Masaaki Imai | Kaizen

LEGACY

Masaaki Imai dedicated his life to transforming the way the world thinks about work. Through his advocacy for continuous, people-driven improvement, he brought the Japanese KAIZEN™ philosophy to a global audience. At a time when efficiency was often equated with rigid control, he emphasized the value of empowering individuals at every level of an organization.

“KAI” means change, and “ZEN” means for the better, together “Change for the Better”. KAIZEN™ refers to a philosophy or practices that focus upon Continuous Improvement regardless of the type of business or process. Masaaki Imai acknowledged that KAIZEN™ starts with the detection of needs and problem definition:

“The starting point for improvement is to recognize the need.” This comes from the recognition of a problem. Where no problem is recognized, there is no recognition of the need for improvement.

Masaaki Imai’s true legacy lies in the lasting cultural shift he inspired – one where Continuous Improvement is not a tactic, but a way of life. His principles remain more relevant than ever in a world facing complex challenges. As organizations seek new ways to remain competitive, resilient, and socially responsible, Masaaki Imai’s vision continues to offer a clear path forward.

BIOGRAPHY

Masaaki Imai’s life stands as a testament to his unwavering dedication to Continuous Improvement. From his early influences in the 1940s to becoming a global thought leader, his journey has profoundly influenced modern business practices around the world.

On September 1st, 1930, Masaaki Imai was born in Tokyo. His early years set the stage for a lifetime dedicated to transforming the way the world thinks about improvement and leadership.

The attitude of “always striving to do better”, later known as KAIZEN™, was evident in Masaaki Imai’s diaries of the 1940s and reflected his lifelong commitment to Continuous Improvement. In the 1950s, he spent five years working at the Japan Productivity Center, accompanying top Japanese managers on visits to leading U.S. companies, government agencies, and labor organizations to learn from American management practices. In the early 1960s, Masaaki Imai collaborated with Shoichiro Toyoda to further research American business practices, laying the foundation for the principles that would later shape industries worldwide.

In 1955, Masaaki Imai received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Tokyo, where he developed his fondness for Continuous Improvement.

In 1962, Masaaki Imai established an executive recruitment consulting firm in Japan.

From 1976 to 1986, Masaaki Imai served as president of the Japan Federation of Recruiting and Employment Agency Associations. In the early 1980s, he began collaborating with Taiichi Ohno, an engineer known for developing the Toyota Production System. Their shared focus on operational excellence shaped the global understanding of efficiency, Lean management, and Continuous Improvement.

In 1981, Masaaki Imai organized the first KAIZEN™ (Gemba) Tour in Japan, offering participants a firsthand look at workplaces. This tour provided a deeper understanding of the core principles and strategic purpose of KAIZEN™ and marked an important step in popularizing the Japanese management philosophy worldwide.

In June 1985, Masaaki Imai founded Kaizen Institute, a global consulting firm specializing in the implementation of Continuous Improvement methods and Lean management techniques across various industries. Based on the principles of the Japanese philosophy KAIZEN™, Kaizen Institute helps companies increase their performance, productivity, and efficiency.

In 1986, the book Kaizen: The Key to Japan’s Competitive Success (McGraw Hill) was published. It introduced the unique Japanese concept of KAIZEN™—in English, “Change for the Better”—to the world for the first time. It underscores the importance of KAIZEN™ for understanding Japan’s unique management practices, especially in comparison to traditional approaches from other countries.

In November 1998, Masaaki Imai received the Asia-Pacific Human Resource Development Award for his immense contribution to corporate efficiency and productivity through the application of the philosophy of incremental improvement. In June 1999, Masaaki Imai received the Shingo Research and Professional Research Prize for his book Gemba Kaizen. In 2010, Masaaki Imai was awarded the first Honorary Fellowship of Quality Control in India. In 2019, Masaaki Imai was awarded with The BrandLaureate Legendary Award by the Asia Pacific Brands Foundation.

In 1997, the book Gemba Kaizen: A Commonsense, Low-Cost Approach to Management (McGraw Hill) was published. This book proved to be even more influential than the original. It contains over 20 case studies from companies worldwide that had adopted KAIZEN™. Readers are rewarded with a more comprehensive and in-depth explanation of how KAIZEN™ can be integrated into a company’s management system.

In 2021, the book Strategic KAIZEN™: Using FSL™ to Measure and Strengthen Operational Performance (McGraw Hill) was published. It introduces the flow concept as one of the key pillars of the Lean production system. Under the flow concept, the work sequence is designed so that each workpiece flows between processes without interruption or stagnation.

Masaaki Imai passed away in 2023, leaving behind a legacy as the founder of Kaizen Institute and the Father of KAIZEN™.

„The KAIZEN™ Philosophy assumes that our way of life – be it our working life, or our home life – deserves to be constantly improved.”

Masaaki Imai, Founder of Kaizen Institute

VIDEOS

Explore the legacy of Masaaki Imai through a curated video collection highlighting his insights, philosophy, and global influence. Discover how his teachings on KAIZEN™ and Continuous Improvement continue to inspire leaders and organizations worldwide.

Definition of KAIZEN™

PUBLICATIONS

Masaaki Imai’s books, including Kaizen, Gemba Kaizen, and Strategic KAIZEN™ have become foundational texts in the pursuit of business excellence. Through his writing, he introduced the principles of Continuous Improvement to leaders and organizations around the world.

Books

1/3

Kaizen

This book introduces the unique Japanese concept of KAIZEN™—which means “Change for the Better”—for the first time to a global audience.

Available on Amazon

Gemba Kaizen

This book proved to be even more influential than the original. It contains over 20 case studies from companies worldwide that had adopted KAIZEN™.

Available on Amazon

Strategic KAIZEN™

In this book, the flow concept is adopted as one of the highest pillars of the Lean production system.

Available on Amazon

“Change for the better doesn’t happen overnight, as it takes discipline and sacrifice to change the culture that has been formed over many years.”

Masaaki Imai, Founder of Kaizen Institute

GLOBAL IMPACT

Masaaki Imai’s KAIZEN™ philosophy has shaped organizations around the world, fostering a culture of Continuous Improvement. From small businesses to global enterprises, his principles have enhanced efficiency, productivity, and motivation—driving lasting success across industries and borders.

Podcasts

2/2

Aleix Borrego

Managing Director, Kaizen Institute Poland

António Costa

CEO, Kaizen Institute, Ltd.

Interviews

1/2

Yukio Kakiuchi

Consultant

Read

Reels

1/1

Edgar Hoyos

Managing Director, Kaizen Institute Colombia

DISTINCTION AWARD

The Masaaki Imai Distinction Award is a prestigious recognition in Continuous Improvement practices, named after the founder of Kaizen Institute. It honors long-term commitment to Continuous Improvement principles across entire organizations, emphasizing cultural transformation over short-term gains. Recipients join an elite global community of Continuous Improvement leaders, fostering knowledge exchange.

Masaaki Imai Distinction Award 2025

Download Presentation

PHOTO GALLERY

A collection of memorable photos that showcase Masaaki Imai’s impressive journey through tangible records of past moments.

Full Gallery

This is the age of information excess. Anybody can obtain information from the internet. However, gaining access to the real information is difficult for anyone.

Today’s business world is characterized by overcapacity of the production system as a result of rapid development in the latest technologies and tools like AI, smart factory, industry 4, and digital technology. Yet CEOs seem to pursue the same old legacy of past centuries, which is the speed and the volume of production, which ends up in colossal waste. Meeting Shareholders’ Delight Versus Customers’ Delight Another past legacy in today’s CEOs’ behaviors is the inclination to pursue shareholder delight and give only slight attention to the other principal stakeholders of the company, the customers. This book has been written primarily to wake up those CEOs and the board who can make or break the destiny of their companies. Ever since I wrote my first book, Kaizen, and the second book, Gemba Kaizen, and promoted the kaizen concept and lean strategy, a gnawing question has remained: “Why have so many companies failed to embrace the lean strategy in spite of its well-proven advantages?” The lean strategy is known as the Toyota Production System (TPS) in Japan and as lean strategy elsewhere. In my interpretation, the three words TPS, Toyota, and lean are one and the same. TPS represents the philosophy and strategy of Toyota Motor Corporation, and lean is the practical application of TPS in production gemba. In my search for the reasons why so many companies have failed to employ the lean strategy, I have uncovered the root causes of the problem: first, CEOs’ lack of understanding that the operational flow is the foundation of both the TPS and the lean strategy, which aims at improving the operational strategy of the company to enhance customer satisfaction and improve the company’s financial status. Second, universal criteria to assess and audit the operational status of a company have not existed. Currently, the financial reporting system is the only publicly…