Kaizen Teian 2: Guiding Continuous Improvement Through Employee Suggestions

Japan Human Relations Association (Eds.). Kaizen Teian 2: Guiding Continuous Improvement Through Employee Suggestions. Cambridge, MA: Productivity Press, 1992. Pp. xv + 197. $39.95

In examining Kaizen Teian 2 after having reviewed Kaizen Teian 1, there has been discernible improvement in the organization and usefulness of the information that is provided. Whether this can be attributed to the authors having utilized Kaizen Teian is unknown. The content of K.T.2 is certainly more meaningful in describing the Kaizen Teian system and what a Kaizen facilitator can do to enhance the process. The number of cartoons (illustrative drawings) has been reduced, and those provided appear to be more relevant and to have more pedagogical value.

In the publisher's introduction, we are told that "Kaizen Teian 2 aims to equip those managing Kaizen efforts with the tools for teaching employees what Kaizen and teian are all about." The authors have certainly succeeded in doing this. They point out that the major thrust is on developing employee abilities, defining and solving workplace problems, dealing with causes rather than making repairs, and making sure that solutions deal with the real cause....