Contemporary Improvement Models Essays Example

The Japanese word Kaizen has become a buzz word for many organizations. The word means continuous improvement. This continuous improvement indicates that all business units and employees are constantly involved in devising ways to better the position of the firm and make it competitive. With the immense increase in competition regardless of industry, it has become critical for organizations to enhance their competitiveness. One way organizations can stay competitive is through the implementation of an organization-wide strategy to look for efficient and effective ways of doing business. In the healthcare industry, Kaizen could be implemented by ensuring that all employees including nurses, doctors, and receptionists are all involved in improving the business practices at all levels.
Kaizen may require some companies to bring about a significant change in their culture and work practices; thus, it adds towards the difficulty of implementing this improvement method. Adding on, if the excitement of the implementation of a new system such as Kaizen fades away over time the project may fail and demoralize employees. On the other hand, if the improvement system, Kaizen, is a success then employees feel good that contributes positively towards the work environment. Customer requirements are also given precedence through the implementation of Kaizen, which reflects positively upon the organization. Lastly, as Kaizen is a process centered it ensures that wherever mistakes are occurring they are completely rectified.
An example of creative tension could be explained by the use of love and fear by management or leaders. If the leader uses excessive love to lead his/her group, he will become ineffective and employees will start taking him for granted over time. However, if fear is used all the time, the employees may start to retaliate and cause de-motivation. A wise option would be to maintain a balance between both approaches by showing love and fear in the right amounts at the right times. Creative tension is best for organizations where employees have the freedom to take their decisions and creativity is required. If the employees are closely monitored then there would be little need to build friendly relationships between employer and employee. In the healthcare industry, it is important to treat patients using the creative tension approach. Doctors should know when to be firm and when to treat patients with love.