Six themes emerged from the data analysis (in italics):
Theme 1: Workers tend to acknowledge kaizen as being both process-oriented and
result-oriented, yet it is predominantly process-oriented. Kaizen serves different
purposes for different people, being loose conceptual iterations of proactive change
and improvement. Holistically, this enables an understanding of what kaizen actually is
and confirms the holistic understanding discussed above.
Theme 2: Individuals’ understanding of kaizen changes over time, legitimising the
proposition that a universal view of kaizen does not, or does not need to, exist, and
perhaps cannot exist, implying a real tolerance for individual interpretations. Drivers for
change were identified as being organisational education and promotion programmes
and the accumulation of worker experience.
Theme 3: Other workers hold different views of kaizen. This ties back directly to
Theme 1, where no single universal definition or view of kaizen exists; and Theme 2,
where organisations tolerate individual interpretations of kaizen. Therefore, despite the
supposed homogeneity of Japanese society and the strong cultural mores and norms
within the workplace, kaizen provides individuality (and heterogeneity).
Theme 4: Parent companies exercise guidance-oriented (control) activity while domain
companies exercise facilitation-oriented (controlled) activity. This ties directly into the
roles and responsibilities expected from headquarter-subsidiary relationships within
the Japanese context.
Theme 5: Kaizen is predominantly management-oriented, in direct contrast to the
Western literature that suggests kaizen is predominantly a bottom-up, worker-driven
phenomenon.
Theme 6: Kaizen is expected to develop both in the wider-sense and within the
organisation in the future. This supports the notion that the bottom-up worker
perspective of kaizen will be provided by a top-down management perspective. Kaizen
continues to be viewed as the legitimate means through which to achieve business
excellence objectives.
Six themes emerged from the data analysis (in italics): Theme 1: Workers tend to acknowledge kaizen as being both process-oriented andresult-oriented, yet it is predominantly process-oriented. Kaizen serves differentpurposes for different people, being loose conceptual iterations of proactive changeand improvement. Holistically, this enables an understanding of what kaizen actually isand confirms the holistic understanding discussed above. Theme 2: Individuals’ understanding of kaizen changes over time, legitimising theproposition that a universal view of kaizen does not, or does not need to, exist, andperhaps cannot exist, implying a real tolerance for individual interpretations. Drivers forchange were identified as being organisational education and promotion programmesand the accumulation of worker experience. Theme 3: Other workers hold different views of kaizen. This ties back directly toTheme 1, where no single universal definition or view of kaizen exists; and Theme 2,where organisations tolerate individual interpretations of kaizen. Therefore, despite thesupposed homogeneity of Japanese society and the strong cultural mores and normswithin the workplace, kaizen provides individuality (and heterogeneity). Theme 4: Parent companies exercise guidance-oriented (control) activity while domaincompanies exercise facilitation-oriented (controlled) activity. This ties directly into theroles and responsibilities expected from headquarter-subsidiary relationships withinthe Japanese context. Theme 5: Kaizen is predominantly management-oriented, in direct contrast to theWestern literature that suggests kaizen is predominantly a bottom-up, worker-drivenphenomenon. Theme 6: Kaizen is expected to develop both in the wider-sense and within theorganisation in the future. This supports the notion that the bottom-up workerperspective of kaizen will be provided by a top-down management perspective. Kaizencontinues to be viewed as the legitimate means through which to achieve businessexcellence objectives.
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