Kaizen (Japanese 改善, literally "improvement") is an approach to total quality management originating in Japan, a method of (industrial) cost cutting by continuously making small improvements in process.

The Toyota Production System is known for its application of the principle of kaizen, where any employee can suggest an improvement, and accepted improvements result in a cash reward according to its value (if the employee is not also a manager) .

Kaizen, is a reference to taking one small step at a time - sort of continuous improvement, one small step vs radical change (or innovation, which introduces a brand new element into a closed system). It is a method of quality and process improvement, whereby a system or process is advanced through continuous minor changes. These changes are implemented in stages to view their outcomes.

Continuous, incremental improvement of an activity to create more Value with less Waste. Also known as Point Kaizen, and Process Kaizen. Kaizen has been Americanized to mean "Continual Improvement." A closer definition of the Japanese meaning of Kaizen is "to take apart and put back together in a better way." What is taken apart is usually a process, system, product, or service.