1. RUNNING HEAD: COMPARE AND CONTRAST 1
Compare and Contrast: Lean, Six Sigma, & Kaizen
Mid-Term Paper
Siena Heights University
Edward J Draper

2. Compare and Contrast 2
Compare and Contrast: Lean, Six Sigma, & Kaizen
When a business is looking to improve their process, they look to different methodologies
that are common in the business world. The commonly used ones for process improvement are
Lean, Six Sigma, & Kaizen. Too often people see each of these ideologies as an approach to
fixing all problems and they will ask which one is best for the problem at hand? It is not
necessarily that easy and is not often the case; the design of each of these methods is around
different principles and is to be used in different scenarios. Chad Walters (2013) says in his
article, “They are specialized tools used to solve specialized problems; much as a socket is
different from a hammer.” With this paper, we will look at the principles of each.
Lean is a process that focuses on standardization, waste reduction, and performance.
Though not the inventor of the ideology, Henry Ford was the first to integrate the entire process
into his production process at Ford Motor Company (A Brief History of Lean, n.d.). Prior to
this, automobile manufacturing consisted of building the car from the ground up, in one spot. He
began moving the automobile through the individuals working on it, which came to be the
modern assembly line. Each was proficient in his or her job, as their responsibilities were
simplified so that the worker could become extremely proficient at their few tasks. The
repetition in their work made the individuals more efficient and skilled, significantly reducing
the time it took to build an automobile. Ultimately, the unnecessary steps in the production
process must be cut if they do not add value to the product.
Six Sigma is a process created by Motorola but most commonly associated with General
Electric (DeMerceau, n.d.). It focuses on more complex problems; it looks at value through
mapping and stresses consistency. It is designed to make the customer happier and to increase
profits. The organization can use this ideology as a philosophy, as part of the process, or a

3. Compare and Contrast 3
statistics tool for different levels of process improvement. It takes into consideration all of the
behind the scenes actions to ensure that there is little variation within the process (DeMerceau,
n.d.). Terence Burton (n.d.) suggests that Six Sigma is drilling into the hidden cost of poor
quality.
Kaizen is a process designed by the Japanese, which focuses on continuous improvement
(Choudhury, n.d.). The purpose is to humanize the workplace through simplification of overly
hard work and reduction of waste through process mapping and grouping tasks. It is a
continuous cycle which includes seven cycles: Identifying Opportunity, Analyzing the Process,
Developing an Optimal Solution, Implementing the Solution, Study the Results, Standardize the
Solution, Plan for the Future. In order for an organization to implement Kaizen into the
workplace, they must get all parties involved to begin considering three things; the present
condition, the desired state, and a plan to reach that state (Choudhury, n.d.).
All three of the processes have one major thing in common, they each focus on the
reduction of waste, grouping tasks, and simplifying work. When used in everyday practice,
Lean, Six Sigma, and Kaizen can provide structure and focus to what needs to be completed to
improve the organization and improve profitability (Burton, n.d.). Each ideology is commonly
used conjunction with one of the others and result in significant reduction in costs. Kaizen, for
instance, can be implemented in the overall Six Sigma process (Choudhury, n.d.). Six Sigma can
improve the process and Kaizen is the monitoring and control aspect that it needs to continue the
improvement as processes can deteriorate without the control (Choudhury, n.d.).
When contrasting the three; Kaizen is more of an ideology used by an organization to
create a culture, while Six Sigma and Lean are focused in on specific process. Kaizen ideology
can be used with either of the other two methods and, as I said previously, can act as the control.

4. Compare and Contrast 4
The University Alliance (n.d.) suggests that Lean focuses on the valueless steps within the
process, while Six Sigma focuses on the variation in the process which will lead to wasted time
and inconsistency.
These methods each have their purpose. A successful organization will use each of them
as a tool for specific situations. They will use the Kaizen method to create a culture of
improvement while looking at the areas where there are excessive steps in the process (Lean) and
the areas where the end result is inconsistent (Six Sigma). Effective leadership will continuously
look at their processes using these methods, failure to do so will ensure their organization is
destined to eventually fail.

5. Compare and Contrast 5
References:
A Brief History of Lean. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.lean.org/WhatsLean/History.cfm
Burton, T. T. (n.d.). Is this a six sigma, lean or kaizen project? Six sigma Retrieved from
http://www.isixsigma.com/new-to-six-sigma/how-is-six-sigma-different/six-sigma-lean-
or-kaizen-project/
Choudhury, A. (n.d.). Kaizen with six sigma ensures continuous improvement. Retrieved from
http://www.isixsigma.com/methodology/kaizen/kaizen-six-sigma-ensures-continuous-
improvement/
DeMerceau, J. (n.d.). Advantages & disadvantages of six sigma. Retrieved from
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-amp-disadvantages-six-sigma-43963.html
University Alliance. (n.d.). Six Sigma vs. Lean Six Sigma. Retrieved from
http://www.villanovau.com/resources/six-sigma/six-sigma-vs-lean-six-
sigma/#.VrVP2fkrLIU
Walters, C. (2013). Lean | six sigma | kaizen: What is lean six sigma kaizen. Leanblitz consulting
Retrieved from http://leanblitzconsulting.com/2013/01/what-is-lean-six-sigma-kaizen/