Masaaki Imai

There are various non-statistical tools that have been typically developed by lean companies, notably by Toyota for minimizing variability in production, such…

— Masaaki Imai

Where there is no standard, there can be no improvement. For these reasons, standards are the basis for both maintenance and improvement

— Masaaki Imai

I have a theory that among the large Western companies (mostly American) the higher an executive is promoted, the more wisdom is…

— Masaaki Imai

I believe that management should focus on two particular areas. One is Gemba (shop floor) and the other is customer (not the…

— Masaaki Imai

Progress is impossible without the ability to admit mistakes.

— Masaaki Imai

Japanese management practices succeed simply because they are good management practices. This success has little to do with cultural factors. And the…

— Masaaki Imai

The message of the Kaizen strategy is that not a day should go by without some kind of improvement being made somewhere…

— Masaaki Imai

To assure the prosperity of a firm should be a long-term strategy and the turnover of key managers should be taken into…

— Masaaki Imai

Under the lean system, any tools which are required for solving problems are used.

— Masaaki Imai

Control charts are one of the statistical tools for solving quality related problems.

— Masaaki Imai

The standard is not writ on the stone. The definition of the standard is that it is the best way to do…

— Masaaki Imai

I am beginning to see a large-scale introduction of various management tools, philosophies and practices in the service sectors and have a…

— Masaaki Imai

It is impossible to improve any process until it is standardized. If the process is shifting from here to there, then any…

— Masaaki Imai

Kaizen means ongoing improvement involving everybody, without spending much money.

— Masaaki Imai

The Kaizen Philosophy assumes that our way of life - be it our working life, our social life, or our home life…

— Masaaki Imai

All of management's efforts for Kaizen boil down to two words: customer satisfaction.

— Masaaki Imai

You can't do kaizen just once or twice and expect immediate results. You have to be in it for the long haul.

— Masaaki Imai

Kaizen is like a hotbed that nurtures small and ongoing changes, while innovation is like magma that appears in abrupt eruptions from…

— Masaaki Imai