Practice and Challenges in the Application of Kaizen in Addis Ababa: A Case of Yeka and Arada Sub- City Government Technical & Vocational Educational & Training Kaizen supported Manufacturing small and Micro Enterprises
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Date
2018-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
As a continuous improvement tool for effective management, KAIZEN has been introduced in
Ethiopia in various sectors including small and micro enterprises in Addis Ababa City
administration. To what extent KAIZEN has been effectively implemented requires to be
investigated to see the challenges of its implementation. The study aimed to assess the
practices and challenges in the application of Kaizen at Yeka and Arada sub-city in the case of
manufacturing small and micro enterprises in Addis Ababa City Administration. The
researcher used a descriptive research design with a mixed approach. Data was collected from
32 enterprise owners through questionnaires and from 13 key informants using semi-structured
interviews. A total of 45 sample respondents were involved in the study selected through
purposive sampling (Purposive sampling is useful in these instances because it provides a
wide range of non-probability sampling techniques for the researcher to draw on) and simple
random sampling (Simple random sampling is the basic sampling technique where we select a
group of sample for study from 324 SMEs. Each enterprise is chosen entirely by chance and
each member of the enterprise has an equal chance of being included in the sample to select
the study areas and sampling respondents respectively. The quantitative data were analyzed
through descriptive statistics, (percentage, mean and standard deviation) using SPSS Version
24. The findings indicated that there were challenges which derived from various sources, like
gaps in knowledge of enterprise owners and their negative attitude towards the kaizen
implementation and gaps in the capacity and capabilities of the management body. Regarding
stakeholders; poor follow up by TVET deans, SMEs officials and AAKI institution were
observed. The majority of the respondents elicited that the training the feedback they were
provided on kaizen implementation was not sufficient and encouraging for the smooth
operation of Kaizen. It is recommended that concerning bodies should work together to
implement kaizen as a strategy and giving continuous training, feedback and follow-up for
both enterprise owners and kaizen operators to make the KAIZEN system implemented
effectively.
Keywords: Challenges, waste elimination, Kaizen, 5Ss, stakeholders
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Keywords
Challenges, waste elimination, Kaizen, 5Ss, Stakeholders