Dr. Edward Deming, the quality guru, exported the kaizen concept to the Japanese in the 50’s. The Japanese appropriated it and built a strong and, for many decades, unmatched economy (i.e. car and electronics industries still dominate world markets). Dr. Deming’s concept of kaizen emerged from four a conceptual and practical framework based on: planning, doing, checking, and acting. For more information, please visit http://totalqualitymanagement.wordpress.com/2009/02/25/deming-cycle-the-wheel-of-continuous-improvement/.