Continuous improvement
'If you're not going forward, you're going backwards'
There is no such thing as being stagnant in business. The moment you think
you're doing everything just as it should be done and all you need to do is keep
sailing with the wind in your back, you're asking for your ship to sink.
In business, processes need to be constantly reviewed, strategies need to be
discussed, opinions need to be shared, decisions need to be questioned. Working
on the business should be a manager's priority. That is, if you really want to
bring your business from good to great.
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The concept applies to small and medium organisations just like multi-nationals.
Where the role of looking after continuous improvement can be delegated to only
one person in a smaller organisation, large businesses may require assigning the
responsibility to one person per department (HR, finance, sales & marketing, R&D
and so on) to ensure improvements are achieved throughout the company.
As a general rule, the more employees are engaged in the process of continuous
improvement, the more successful it will be.
The DRPR experience
At DRPR, I'm the Continuous Improvement Leader. We constantly review the way we
do things and I have a systematic process in place that ensures good ideas get
implemented. At times, it's only a small idea that makes a colleague's work just
that little bit more enjoyable. Other times, it's a bombshell that opens up new
markets for business. Either way, even the smaller step is one in the right
direction. Continuous improvement has truly become part of our day-to-day
discussions and of our culture.
Continuous improvement is how a business will find new products, services or new
markets. It is also how it will motivate staff, improve their productivity and
get them concerned about the wellbeing of the organisation. In other words, it
is how a business will grow inwards and outwards.
How do I implement a continuous improvement process?
Here are a few tips to start implementing your own continuous improvement
process in-house:
- Assign the role of looking at the continuous improvement process to
someone - if no one takes charge, ideas won't get implemented
- Explain to all staff the importance of continuous improvement and how
you will be implementing the process
- Include 'continuous improvement' as a topic in your staff meetings
- Seek your team's input - ask them what changes they would like to see
and organise a suggestion box or any other means of communicating ideas that
works for your team
- Keep a lodgement of all ideas, projects and their development
- Get the team involved - assign the implementation of ideas to team
members, seeking their approval first
- Stay on track - give deadlines for projects to be implemented to ensure
they don't get pushed down the list of priorities
- Report on the team's ideas, how they were implemented, how they've
benefited the business
- Get excited - celebrate good and great ideas, encourage and congratulate
your team and remember, there is no bad idea
- Stay open-minded and start thinking outside the box!
As part of your continuous improvement process, you may find that your
organisation lacks public awareness, your
online visibility is
low or the media doesn't
talk about your great story. If so, public relations may just happen to be the
improvement process you need to help boost your business.
To find out how public relations can help improve your business, give us a call
on (02) 9413 4244.
Or if you'd like to have a casual chat about the continuous improvement process
in your business, it's a topic I'm always happy to discuss. So don't hesitate to
call.
By Kim Larochelle | Follow me on Twitter
@KimLarochelle
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