Continuous improvement: how to involve top managers and collaborators in the process?

Whether you’re planning to launch a continuous improvement program, or have already started this energy-intensive initiative, it’s essential to be able to clearly explain to your teams why this approach is strategic and critical for your organization.

Indeed, launching such a project is no simple formality. It requires time, energy and commitment at all levels of the organization, including top management. It’s a collective effort that can only pay off if it’s based on a clear vision and precise objectives shared by all. Without this, it will be difficult to keep teams on board and focused on what really matters.

Do top management understand the concrete benefits of continuous improvement and its role in the company’s strategic and critical challenges? Do employees understand how this approach can improve their day-to-day work?

If you’re not sure of the answers, this article is for you. Find out how you can better communicate these issues and convince directors and employees that continuous improvement is essential to the success and longevity of your organization.

Continuous improvement: definition

Originally used in production contexts and anchored in the Lean and Kaizen principles, continuous improvement has spread to all industries and is now indispensable in any organization aspiring to optimize its processes and increase the quality of its services or products.

For this approach to succeed, it is essential that all employees understand the process and feel involved. This means clearly explaining the principles of continuous improvement and showing how everyone can contribute to this initiative.

Continuous improvement consists in making regular, progressive improvements to all aspects of the organization. This method is based on the identification of irritants in the daily experiences of employees, i.e. the small inefficiencies or complications that get in the way of their work. By remedying these irritants, improvements are achieved which, although often individually minor, add up to significant effects over the long term.

The process involves an iterative cycle in which employees are encouraged to propose solutions to the problems they encounter. This cycle, often based on the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) model, enables changes to be planned, implemented, checked for effectiveness and adjusted accordingly. The success of this approach hinges on open communication and a corporate culture that values everyone’s contributions and encourages collaboration.

Clearly explaining the approach and its importance helps mobilize all members of the organization around a culture of continuous improvement, where everyone has an active role to play in improving their working environment and, by extension, the company’s overall performance.

The strategic and critical importance of continuous improvement for organizations

Continuous improvement goes far beyond operational processes: it is a genuine strategic lever, able to transform overall performance and ensure the long-term viability of your organization. Let’s find out why.

What determines a subject’s strategic or critical nature?

A subject is strategic when it contributes to the organization’s long-term objectives, generates revenue, reduces costs or improves competitiveness. It must also be validated as a priority choice by top management to be considered a key initiative.

The critical character applies to a subject whose failure could entail significant risks for the organization and put it in jeopardy. Several factors influence this character. Firstly, the opportunistic nature of a subject can make it critical. Secondly, the leverage effect, i.e. the subject’s capacity to impact several areas or functions of the organization, amplifies its importance. Finally, external pressures, such as customer expectations, partner demands, competition or regulatory constraints, play a key role in how critical a topic may be perceived.

Continuous improvement: a critical and strategic concern?

From a strategic point of view, continuous improvement plays a key role in maintaining competitiveness in an ever-changing, highly competitive market. By supporting key objectives such as operational excellence, customer satisfaction and innovation, continuous improvement becomes an essential lever for aligning processes with the organization’s strategic priorities.

Moreover, it fosters agility and proactivity, enabling rapid adaptation to market changes while avoiding the huge catch-up costs often associated with a lack of preparation. Its cross-functional nature – by simultaneously impacting several functions, processes or projects – enables synergies to be created between the various components of the organization. This maximizes organizational gains by promoting better coordination, optimal use of resources and a coherent approach to objectives. This ability to connect different domains reinforces its importance in achieving strategic and operational priorities.

In other words, continuous improvement is critical, especially if it is absent or neglected. Without such an approach, organizations expose themselves to major risks such as non-quality, inefficiencies, non-conformities or operational incidents, resulting in significant recovery costs. In addition, a poor capacity to adapt to a changing environment reduces their competitiveness and limits their ability to meet growing customer expectations. This lack of adaptability can also affect employee motivation, slowing down their commitment to improvement and amplifying organizational inefficiencies.

This means that continuous improvement is not optional for a company that wants to prosper. It lies at the very core of long-term strategies and is a critical lever for preventing risks and guaranteeing the long-term viability of organizations.

Obstacles to the adoption of continuous improvement in certain organizations

So why isn’t continuous improvement universally recognized as essential and strategic in all companies?

Often, the strategic and critical importance of continuous improvement is not fully recognized, mainly due to misperceptions, competing priorities, or organizational barriers.

Focus on short-term objectives

Organizations sometimes focus on immediate financial results, which can overshadow the importance of continuous improvement, essential for long-term gains. The slowness with which the effects of these initiatives manifest themselves can also frustrate top management in their quest for rapid results, limiting the adoption of continuous improvement strategies.

Lack of measurability

In the absence of clear KPIs, continuous improvement can seem intangible and difficult to justify. Indirect or intangible benefits, such as increased customer satisfaction or reduced errors, are often downplayed as less immediately measurable.

Distractions due to major events

Events such as mergers, restructurings or new product launches can monopolize top management’s attention. This can relegate continuous improvement to the background, when it could actually help to better manage these critical periods.

Budget restrictions

Budgetary restrictions often lead organizations to prioritize initiatives perceived as directly value-generating and with a quick return on investment. This relegates continuous improvement projects, which require long-term investment, to the back burner of priorities.

Top management’s strategic negligence

Continuous improvement is often seen as the responsibility of field teams, rather than a component of global strategy managed by top management. Continuous improvement thus remains confined to intermediate levels, when it should be explicitly linked to the organization’s strategic challenges.

Implementation challenges and cultural barriers

Continuous improvement is often seen simply as a series of small optimizations, rather than as a driver of cultural and organizational transformation. It is not always integrated into the values or practices of certain companies. And establishing a culture of continuous improvement requires significant effort (training, team mobilization, corporate culture, change management), which can be discouraging for some organizations.

Making continuous improvement a strategic and critical priority

If some of these obstacles sound familiar, or reflect your organization’s situation, it is entirely possible to overcome them and elevate continuous improvement to the level of a strategic priority, making it a real driver of transformation and sustainable performance.

How can the strategic role of continuous improvement be reinforced?

To reposition continuous improvement as a strategic and critical element, several actions can be taken:

Aligning continuous improvement and global strategy

Show how continuous improvement directly reinforces key strategic priorities such as growth, risk reduction, and advancing digital transformation.

Communicating its impact

Highlight the effectiveness of continuous improvement using case studies and key performance indicators (KPIs) that illustrate its tangible, measurable results.

Involving top management

Make sure that continuous improvement is promoted by top management and integrated into the company’s governance objectives to ensure that it is anchored at a strategic level.

Changing perceptions in the organizational culture

Position continuous improvement not only as a method for optimizing existing processes, but also as a lever for innovation, differentiation and strengthening organizational resilience.

How to overcome the myths and objections associated with continuous improvement?

Directors and continuous improvement managers: you’re often faced with objections, and we know that. That is why we have identified the most common objections and prepared clear, high-impact answers to support you. With these useful tools, you will not only be able to overcome resistance, but also transform these exchanges into opportunities to reinforce support and make your initiatives a real pillar of transformation for your organization.

Is there a limit to continuous improvement gains?

Indeed, after an intense optimization phase, gains can sometimes become marginal, especially if continuous improvement focuses exclusively on cost reduction and operational efficiency. However, continuous improvement is not just about maximizing existing resources – doing more with less – it also offers the opportunity to innovate, enrich the quality of working life and explore new business models.

It is essential to move from a logic of pure efficiency to one of innovation. Continuous improvement and innovation are not separate paths, but rather complementary ones that can coexist and feed off each other within the same organization. Rather than reaching a maximum, the approach can evolve towards more qualitative objectives: improving customer experience, strengthening employee commitment or reducing environmental impact.

Does automation induced by continuous improvement mean job cuts?

Historically, some continuous improvement initiatives may have been perceived as a means of reducing the workforce. However, adopting a responsible approach means reinvesting performance gains to create new, rewarding opportunities and strengthen internal skills. It’s essential to see employees as essential drivers of change, not as “victim” targets of optimization. By integrating investment in training and skills development, a continuous improvement program aims not only to transform jobs, but also to enhance them, by adapting them to new market realities and expectations.

How can employees be kept motivated over the long term in continuous improvement projects?

Employees must clearly perceive the direct benefits of their commitment to continuous improvement, benefiting not only the company but also enriching their own professional experience, such as through improvements in the quality of working life or performance bonuses. To make the most of these contributions, it is essential to introduce recognition mechanisms that celebrate personal initiatives and ideas. Continuous improvement must also be part of a stimulating vision, illustrating its impact on the company’s sustainability and general well-being. Building a corporate culture based on trust and transparency is essential. When employees see continuous improvement as an optimization strategy at the expense of the job, this can lead to reduced commitment and increased stress. Your organization therefore needs to establish virtuous practices to ensure that continuous improvement is perceived positively and experienced beneficially by all.

Is continuous improvement limited to cost reduction?

Cost reduction is not the only end in view. Continuous improvement must also focus on innovation, sustainability, customer satisfaction and employee commitment to truly transform the company. Cost savings can be wisely reinvested in human capital development and innovative initiatives. Investing these gains in product development, exploration of new markets or team training creates sustainable added value for the company.

In conclusion, one of the keys to the success of a continuous improvement approach is to make all stakeholders — top management and employees alike — understand that it is more than just a matter of optimizing processes; it is a major strategic challenge. Without this shared vision, organizations run the risk of missing out on lasting benefits, and finding themselves faced with colossal catch-up costs to make up for inefficiencies or missed opportunities.

If you are looking for a platform capable of taking your continuous improvement to the next level, find out how IDhall can support you in this transformation.