Have you heard of Kaizen?

Kaizen is a Japanese term meaning change for the better or continuous improvement (‘Kai’ means ‘change’ and ‘zen’ means ‘for the better’).

In the context of Japanese business philosophy, Kaizen is a process that encourages the continuous improvement of operations and the involvement of all employees.

The goal? Ensure maximum quality, the elimination of waste, and efficiency improvements, both in terms of equipment and work procedures.

👉 So what does Kaizen have to do with your organization?
Everything!

You do not want to be that Managing Director or CEO that’s running his or her business exactly like he or she ran it 20 years ago.

🔥 Change is good.
We all need to learn to adapt because everything changes.

From new technologies to new standards, we all need to stay in front of change to succeed, both in life and business.

👉 How does Kaizen work?

Kaizen involves five key principles:

1️⃣ Knowing your target audience
2️⃣ Letting change happen instead of fighting it
3️⃣ Focusing on value-creating work
4️⃣ Empowering your team
5️⃣ Being transparent.

These five principles lead to three major outcomes:

💰 Elimination of waste (A.K.A. economic efficiency)
💰 Improved management and culture
💰 The standardization of review and feedback mechanisms

Ideally, Kaizen becomes so ingrained in a company's culture that it eventually becomes natural to employees.

🔑 The key main message: By implementing the principles of Kaizen in your business, you and your business become more open to innovation and improvements.

📰 In this week’s edition of U.S.-Japan Weekly, we’ve got the latest on U.S.-Japan business news:

• Japanese Prime Minister Kishida to visit North Carolina in April 2024

• Panasonic increases its investment in De Soto, Kansas

• Toyota announced as the main sponsor for this year’s Southeast U.S./Japan Annual Conference
  
  

Prime Minister Kishida eyes North Carolina visit during six-day U.S. trip

🇺🇸 RALEIGH, NC — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is hoping to visit North Carolina as part of a six-day official visit to the United States in April, whose highlight will be a high-level meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden and a state dinner at the White House, according to the Japan Times.

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Panasonic plans 4680 battery production to new Kansas plant

🇺🇸 DE SOTO, KS — In an article published in Electrive this month, Japanese electronics multinational Panasonic is reportedly increasing its investment in its upcoming battery factory in De Soto, Kansas that will produce 4,680 cells for Tesla’s electric vehicles (EVs).

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Toyota to headline SEUS/Japan conference in North Carolina

🇺🇸 RALEIGH, NC — Gov. Roy Cooper has announced that Toyota will be the main sponsor of this year’s Southeast U.S./Japan Annual Joint Meeting (SEUS/Japan Conference), a pivotal economic development gathering aimed at attracting more Japanese investment to North Carolina as well as across the Southeastern United States.

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MORE FROM GMI POST
Bringing down boundaries

📌 In recent years, Japanese schools have recognized the need to welcome more international students. Business issues aside, such as increased enrollment, colleges and universities in Japan know that students will benefit more in an environment that is more inclusive and culturally diverse.

Among those cross-cultural bridges is Temple University Japan.

Today, Temple University Japan has more than 2,000 students enrolled in degree programs both undergraduate and graduate (education, management, and law), and another 2,000-plus in non-degree programs.

📰 READ more about Temple University Japan in GMI POST’s Japan Education Report 2023: Global Groundbreakers, published online and in print via Foreign Affairs Magazine.

READ MORE

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