KAIZEN CULTURE: ENABLING ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE MANAGEMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

Abstract

Competition has brought about profound changes to Indian corporate sector. Organizations have changed their very outlook to business because the advent of MNCs has radically altered the rules of the game. The better Indian organizations have fought with their backs to the wall and survived the competition. However, majority of Indian organizations are still struggling to cope up with pace, speed and rate of change that liberalization, privatization and globalization has gifted to Indian economy. With this backdrop this paper examines the conceptual possibility of helping organizations manage and sustain change the route. The authors posit that a Kaizen culture brings incremental changes and brick by brick builds the competitive edifice of organizations. Once this foundation structure is built it impacts upon the super structure and to reap long term benefits of organizational competitiveness, by default organizational change is ushered in seamlessly and soundlessly with least pain and agony. This provides organizations the much needed competitive advantage to lead the industry rather than follow it.