The standard is not writ on the stone. The definition of the standard is that it is the best way to do the job for now. It should be regarded as a ne…

- Masaaki Imai

Kaizen means ongoing improvement involving everybody, without spending much money.

- Masaaki Imai

I believe that management should focus on two particular areas. One is Gemba (shop floor) and the other is customer (not the shareholder).

- Masaaki Imai

Where there is no standard, there can be no improvement. For these reasons, standards are the basis for both maintenance and improvement

- Masaaki Imai

The Kaizen Philosophy assumes that our way of life - be it our working life, our social life, or our home life - deserves to be constantly improved.

- Masaaki Imai

I have a theory that among the large Western companies (mostly American) the higher an executive is promoted, the more wisdom is lost and by the time…

- Masaaki Imai

Progress is impossible without the ability to admit mistakes.

- Masaaki Imai

It is impossible to improve any process until it is standardized. If the process is shifting from here to there, then any improvement will just be on…

- Masaaki Imai

You can't do kaizen just once or twice and expect immediate results. You have to be in it for the long haul.

- Masaaki Imai