KAIZEN VS. INNOVATION: TWO APPROACHES TO ORGANIZATIONAL IMPROVEMENT
Introduction Organizations need to improve continuously in order to survive and compete in a changing business environment. Improvement can happen in different ways. Two common approaches are Kaizen and innovation . Although both aim to improve organizational performance, they are different in their focus, speed, investment, responsibility, and use of technology. Kaizen is a Japanese management concept that means continuous improvement . It focuses on improving existing operations through small, gradual changes. These improvements are usually made by all employees, from top management to frontline workers. In contrast, innovation focuses on creating major changes, new products, new technologies, or new business models. Innovation is often driven by top management, specialists, or research and development teams. Both Kaizen and innovation are important. Kaizen helps organizations improve daily work and eliminate waste, while innovation helps orga...