Making Process Improvements Stick

16 Pages Posted: 28 Aug 2018

See all articles by Matthias Holweg

Matthias Holweg

University of Oxford - Said Business School

Bradley R. Staats

University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School

David M. Upton

University of Oxford, Said Business School (deceased)

Date Written: August 28, 2018

Abstract

Process improvement methods –such as Lean, Six Sigma and Agile– have been widely studied, and we know what tools work, and where. Yet our longitudinal study of 204 improvement projects shows that one year into a successful implementation about half of all projects backslide. After two years, this reduces to one in three projects. First and foremost, our findings debunk the myth that a ‘continuous improvement culture’ will emerge amongst workers and staff that sustains improvement efforts. The root cause behind backsliding is that sustaining process improvement initiatives involves all levels of the organisation, and that leaders play a pivotal role herein they often neglect. We identify four common failure modes: an initiative fatigue that sets in as leaders fail to provide continued support; a tool overzeal that seeks to reinvigorate efforts by switching approaches; chasing short-term metrics that are misaligned with the purpose of the organization; and dogmatic implementations that deprive team members of engaging in a meaningful way. To sustain process improvement implementations, leaders must conceive it as a habit that they continuously and consistently engage with; they must ensure that it resolves ‘pain points’ that demonstrate a real value to those engaged in the process; and act as coaches to harness the power of small wins to motivate continued participation and engagement.

Keywords: Process improvement, Lean, Six Sigma, Agile, backsliding, initiative fatigue

Suggested Citation

Holweg, Matthias and Staats, Bradley R. and Upton, David M., Making Process Improvements Stick (August 28, 2018). Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise Research Paper No. 18-22, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3240097 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3240097

Matthias Holweg

University of Oxford - Said Business School ( email )

Park End Street
Oxford, OX1 1HP
Great Britain

HOME PAGE: http://https://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/about-us/people/matthias-holweg

Bradley R. Staats (Contact Author)

University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School ( email )

McColl Building, CB#3490
Chapel Hill, NC 27599
United States

David M. Upton

University of Oxford, Said Business School (deceased)

Do you have a job opening that you would like to promote on SSRN?

Paper statistics

Downloads
949
Abstract Views
3,356
Rank
39,751
PlumX Metrics