Why Continuous Improvement Efforts Fail to Stick
Have you ever completed a Kaizen event, implemented a new process, and seen quick improvements, only to find yourself six months later wondering what happened?
The Problem Isn’t Finding Improvements
Most organizations don’t struggle to identify opportunities for improvement. Most launch initiatives regularly and have many going at once even. The real challenge is sustaining the gains after the excitement of implementation wears off and the improvement team disbands.
Why Improvements Lose Momentum
When an improvement effort begins, there’s usually a lot of energy around it. Leaders engage, and team members are focus completely on achieving the goal. You review metrics frequently and the team meets regularly to evaluate and improve the process. As time passes, priorities shift as new issues emerge. Leaders move on to the next challenge. Sometimes, the improvement effort stalls before even being fully implemented and other times slips back to the old ways of working after execution and proving success.
At that point, many organizations assume the improvement failed because the solution wasn’t effective. More often, the systems needed to sustain improvement were never fully established.
Sustainable Improvement Requires More
Sustainable improvement requires more than a good idea.
To make improvements stick, organizations need strong operational excellence systems:
- Clear ownership
- Defined accountability
- Standard work
- Ongoing process reviews
- Leadership reinforcement
- Regular follow-up and coaching
These are also the elements that build a continuous improvement culture.
Sustainment is the difference between a short-term improvement and a lasting business result.
Building a System Where Improvements Stick
If you’re finding yourself solving the same problems repeatedly, it may be worth asking whether the issue is the solution itself or the systems supporting it. The organizations that achieve operational excellence have built systems that allow improvements to stick.
This is often where organizations benefit from an outside perspective. It’s difficult to see the gaps in your own systems when you’re busy managing daily operations and competing priorities.
At Goal With You, we help leaders evaluate their current operational excellence systems, identify barriers to sustainment, and build practical approaches that fit their culture, resources, and business objectives. Whether you’re just beginning your continuous improvement journey or trying to strengthen an existing program, the goal isn’t simply to implement more improvements. The goal is to create a system where improvement becomes part of how your organization operates, allowing results to be sustained long after the initial project is complete.
About the Author
Mandy Rhine is the Founder and Principal Coach and Consultant of Goal With You, LLC. She helps manufacturing and operations leaders strengthen leadership effectiveness, improve team performance, navigate change, and accelerate career growth. Drawing on more than two decades of experience in manufacturing, operational excellence, quality, and leadership, and her training and certifications in Lean Six Sigma, Executive Coaching, and Change Management, Mandy partners with leaders to build the skills needed to influence, delegate, develop teams, and drive business results.
