Importance and Impact of Culture and People in Continuous Improvement

Introduction

The sustainability of a business relies on its ability to thrive in its industry. The business environment is consistently changing due to advances in technology, behavioral change among employees, modifications in government policies, and even common variations. Businesses, therefore, should create practical strategies to ensure they remain afloat in their respective industries (Bhasin, 2013). One of the most common techniques companies use is continuous improvement. This model allows businesses to consistently assess their structures, models of operations and processes, outputs, and make adjustments that enhance efficiency and productivity. According to (Milner, 2016), continuous improvements (CI) enable companies to sustain incremental performance, improve customer satisfaction, and even improve product quality. Companies make small changes over time with the objective that the minor changes will add up to significant steps that establish growth and prosperity.

Many companies use variant strategies to achieve sustainable growth. These methods, which will be discussed in this study, are chosen upon the considerations of the organizations’ needs, wants, preferences, and resources. The choice of a CI strategy requires excellent decision-making and consultation between executives, managers, and employees to find the method of best fit. Even though the underlying function of CI (to make strategic improvements to gain a competitive advantage) is almost homogenous, processes cannot be applied in the same fashion (Arumugam, 2016). This inapplicability arises from the uniqueness of every business environment. While a model may work efficiently in the service industry, the same method may be detrimental to the manufacturing industry.

On the other hand, the culture and persons in the organizations play a critical role in determining the best approach (Dale, 2015). Each company has its corporate culture as a unique identifier against its competitors. While some companies have a customer-oriented culture, others are more profit driven. The variants in corporate culture affect how continuous improvement within the organization is established. Employees who embrace their corporate identity and perform not because they are paid to or have a moral obligation, but because they perceive the company as an extension of their selves, are more likely to engage in activities that foster continuous improvements as opposed to demotivated employees (Derrick-Mills, 2015). All managers need to collaborate actively and consistently with their employees to allow efficient implementation of CI approaches. The employees are the tools, and their input and goodwill are pivotal in establishing a culture of continuous improvement.