Kaizen

Kaizen is a process for improving efficiency. The idea comes from the TPS, and is meant to be addressed with operator input. In my co., they get together in management, read some articles about what a couple other co.'s have done and decide to copy them. Then a Kaizen "team" is assembled, mostly of co. brown nosers, and they spend 3-5 days figuring out how to dump this on the employees with the least backlash. No employee input, and none of the team members come from the department being Kaizened. In other words, nobody involved has any clue how to relate their ideas to the department, because they are totally ignorant of how the department functions. What we end up with is a rash of people quitting (which the co. actually wants, higher paid employee reduction thru attrition) and the rest distrustful of management and pretty much just pissed off. Then come the monthly pep rallies declaring how great the co. is, how great the employees are and generally painting a very rosy picture. The employees go to these meetings voluntarily, because it is an hour and more paid break. Cool huh?