Managing continual improvement

Readers will see that the key ingredient in the successful achievement of lasting improvement is more about leadership than management. There are important management structures to be adopted, but individual managers have to display leadership that will deliver change in processes, that in turn will lead to improvement in results.

A system to guide improvement

Dr Deming proposed a system of profound knowledge in the late 1980s. He developed this over a lifetime of theory and practice based on a global history of mass production and the start of globalisation. It provides a simple but insightful guide to thinking about any organization, programme or situation.

It demands that managers and leaders develop ways of:

• understanding their system (system thinking)
• learning how to learn and describe their world accurately (theory of knowledge)
• involving and motivating those who are in the system (psychology) and
• getting the processes on target with minimum variation in the cause of innovating and optimising the whole system (variation)

All these factors interact to some degree in every situation. Referring to all of the parts, and considering their interrelationships, helps in planning future actions and in assessing the current position. Neglecting one or more of the parts, or taking them in isolation, leads to sub-optimisation of the work across the organization.

We suggest that the reader considers each part in connection with each of the three components of change management outlined below.

Managing change: 3 components

In every change process, be it local or across the whole organization, there are 3 components to be considered. All are present, but many activities in improvement tend to emphasise the simple ahead of the subtle and powerful. The job of the improvement manager is to appreciate the interplay between the 3, and integrate them in the service of the part of the organization that is being worked upon. The components are:

1. The task component - selecting and using appropriate tools effectively. The tools are easy to list and there are many training courses that teach the skills, but they only work when used in the proper environment.
2. The process component - providing structures around the tools such as project methodologies and programme plans. The methodologies seem logical and are powerful, they tend to take more learning than the tools, but they break down if driven into the organization without appreciation of the psychological issues.
3. The socio-emotional component - leading the participants in the activities, and in those processes affected by them, to play constructive roles in developing and implementing change

The third component plays the largest role in determining the outcome of improvement efforts. No amount of technical expertise in tools can make them effective if used in the wrong circumstance, whilst the most impressive programme plans can be undermined by lack of attention to the human factors.

This article examines each component in turn, building to the leadership issues that determine success. The members' pages expand on the summaries in this paper.

1. The task component

Selecting appropriate techniques

Those who successfully manage continual improvement methodologies and techniques have learned to decide for themselves what to apply and when. Improvement tools have evolved over many years; those that have stood the test of time in application around the world are the ones to take seriously.

Let's consider some theory of knowledge - how the thinking and tools have developed, and see how this can help managers in deciding which to use.

Deciding which tool to use

It is important to think first about the situation, and then select the tool appropriate to the need.

This is a generic structure for change, initially independent of the tools which have been invented and adapted to respond to the needs of the work.

In summary:

• The continual improvement approach is a practical manifestation of the scientific method, the most powerful change philosophy that we know of.
• The quality tools you see today are the refined survivors of an extremely demanding era of application.
• Always start with the big picture, focusing on tools that may help. Never start with a tool in mind, looking for an application.
• Plan the training to follow this approach, ensuring it combines an overview of the whole subject together with in depth training of basic tools.

2. The process component

Developing a programme for continual improvement

The activities need to be managed if they are to achieve the improved performance that is needed. The plan-do-study-act cycle (see diagram) is the scientific method expressed as a process, and provides the foundation for developing a change programme.

PDSA can be the basis of a programme planning model. This model is described in detail in the members' pages.

3. The socio-emotional component

Finding a pathway through the cultural issues

A lot of factors interact to ensure that the principles and tools of continual improvement, apparently so logical, are highly personal and political in application.

A change programme is a collection of processes that must cooperate in order to achieve the goal. By definition they will require extensive behaviour change throughout the organization. There are countless opportunities for confusion in meaning and communication. People's motivations and readiness to change will be affected by their experience, domestic circumstances, capabilities and self image. Continual improvement cannot be driven entirely by logic or motivated by rewards or threats. Successful programmes build on the initial momentum by ensuring that participants are supported, well trained, and feel listened to.

All change programmes are also a first. No-one else has ever been in exactly the same situation as that which you may be studying right now, or has the same goals. Even in the same company or industry, or the same country, the differences in situation are always much greater than the superficial similarities.

Every change journey is therefore different and you cannot copy another system, though you can learn a lot from studying experiences of success and failure, and allowing the evidence you see to influence your theories about possible structures and programmes.

The wise leader of continual improvement will therefore be aware of the need to develop their understanding of the socio-emotional factors across their organization, team, and most of all in themselves. This is not an isolated cultural development or emotional intelligence training need. Personal development programmes should integrate all aspects of the system of profound knowledge with people's current jobs and challenges. It requires the leadership of processes that allow for the surfacing and sharing of intangible feelings and giving people the support to change themselves.

The members' pages expand upon the activities needed to maximise the chances of success.

Relating the three components to the system of profound knowledge

The system of profound knowledge shows the different emphases needed from the change manager when considering different aspects of the change process:

• The socio-emotional component has psychology at the forefront with aspects of motivation and communication being vital. But helping everyone to understand their place in the system, and supporting the learning philosophy, has a constructive influence on the psychology. Understanding variation and learning how to react to it in a less arbitrary way, contributes to a more constructive atmosphere throughout the improvement activities.
• The process component is primarily about systems thinking, ensuring that the programme is visible, with clear aims. This, in turn, helps people to appreciate their role, which improves motivation. They then gradually appreciate that they will be learning how to learn and apply their knowledge.
• The task component is a collection of tangible tools, many of them concerned with variation; how to understand it and get the processes on target with minimum variation. This requires the use of tools for mapping processes, and applying the PDSA cycle rapidly and frequently in search of validated changes.