Abstract:

It is quite common in management to talk about management methods that are applied on a continuous basis. When conducting their activities, manufacturing companies use methods such as Lean Management, an element of which is commonly considered to be the KAIZEN approach. Within this approach, there are suggestion systems that allow process executors to propose minor changes in the company areas that they work for. Companies have been implementing such systems for years. They have also been building relationships with employees and one of the results of such relationships is the suggestion system. Its aim is to provide innovative ideas that simplify work processes. Moreover, the implementation of such a system and continuous minor changes make the employee more committed to processes in the company and accustomed to constant change.

The aim of the article is to present the most important changes in the suggestion system that occurred due to the need for adaptation to the SARS-COV 2 pandemic in industrial companies. The first part briefly presents information relevant to the article about MUDA, an essential element of Lean Management, the specificity of the KAIZEN approach and the concept of the suggestion system. The second part includes an example of changes that occurred in this system due to the pandemic.

The research was conducted in an automotive sector company, a supplier of car parts. On the Polish market, a few large, several dozen medium-size and several hundred small companies in the automotive industry operate according to similar principles.