Open AccessKaizen implementation and its challenges in small and medium manufacturing firms: A case of Woliso Town, Ethiopia
Author(s) -
Solomon Terfasa Dinka
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
jurnal prespektif pembiayaan dan pembangunan daerah/jurnal perspektif pembiayaan dan pembangunan daerah
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2355-8520
pISSN - 2338-4603
DOI - 10.22437/ppd.v9i2.10496
Subject(s) - kaizen , business , scarcity , small and medium sized enterprises , process management , quality circle , operations management , knowledge management , marketing , engineering , computer science , lean manufacturing , economics , finance , microeconomics
In the modern world, industrial transformation receives great attention. As a result, many companies are becoming successful by implementing Kaizen as a change agent. Nevertheless, there were few pathways of continuous improvements, mainly because of abandonment of Kaizen philosophy, organizational resistance to change, lack of proper implementation and monitoring techniques, lack of employees’ motivation, and scarcity of resources. The study aimed to examine Kaizen implementation and its challenges in small and medium manufacturing firms of Woliso town. The study employed descriptive research adopting a quantitative research approach—the researcher used 55 small and medium manufacturing firms of Woliso town. In addition, the study employed primary data collected through open-ended and close-ended questionnaires. The study found that most sampled firms lack awareness about Kaizen because of a lack of training opportunities. Similarly, Kaizen philosophy is considered exhaustive and routine the attitude of owners, managers, and employees in Kaizen implementation is very weak. Finally, the study recommended that it is important to provide continuous training programs for employees and managers of small and medium manufacturing firms. Most importantly, to extend Kaizen's philosophy, it is essential to incorporate it into the school curriculum.