HOW-TO GUIDE: Driving employee engagement on the CI journey
Are you struggling to keep your people committed to the CI vision?
Continuous improvement (CI) is not a project: It is a culture change embedded in the DNA of any world-class manufacturing organization striving for excellence. Initial CI activities may include project-based activities, but CI doesn’t stop once short-term improvement objectives have been achieved. Although these initial activities should encourage employee engagement, the real challenge comes later – when interest in CI activities often begins to wane.
Understanding the long-term benefits of CI helps to inspire people to achieve a sustainable CI strategy.
These long-term CI benefits include:
- A proactive learning culture where everyone is encouraged to keep up with technology and trends
- Productivity, teamwork and lower employee turnover
- Eliminating waste, for example by removing nonvalue-added steps in a process
- Reducing cost
- Reducing lead times
- Improving product quality by reducing the number of defective products and errors that occur
- Improving flexibility and responsiveness by streamlining all processes
- Products and services that anticipate customer needs, resulting in better customer service
Download the how-to guide Driving employee engagement on the CI journey and find out how to:
- Constantly reinforce the CI vision
Make the CI process part of your plant’s daily management system and a regular agenda item for the various meetings.
- Build confidence and reassure people
Regularly communicate with your people by answering questions and consolidating their understanding of the various activities taking place.
- Build skills and encourage new behaviors
Coaching and training sessions build your employees’ capabilities and competencies, and minimize any resistance to change.
- Create a sense of ownership and pride
Encourage participation and collaboration, and make people feel like they are part of the solution.
- Motivate your people to stay focused on the goal
Reward progress and recognize achievements through formal or informal recognition.
- Show your support for the CI culture
Actively embrace Lean and best practice principles by incorporating them into your daily routine.
