FOOD NEWS
All Trader Joe's Employees Must Abide By One Japanese Principle
BY WENDY LEIGH
There's a lesser known element in the TJ's formula for success that directly informs positive employee practices and attitudes. It's a Japanese principle known as kaizen.
An idea that dates back decades in corporations, kaizen became a core part of Trader Joe's philosophy in 2007 with the company's new expansion plans under former CEO Dan Bane.
Kaizen is a philosophy of continuous improvement, facilitating change for optimal results. For Trader Joe's, it's a way to ensure that each store and product is the best possible.
Employees across the entire organization must never settle for existing conditions, instead being willing to push boundaries while working together as a group.
The kaizen application at Trader Joe's is more evident to everyday shoppers who breeze through colorful, well-structured, sometimes quirky aisles on a weekly basis.