Title
Why Self-proclaimed Kaizen Management is becoming very fashionable in Ethiopia? An Observation
Document Type
Article
Source
Interdisciplinary Journal of Research in Business
Volume
2
Issue
11
First Page
8
Last Page
10
Publication Date
2013
Department
Barowsky School of Business
Abstract
Despite the current economic slowdown in Japan (for example, according to Global competitiveness, , Japan's stance has declined from 8 in 2009/10 to 9 in 2011/12, see for example, Kitaw, 2013, it is very interesting to note that a number of public and private enterprises in contemporary Ethiopia are proclaiming that the Japanese kaizen management strategy (meaning change for better or continuous improvement involving everyone in the organization) would restore for them the quality and quantity of their products. It is generally assumed that implementing the kaizen management technique in Ethiopian firms would create competitive products (i.e., products with lowest price, highest quality, and with the best services) for their domestic and international customers. Through a continuing teamwork approach with interactive communications, kaizen would improve their organizational capacity, empower employees, improve the quality of workers, and add value to their products. Ethiopian manufacturers are currently at a disadvantage. The manufacturing sector is less than 5.0 % of its Gross Domestic Product due to lack of highly skilled human resources, differentiated managerial tools, and a technological gap. A different management strategy would significantly improve their future (See Kitaw, D. 2013).