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A Company’s Continuous Improvement Journey

By John Knotts Updated on July 18th, 2024

Embarking on your company’s continuous improvement journey can often be frustrating. This leads to the disheartening realization that your efforts seem ineffective.

In the pursuit of excellence, many companies embark on a journey of continuous improvement, hoping to achieve lasting transformation. However, despite dedicated efforts, real fundamental change often remains elusive. The issue lies not in the efforts themselves but in the underlying approach.

Typical Journey

Let me share the typical lifecycle of a company’s continuous improvement journey:

Step 1. Someone attended continuous improvement training (and possibly certification). Then, they implemented a project, applying what they learned. The project saw some success. However, nothing changed in the company.

Frustrated, the company says continuous improvement is a failure!

Step 2. The company sends several people to training (and possibly certification). They, for the most part, applied what they learned and implemented projects. More success was seen as a result of the projects. However, still, nothing changed in the company.

Even more frustrated, the company is nearly convinced that continuous improvement is a failure!

Step 3. Determined this time to make continuous improvement work, a program was stood up to manage the effort and track results. A director of continuous improvement was hired. A team was established and they were all sent to training (and possibly certification). They ran out and started implementing process improvement efforts and saw success — not always, but enough. However, nothing changed in the company.

This stuff doesn’t work!!!

Why?

True continuous improvement transcends isolated initiatives; it demands a cultural shift that permeates every aspect of the organization. Without fundamentally changing the mindset and daily behaviors of employees, no amount of training or project success can bring about genuine, sustainable progress. Continuous improvement is not a project, a host of projects, or even a program. It is a culture! If you do not change the way people think and behave every day, then nothing changes in the company. The fundamental reason for this failure is the misconception that continuous improvement is merely a series of projects or programs. In reality, continuous improvement is a way of doing business. Without changing this, no genuine transformation can occur within the company — nothing changes.

So, how do we change the culture if it is not through projects and programs?

Proposed Journey

Here’s a different lifecycle to consider:

Step 1. Assess The Culture: Start by assessing your current culture. Examine the behaviors that are occurring. These represent your existing values. If you have taken the time to establish values for your company, then bump these behaviors against what behaviors you currently desire — how do you rate? If there’s a mismatch, then you need to fix this first. If there are existing behaviors that you do not want in your company, then identify what values you desire and work to change appropriate behaviors to match these values.

Step 2. Set The Value: If continuous improvement is important to your company, then make it a value — Continuous Improvement. Identify the behaviors you expect all employees to display associated with that value. Consider watching Gemba Academy’s course on a Culture of Kaizen to generate ideas. Below are five examples:

Employees consistently seek opportunities for learning and development, embracing new skills and knowledge that can enhance their performance.
There is a proactive approach to identifying and solving problems, with individuals taking the initiative to address issues before they escalate.
Collaboration and teamwork are emphasized, as sharing ideas and working together often lead to more innovative solutions.
There is a strong focus on measuring and analyzing performance, using data and feedback to drive improvements.
Openness and adaptability are cultivated, where employees are encouraged to embrace change and continuously look for ways to optimize processes and outcomes.

Step 3. Enable The Culture: It is great to desire certain behaviors, create a value of continuous improvement, and inform everyone of your expectations. But are your people capable of delivering on these expectations? Have you provided them with the knowledge and ability to live up to your expectations? To better understand how to drive a culture of continuous improvement, consider watching Gemba Academy’s courses on How to Get Executive Buy-in for Lean Initiatives, Creative Tension, and Change Management to understand more about what work this takes. Enabling the culture requires three very specific things.

Education and Development: Offer in-depth training programs that cover the principles and practices of continuous improvement methodologies such as Lean and/or Six Sigma. Ensure employees understand the tools and techniques available to them. Encourage a culture of continuous learning by providing access to resources, workshops, and seminars. Promote the importance of ongoing education and skill development. Gemba Academy provides structural courses on How to Use the 90-day Lean Roadmap and how to Create a Lean Learning Path. It is best to establish a competency model and define what people should know from onboarding to the highest levels of the company. Starting out, Gemba Academy recommends Introductory Topics (Lean), Introduction to Six Sigma, 5S, and Seven Deadly Wastes. If your company and its employees lack access to all the training needed, consider obtaining access to Gemba Academy’s Video Library. If you want comprehensive training and certification in Lean and Lean Six Sigma, review Gemba Academy’s premier Certification Programs.

Empower Employees: The biggest challenge to a culture of continuous improvement is to expect and train, but then not allow your employees to implement what you expect. Give your employees the authority and autonomy to identify and solve problems. If they are constantly bringing identified problems to their supervisors and managers, then they do not feel like they are empowered to make improvements by themselves. Encourage them to take the initiative and make decisions that can lead to process improvements, if you let it happen. If you want to see what this looks like, watch Gemba Academy’s Gemba Live videos on In The Ditch and Fastcap. Also, consider reading Paul Aker’s book, 2 Second Lean. Encourage experimentation and the testing of new ideas without fear of failure. Recognize that not all initiatives will succeed, but each attempt provides valuable learning experiences.

Accountability: Set clear and achievable goals and expectations for continuous improvement in your company. Use transparent data and metrics to track progress, celebrate successes, and ensure that efforts are aligned with organizational objectives. Establish regular feedback loops where employees can share their insights and experiences. Use this feedback to refine your efforts and recognize contributions.

Step 4. Model The Change: Do you want your culture to fail? Tell people what to do, but do not do it yourself! Lead by example — as leaders of your company, it is your job to openly and continuously demonstrate a commitment to continuous improvement. Leaders should actively participate in training, support improvement initiatives, and model the behaviors they wish to see in their teams. From the owner, president, or CEO down, if you are not doing it, then your people will not live the culture.

You have the ability to flip the script on your continuous improvement journey. What is holding you back?

John Knotts

As a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, John has over 30 years of experience in operational excellence. He served 21 years in the US Air Force -- 11 as an internal coach and consultant. He led strategy and change efforts with Booz | Allen | Hamilton for 18 clients. He was an internal coach and consultant for Fortune 100, United Services Automobile Association. And, he’s been a solopreneur growing, scaling, and improving companies for over 12 years. In addition to multiple certifications in change management, project management, agile, and information technology, John has a Bachelor’s in Management, a Master’s in Quality Systems Management, and a Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology.

Bruno Dworakowski
February 26, 2025 - 8:38 pm
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Hello, This article was very informitive to read. One question thatcam up is Do you think that its possible for a company to be too focused on continuous improvement. In otherwords do you think that its possible for a process to be so streamlined that it cant be improved any further until new technology gets introduced. If so how can a person know when there is no room for improvment?