This research examines the success and sustainability of using "Kaizen events" as a mechanism to rapidly introduce change and to create a culture of continual improvementkai (or zen) in lean manufacturing. Objectives have been defined to investigate the determinants of initial and longitudinal outcomes, as well as to compare Kaizen events with a more traditional improvement mechanism (continuous process improvement teams). Both quantitative and qualitative methodologies (surveys, operational performance data, observations, document reviews, and interviews) will be used to collect data from eight manufacturers over a three-year period. We explicitly including both social and technical system outcomes and will empirically test claims that Kaizen event use will lead to the creation of a culture of continual improvement over time.
Broader Impacts: Research results will be shared with the collaborating organizations and industrial consortiums will be used to disseminate the results to a broader industrial and research community. Members of these consortiums will be able to use the research findings to design better Kaizen events, with a higher probability of successfully sustaining outcomes. Also, the research will be integrated into engineering curricula of both undergraduate and graduate courses at Oregon State University and Virginia Tech. Both PI's are actively teaching engineering courses in which lean practices and change mechanisms are explicitly covered.
