ABSTRACT
Especially when an organization is holding its first few Kaizen Events, it’s critical for the team to receive a clear message from a respected leader in the organization about the organization’s commitment to the change process and the team’s role and authority in making improvements. As the organization matures and rapid improvement becomes a part of the culture, the need for leadership presence during the kickoff lessens. But for early events, if leadership doesn’t physically and verbally demonstrate its support for the event and its confidence in the team’s ability to implement rapid improvements, the team will doubt its role and authority to make change, slowing their progress.
