Report on Special Lecture on KAIZEN in Karshi, Kashkadarya Region, Uzbekistan

Release Date:12/24/2024

At the request of the Small Business Support Center (SBSC) in Karshi, the capital city of Kashkadarya Region in southern Uzbekistan, SAILABO Inc. conducted a volunteer-based special lecture.

Theme: KAIZEN (Continuous Improvement)

The participants were small and medium-sized business owners under the jurisdiction of SBSC. While they were familiar with the term “KAIZEN,” most of them had little to no understanding of its actual contents or practical applications. SBSC expressed a strong intention to begin offering KAIZEN lectures in the near future, and this session was organized as the initial kickoff to that endeavor.

Nationwide, KAIZEN has been gradually gaining traction among major manufacturers in Uzbekistan, often through influence from Turkish firms or external consultants. However, in the SME sector, while the concept is recognized to some extent, active learning and implementation are still in their infancy. It is fair to say that they are starting from a blank slate.

Structure and Intent of the Lecture

This lecture focused intentionally on the foundational concepts of 2S (Seiri—Sort, Seiton—Set in order) and 5S, emphasizing their significance and underlying rationale. Rather than diving into detailed methodologies or technical practices, we devoted the entire session to addressing the essential question: “Why is this necessary?”

This approach was informed by previous workshop experiences with local entrepreneurs, where participants showed a strong tendency to fixate on “how-to” instructions. In light of that, this lecture was both a reflection on past lessons and an experiment in encouraging conceptual thinking over procedural learning.

Audience Reaction and Takeaways

The level of focus and attentiveness from the audience made it clear that there is high interest in KAIZEN. At the same time, as the session progressed, many attendees began asking for practical examples and case studies. There was a subtle sense that the abstract approach left some expectations unmet. While I personally questioned whether the content may have been too theoretical or even radical, this very reaction affirmed the following:

Future KAIZEN sessions by SBSC will naturally lean toward case-based and application-heavy formats to suit local preferences. Precisely because of that, I believe our decision to stick to the “why” and stay rooted in conceptual grounding was both meaningful and necessary at this early stage.

A Cultural Intersection: KAIZEN and Wabi-Sabi

The event organizer made an intriguing request to also touch on the connection between KAIZEN and the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi. I introduced this perspective using Porsche as an illustrative example, sharing my personal interpretation. The idea resonated with the audience and sparked further curiosity.

Dialogue with the Regions: A Vital Experience

This experience also highlighted the stark disparities between Tashkent, the capital, and regional cities in Uzbekistan—not only in terms of economics but also in cultural and structural terms. The future of the country will heavily depend on how these regions leverage their unique strengths and reconcile time-honored traditions with modern development.

Given the nation’s ethnic and geopolitical diversity, region-specific strategies rooted in localized SWOT analyses are essential. This experience reinforced my desire to challenge the one-size-fits-all, urban-centric development model and instead promote tailored, grassroots initiatives.