Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

For the professional manager or student of management, a comprehensive handbook of 16 Kaizen management practices that can be put to work. KAIZEN uses more than 100 examples in action and contains 15 corporate case studies.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• 1 KAIZEN, The Concept
• 2 Improvement East and West
• 3 KAIZEN by Total Quality Control
• 4 KAIZEN - The Practice
• 5 KAIZEN Management
• 6 The KAIZEN Approach to Problem Solving
• 7 Changing the Corporate Culture

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Books about Japanese management have become kind of a cottage industry, from Theory Z ( LJ 5/1/81) to The Art of Japanese Management ( LJ 8/1/81) and The Mind of the Strategist ( LJ 6/1/82) to Kaisha: the Japanese corporation ( LJ 12/85). This volume covers some of the same groundthe current superiority of Japanese management stylebut approaches things from a different perspective. Essentially, Imai contends that the Japanese edge can be found in a philosophical orientation captured in the concept of Kaizen. Kaizen management is anchored in the notion of perpetual improvementeven if all is going well. In contrast to U.S.-style management, it takes a longer-run view and is process-oriented rather than geared to immediate results. Importantly, the Kaizen philsophy is also quantifiable , rooted in the mathematics of quality control theory. Recommended. Gene Laczniak, Coll. of Business Administration, Marquette Univ., Milwaukee (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

CHOICE Review

Kaizen is an analysis of the factors behind Japan's industrial ``miracle'' by a management consultant familiar with Japanese and Western industry. Imai's core argument-that the success is less a cultural phenomenon than a result of tough business practices-has become central in the literature. The original part of his argument is to see all the disparate parts of Japanese manufacturing under the umbrella concept of Kaizen, which he describes as an ongoing concern with improvement. Although the book is quite readable, the value of this meta-concept is questionable; despite the many theoretical models, tables, and flow charts, one cannot help but wonder if any human organization can operate with such simplicity and ease. Although assorted examples are presented in the text, direct evidence for the author's scheme is quite minimal. Marginally useful for undergraduates not familiar with the topic.-T. Juravich, Pennsylvania State University

Booklist Review

In attempting to fathom the secrets of Japan's economic success, some books have argued that the cohesiveness of Japanese society provides an advantage; others extol the fact that Japanese managers are more long-term oriented. Masaaki Imai, a longtime observer of U.S. and Japanese businesses, postulates the distinctions between the two: Americans are concerned with sweeping innovation, while the Japanese are concerned with incremental improvements (kaizen). Imai shows how this divergence translates into different policies and attitudes, from managers to lower-level employees. Numerous case studies of such Japanese companies as Toyota and Hitachi provide valuable insights on the ramifications of implementing a kaizen strategy. Figures and source documents serve the text well. A sound addition to large business collections. Glossary; index. BK. 658'.00952 Industrial management Japan / Comparative management [CIP] 85-30015