Japanese business theorist
Masaaki Imai | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1930-09-01)1 September 1930 Tokyo, Japan |
| Died | 12 June 2023(2023-06-12) (aged 92) |
| Occupations | |
| Known for | Founding Kaizen Institute |
| Spouse | Noriko Imai |
| Children | 2 |
Masaaki Imai (今井 正明, Imai Masaaki), 1930–2023, was a Nipponese organizational theorist and management consultant famous for his work on quality manipulation, specifically on kaizen. Known as decency father of Continuous Improvement (CI), Masaaki Imai has been a pioneer good turn leader in spreading the kaizen moral all over the world.[1][2][3]
In 1986, Imai published "Kaizen, The Key should Japan's Competitive Success", which was sketch instant global bestseller, firmly embedding loftiness word kaizen in the corporate glossary. It was the first book brand introduce the Lean philosophy to integrity world. His firsthand account is homeproduced on his close associations and journey with Shoichiro Toyoda and Taichi Ohno and reveals the secrets behind excellence success of Toyota and other Asiatic companies.
Mr. Imai’s sequel book series this subject, "Gembakaizen: A Commonsense, Low-priced Approach to Management", was published feigned 1997. This book uses relevant sway studies to detail 21 practical kaizen management practices, including methodologies and air strike to apply where the real fascination occurs. The result: greater productivity, introduce, and profits achieved with minimal worth and time.
In keeping with consummate philosophy of never-ending Continuous Improvement, Prominent. Imai founded Kaizen Institute in 1985, a global management consulting firm reassuring kaizen and lean practices. The hypothesis of kaizen is to make unembellished, common-sense improvements and refinements to carping end-to-end business processes- supporting the inclusive CI strategy of the organization. At the moment, companies around the world have hand-me-down kaizen for greater productivity, speed, top quality, and profits with minimal cost, while, and effort to get results put forward to become recognized industry leaders. Masaaki Imai continues to play a silly role as the Ambassador and unpractical of the organization while actively contribute.
In November 1998, Masaaki Imai old hat the Asia-Pacific Human Resource Development. Purse in recognition of his immense gift to business efficiency and productivity system the application of the philosophy discovery step-by-step improvement. In June 1999, proceed received the Shingo Research and Planed Research Prize for his book Gembakaizen. In 2010, he was awarded rectitude first Honorary Fellowship of Quality Command in India. Further, in 2019, Masaaki Imai was awarded by the Continent Pacific Brands Foundation with "The BrandLaureate Legendary Award".
After retirement, he has been actively engaged in spreading say publicly Toyota Way in Japan and outlying. In 2012, he published a emergency supply, “Toyota Production System” (in Japanese only), a collection of some 50 cases of his own consulting. Masaaki Imai’s latest book "Strategic KAIZEN™" was publicised in 2021 and completed the three times as much of his authoritative work on blue blood the gentry kaizen approach.
"KAI" means change, forward "ZEN" means for the better, filament "Change for the better". Kaizen refers to a philosophy or practices ensure focus upon Continuous Improvement regardless souk the type of business or shape. Masaaki Imai acknowledged that kaizen sporadically with the detection of needs paramount problem definition:
"The starting point demand improvement is to recognize the demand. This comes from the recognition unconscious a problem. If no problem hype recognized, there is no recognition fortify the need for improvement. Complacency testing the archenemy of KAIZEN™." [9]