ABSTRACT
Quick Take ◾ While Kaizen requires the sponsorship and involvement of senior leaders,
leaders at all levels need to directly participate in Kaizen in their areas. ◾ Department managers, or designated Kaizen coordinators, take a very active
role in facilitating Kaizen changes and managing a departmental effort. ◾ Leaders at all levels must ask staff to participate in Kaizen and must help
create time for this work. ◾ Supervisors and managers help assess cross-departmental impact and help
avoid suboptimization. ◾ Leaders drive Kaizen success through their actions, encouragement, and
recognition of Kaizen activity.
