Moderne Management Methoden - Kaizen versus Business Reengineering

Recent years have been characterized by advancing globalization and by dramatic structural changes in the corporate environment. Companies find themselves in increasingly direct and worldwide competition. Both globalization and political changes, such as the collapse of the Soviet Union or the emergence of economic blocs, have put considerable pressure on companies to adapt. Today, customer proximity, a strong market, short delivery cycles and top quality at low prices are among the benchmarks of a successful company. Mass production gives way to customer-oriented manufacturing. Quality becomes a company-wide paradigm, without which long-term survivability is impossible. This paper describes and analyzes two concepts that enable an adaptation to today's conditions.