Continuous Improvement: How to succeed

Continuous improvement (CI) is an ongoing effort to improve products, services, and internal and external processes. It can be considered a methodology, and has three key elements: performance transparency, knowledge sharing, and employee involvement. CI often fits in a larger framework of Lean or Agile working methods that organizations have adopted. CI is strongly linked to innovation, with the former enabling the latter. The benefits of CI include more efficiency and productivity, reduced costs and time, improved knowledge sharing and company culture, higher customer satisfaction, and the ability to adapt to the market. Some CI processes include Kaizen, Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA), Six Sigma, and Kanban. CI is vital for successful business transformation, but it requires employee engagement. Leaders must build platforms or find partners to allow teams to unite around shared objectives, and to add elements of conversation, gamification, and recognition to further engage employees.