kaizen

noun

kai·​zen ˈkī-ˌzen 

: a Japanese business concept of continuous improvement that involves the practice of making incremental consistent changes in order to achieve significant positive results (as in productivity or performance) over time

In companies that implement kaizen, workers look continuously for small improvements that can be implemented immediately.

—Sarah Manguso

At its core, kaizen is a management system based on a set of values that is intended to improve employee and company performance. The system encourages individual and group effort to identify and fix problems, with the goal of making constant improvements in the organization and its products.

—Ken Schachter

Examples of kaizen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The country that gave the world kaizen has developed a vocabulary for detachment the rest of us have not yet caught up to. — Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 6 May 2026

Guided by the belief that movement nurtures both mind and body, and by the Japanese principle of kaizen—or continuous improvement—the brand’s innovations have defined what running shoes can be. — Cory Smith, Outside, 3 Dec. 2025

Meanwhile, Japanese manufacturing emphasized kaizen (continuous improvement), lean production, and just-in-time delivery. — Carl Benedikt Frey, Foreign Affairs, 1 Oct. 2025

In the Business Development Centers leaders can review each kaizen to measure if the results are helping the plant to reach quality and other improvement targets. — Jamie L. Lareau, Freep.com, 30 July 2025

Originating in Japan post World War Two, kaizen was popularized in car manufacturing. — Barnaby Lashbrooke, Forbes.com, 30 July 2025

Toyota’s famous kaizen methodology—continuous improvement driven by employee feedback—demonstrates how internal focus can lead to sustained innovation. — Mark Nevins, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025

In 1986, the car manufacturer Toyota’s kaizen philosophy took American car manufacturing by storm, emphasizing continuous improvement, waste reduction and team engagement. — Chris Schembra, Rolling Stone, 16 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Japanese, literally, "betterment, improvement," from kai- "change, modify" + zen "good, goodness"

First Known Use

1983, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for kaizen

• blazon
• brazen
• hazan
• zazen
• malmaison