Almost every process improvement initiative I’ve researched over the last three years in more than 50 organizations has been pushed from the top. These mandated-from-above programs include Lean Six Sigma initiatives with experts (“Belts“) in command, big IT implementations, and reengineering of major end-to-end processes. While most of these interventions produced tangible business benefits, they often didn’t stick. Because the top-down pushes imposed changes from the outside, front-line people went along, but they didn’t own or internalize them.
Balancing Push and Pull Approaches to Improvement
Almost every process improvement initiative I’ve researched over the last three years in more than 50 organizations has been pushed from the top. These mandated-from-above programs include Lean Six Sigma initiatives with experts (“Belts“) in command, big IT implementations, and reengineering of major end-to-end processes. While most of these interventions produced tangible business benefits, they […]
June 10, 2011