Knowledge Bank – K to O

A-E | F-J | K-O | P-T | U-Z

K

KAIZEN – KAIZEN is a Japanese word meaning gradual and orderly, continuous improvement. Adopting KAIZEN involves the creation of a culture of sustained continuous improvement focusing on eliminating waste in all systems and processes of an organization.

Knowledge Management – Knowledge Management recognises the valuable resource of the collective expertise of the workforce, often called the intellectual capital, and that this asset should be valued and managed like any other.

L

Leadership – Leadership is particularly reserved for those proactive actions, which are concerned with changing the course of the organisation. This is strategy as opposed to management, which is reactive.

LEAN production – Lean, Lean Production or Lean Manufacturing describes a methodology aimed at reducing waste in the form of overproduction, lead time or product defects. Lean is thus about doing more with less: less time, inventory, space people and money.

Learning Organisations – The learning organisation understands the capability and potential of all its employees and attempts to release that potential. It also understands that it must adapt and respond to change, and not resist it.

M

Manufacturing Systems – Manufacturers who claim to have a manufacturing system almost certainly are large manufacturers with an established Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. Though these can be very useful, if often painful and expensive to implement, modern manufacturing requires systems which can more readily adapt to change.

Method Study – Method study is the process of subjecting work to systematic, critical scrutiny to make it more effective and/or more efficient. It is one of the keys to achieving productivity improvement.

N

Neurodiversity at Work– The ACAS website indicates that ‘Neurodiversity’ is a relatively new term that refers to people who have dyslexia, autism, ADHD, dyspraxia and other neurological conditions. These are ‘spectrum’ conditions, with a wide range of characteristics, but which nevertheless share some common features in terms of how people learn and process information.

O

On-demand / Utility Computing – On-demand computing is a concept which seems to fit well with a lean, agile enterprise. It allows a company flexibly to adjust the computing power and capacity available to it through an agreement with a third party that acts as a ‘utility’, releasing or deploying computing power as it is needed.

Outsourcing – Many organisations are realising that there may be advantages in concentrating on essential core activities and using external organisations to provide (usually generic) support services. This briefing outlines some of the key issues to be addressed when considering outsourcing and when evaluating outsourcing suppliers and contractors.