practice in organizations

Ramírez

Pumisacho-Álvaro

Miguel-Dávila

et al. 2018

TQM

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to compare the practices of continuous improvement that are applied in medium and large manufacturing and service companies in two Latin American countries. At the same time, benefits and barriers experienced by these companies with regard to sustainability of continuous improvement are explored. Design/methodology/approach In order to generate a comparative study between two Latin American countries, interviews were conducted with managers linked to continuous improvement in medium and large companies in the State of Puebla and the Metropolitan District of Quito, which are important areas in Mexico and Ecuador, respectively. Data were collected by means of document analysis, semi-structured interviews, and direct observation. Findings Companies in both countries identify the use of various techniques and/or tools for continuous improvement. The results of the empirical evidence show how the impact of the application of the techniques has been beneficial in economic and human terms. Thus, the exploratory study has permitted the identification of the drivers and inhibitors in the maintenance of continuous improvement. Research limitations/implications The research is based on only two areas of the Latin American countries: Mexico and Ecuador. Their results can therefore not be generalized. The approach is applied in a specific environment, namely, the State of Puebla and the Metropolitan District of Quito. This study incorporates the perception of managers, directors, and/or supervisors involved in continuous improvement processes. Practical implications This paper seeks to provide analytical input. The study is of great interest to researchers, managers, consultants, and professionals linked to projects of continuous improvement who wish to incorporate continuous improvement practices which are sustainable over time. A new managerial behavior is the basis of continuous improvement, where the training and development of the human resource increases the commitment to achieve organizational changes. Originality/value This research makes an empirical contribution to the literature through the understanding of practices of continuous improvement in a Latin American context, highlighting the factors that improve or impede the process of continuous improvement. Particularly in Mexico and Ecuador, the empirical evidence on this subject is still scarce despite the existence of theoretical academic literature.

show abstract

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Kaizen, a continuous improvement practice in organizations

Ramírez

Pumisacho-Álvaro

Miguel-Dávila

et al. 2018

TQM

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Zimmermann and Bollbach (2015) point out China's traditional norms of management, education, and legal systems are cultural barriers to achieve continuous improvement targets. The Netherlands are severally reported as the challenging country for transfer of Kaizen (Yokozawa, Steenhuis & de Bruijn, 2012;Yokozawa & Steenhuis, 2013). In the international transfer of Kaizen, Yokozawa et al (2012) confirms that the appropriate organizational culture is clan culture despite the hierarchical culture.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…This study was conducted with the focus on proposing an evaluation model which empowers decision makers to assess their compatibility of organizational culture to Lean culture before any deployment. Literature review revealed that national culture differences influence on Kaizen programs adoption and Lean transfer (Wong, 2007;Yokozawa, et al, 2010;Yokozawa & Steenhuis, 2013;James & Jones, 2014;Wangwacharakul, et al, 2014;Pakdil & Leonard, 2015;Tsao, Rau & Ma, 2015;Zimmermann & Bollbach, 2015). Moreover, some studies examined cultural profile of Lean organization through GLOBE model (House et al, 2004) which the results are in contradictions (Kull et al, 2014;Bortolotti et al, 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the international transfer of Kaizen, Yokozawa et al (2012) confirms that the appropriate organizational culture is clan culture despite the hierarchical culture. Yokozawa and Steenhuis (2013) also assert that the transformation is culturally dependable on the high level of discipline and eagerness of employees. The authors introduce Japan as country with high level and the Netherlands with low level in both factors.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

A Model to align the organizational culture to Lean

Taherimashhadi

Ribas

2018

JIEM

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose: Since the emergence of Lean Manufacturing many organizations strived to implement it. Nonetheless, sustainable Lean transformation is not as easy as to be simply achieved. Several aspects need to be taken into account before Lean implementation which national and organizational culture are important. By considering influences of national culture on the organizational culture, this paper aims at proposing an evaluation model to determine the cultural weaknesses of an organization and give some recommendations to manage people before implementing Lean.Design/methodology/approach: This research has been conducted based on literature review survey and semi-structured interviews. Research papers, conference proceedings, books, and official websites regarding Lean philosophy were reviewed to find the influence of national culture in Lean implementation. Different databases were scrutinized, from 2015 to 2017, containing Scopus and Web of Science with the time period of 1996-2016. A set of key terms and their combinations were used including: Toyota Production system, Lean production, Lean manufacturing, Lean management, Transformation, Implementation, Barriers/ Impediments/Challenges/Difficulties, Human resources, Success factors, Organizational culture, and National culture.Findings: The proposed evaluation model is a guide for organizations to determine cultural misalignments between the corporate culture and the Lean culture before its implementation and gives some managerial recommendations to correct them.Originality/value: This study is the first attempt to integrate the national models with Lean culture to provide an evaluation model and some recommendations to help the organization to align its culture to Lean culture before its implementation.

show abstract

“…Findings show that there is a positive correlation between the application of Kaizen and culture in relation to the performance of companies in Vietnam, and it is proposed to adapt effectively and flexibly the Kaizen practice to local culture in order to improve performance and achieve a competitive advantage. At the same time, other surveys (Yokozawa, Steenhuis, 2013) confirmed that it is easier to transfer Kaizen to Southeast Asian countries, like Vietnam, than to European countries because the employees are more obedient and disciplined.…”

Section: The Experience In International Kaizen Implementation Transfermentioning

confidence: 96%

Kaizen as a global business philosophy for continuous improvement of business performance

Janjić¹,

Bogićević²,

Krstić³

2019

Ekonomika

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Today, numerous tools can be used in the production and other phase of the value chain with the aim of increasing operational efficiency and quality of products. However, the Kaizen can be understood as one of the basic lean techniques. Continuous improvement applied through Kaizen is a key element of Japanese management and the source of competitiveness. The benefits of an effective program of continuous improvement are reflected in cost efficiency, waste reduction and product quality improvement. Taught by Japanese success, many companies have adopted Kaizen as a technique for improving production efficiency and achieving business excellence. Despite the Kaizen implementation has led to improved performance in many companies and its application is widespread around the world, many problems and difficulties in its implementation are observed outside Japan. The process of transferability of Kaizen is influenced by many factors whose significance and intensity vary depending on the country in which it is applied. Hence, although Kaizen is very simple at first glance, it is a complex process that needs to be adapted to the specificities of the environment, taking into account numerous influential factors.

show abstract

The influence of national level factors on international kaizen transfer

Cited by 18 publications

References 68 publications

Kaizen, a continuous improvement practice in organizations

Kaizen, a continuous improvement practice in organizations

A Model to align the organizational culture to Lean

Kaizen as a global business philosophy for continuous improvement of business performance

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About