Differentiating Kaizen, Lean, And Six Sigma

Kaizen, Lean, and Six Sigma are three different things. But they all come from the same initiative and have the same goal, which is to improve processes. The difference is in the HOW they do it. To start, Lean and Six Sigma are practices, while Kaizen is a philosophy.

What Kaizen is in process improvement

The direct translation of Kaizen is “change for the better.” It’s not continuous improvement, as we often hear. The term continuous improvement works, but it’s only a Westernized regurgitation of Kaizen. I believe that you should really look at the literal translation of the language; otherwise, you’ll lose the intention.

Kai means change. Zen in Japanese means for the better. Kaizen as a whole is a philosophy that means we change when there is nothing wrong. You do not wait to lose a legacy client or a new competitor to enter the market to change. You are growing incrementally over time instead of making one big change when something goes wrong.

There is a system and a standard by which you change. It involves all employees in identifying and implementing small changes to improve processes. It emphasizes teamwork, which is called one-team alignment, and collective responsibility for achieving goals.

Lean