KAIZEN PRACTICES IN SCHOOL SETTING

RYAN CHOY P. BALUYUT

7he word .ai]en comes Irom the -aSanese words Ior ³*ood´ and ³&hanJe ´ In -aSanese .ai]en means ³small incremental continXoXs imSroYement´ .ai]en means constant imSroYement or chanJe Ior the Eetter 7his is an orJani]ational aSSroach Irom -aSan that IocXses on SrocedXres that inYolYe all oI the emSlo\ees and continXoXsl\ enhance oSerations AccordinJ to Nai]en increasinJ SrodXctiYit\ is a slow deliEerate Srocess

7he .ai]en aSSroach is to inYolYe the SeoSle that will Ee maNinJ these chanJes 7he IoXndation Ior the chanJe is ensXrinJ that there is a reali]ation that the chanJe needs to haSSen at Iirst 7he .ai]en strateJ\ Ior instance woXld inYolYe maNinJ sXre that the site team caIeteria team and oIIice emSlo\ees are inIormed oI an\ SroElems with waste manaJement in the school Instead oI this EeinJ a direction Irom the leadershiS the resSonsiEilit\ then shiIts to them to identiI\ the solXtion Another e[amSle oI SracticinJ .ai]en is aSSroachinJ tardiness %einJ late Ior class is a common SroElem that schools deal with 7his IreTXentl\ inYolYes the same children who reTXire e[tra time in the classroom to adYance their learninJ and their tardiness can interIere with other stXdents aEilit\ to learn 7alNinJ aEoXt solXtions while seated with teachers woXld Ee a .ai]en techniTXe 7his is made SossiEle E\ a set oI TXestions in the (YalXation Srocess that eYalXate the eIIectiYeness oI imSortant areas AIter a solXtion has Eeen decided XSon it is the leadershiS teams as well as the instrXctors oEliJation to imSlement this strateJ\ with reJXlar reYiews and modiIications )reTXent team meetinJs or conYersations to assess and modiI\ the strateJ\ are intersSersed throXJhoXt the SreYioXsl\ descriEed material

7o Sractice .ai]en SrinciSle in a school settinJ here are some oI the steSs to aSSl\ )irst determine what needs to Ee imSroYed in the eYer\da\ Srocesses that inYolYe eYer\one in the school 7hese inclXde teachers stXdents as well as staII 6econd anal\]e the cXrrent Srocess to identiI\ challenJes as well as areas Ior imSroYement 7hird deYeloS solXtions that will IocXs in aSSroachinJ the identiIied SroElems )oXrth imSlement the JiYen solXtions and inYolYe eYer\one in the Srocess And lastl\ assess the oXtcome and continXe seeN Ior imSroYement It is SossiEle to incorSorate the .ai]en techniTXe into \oXr worNweeN %e it weeNl\ deSartmental meetinJs dail\ team meetinJs Ior leadershiS or team meetinJs Ior networNs 7his method can Ee Xsed E\ an\ team to continXoXsl\ eYalXate edit and reSeat .ai]en is a methodoloJ\ that emShasi]es small stead\ imSroYements It deSarts Jreatl\ Irom the strict imSlementation oI the school deYeloSment Slan at the start oI the \ear In man\ resSects Nai]en is an imSroYed aSSroach that aims to aYoid the criticism oI the school emSlo\ees who haYe Eecome accXstomed oI the \earl\ switch XS oI tactics 7he strateJ\ aims to raise morale since it Sromotes Sersonal accoXntaEilit\ and comSetence A Jreater awareness oI the worth oI eYer\ emSlo\ee e[ists