article thumbnail

Avoid the Improvement Hype Cycle

Harvard Business Review

The timeline showed five improvement initiatives matching the eras of five presidents: Quality Action Teams (1992-1995), Total Cycle Time (1995-2000), Perfect Order (2000-2003), Grainger Performance System (Balanced Scorecard and Six Sigma) (2004-2007), and Lean (2008). Brad Power is a consultant and researcher in process innovation.

article thumbnail

Explain Your New Strategy By Emphasizing What It Isn’t

Harvard Business Review

Yet, according to Donald Sull’s research in the March issue of HBR, almost half of top executives cannot connect the dots between their company’s strategic priorities; and two out of three middle managers say they simply do not understand their strategic direction. This is a subtle, but important nuance.