In order to sustainably build a Kaizen strategy and an associated Kaizen system, there are a number of key factors that should be paid attention to.

Many large companies, especially in the automotive industry and their service providers, have solid lean and kaizen systems that have been successfully built up over decades and are mastering them day by day.

The processes are in place, the network is functioning. However what does it look like at the very beginning? At the big bang? Learn from Nadja Böhlmann about the basic Key facors that are important for building a sustainable Kaizen System

About Nadja Böhlmann

Nadja Böhlmann lives in the Eastern part of Germany 2 hours south of Berlin. She spent the first eight years of her professional career as an officer in the logistics department of the German Armed Force. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in lean operations management. After leaving the Army as a first Lieutenant, she first worked as a student trainee in the painting and drywall construction industry in the area of process optimization for construction sites at Malerwerkstätten Heinrich Schmid. Later she joined the Kaizen Institute as a Trainer and Consultant. She currently works for the Finnish family-owned company Teknos as global Group responsible for Kaizen and process development.

Already in 2009, the topics of Lean Management and Kaizen aroused and inspired her. Back then, as a student in a lecture, she was so enthusiastic about how simple methods, tactics and ways of thinking can improve and change processe. Since the lecture back then, she has never stopped thinking about Lean and Kaizen again.

From that day on, she was striving to focus her entire personal development on becoming a part of creating a better working environment for people and employees, or helping employees to be encouraged to question their own actions and to wanting to change them accordingly.

Nadja Böhlmann herself warns top executives to not start with Kaizen if they are not aware beforehand that this step of cultural change will consume a lot of energy and attention.

She says, “If you’re not willing to deal with all that, don’t start kaizen and don’t think any further about running a sustainable and growth-oriented company!”