Continuous Improvement
Continuous improvement spans operations, strategy and digital transformation, evolving into an organisation-wide capability guided by phased models (Lameijer, 2023). It strengthens when leaders set aims, invest in coaching, standardise problem-solving routines, and cultivate autonomy with accountability and psychological safety (Löfqvist, 2024).
Technique Overview
Continuous Improvement Definition
Continuous improvement (CI), rooted in Kaizen, is the disciplined pursuit of small, continual incremental changes to raise quality and efficiency. Bhuiyan and Baghel (2005) frame CI as a culture of sustained improvement aimed at eliminating waste across organisational systems and processes, achieved through coordinated collective effort without heavy capital outlay. Contemporary views treat CI as a multi-dimensional capability that develops through phases and demands deliberate attention to readiness, core activities and sustainment (Lameijer, 2023).
Continuous Improvement Description *
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Business Evidence
Strengths, weaknesses and examples of Continuous Improvement *
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Business Application
Implementation, success factors and measures of Continuous Improvement *
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Professional Tools
Continuous Improvement videos and downloads *
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Further Reading
Continuous Improvement web and print resources *
Continuous Improvement references (4 of up to 20) *
- Bernard, G., Budde, L., Hänggi, R. and Friedli, T. (2025) ‘Driving continuous improvement with Industry 4.0 technologies: lessons from multiple use case analysis’, Applied Sciences, 15(4), 2191. https://doi.org/10.3390/app15042191.
- Bhuiyan, N. and Baghel, A.(2005) An Overview of Continuous Improvement: From the Past to the Present. Management Decision, Vol. 43(5), pp. 761-771.
- Brown, A. and Eatock, J. (2008) Quality and Continuous Improvement in Medical Device Manufacturing. The TQM Magazine, Vol. 20(6), pp. 541-555.
- Franken, J.C.M., van Dun, D.H. and Wilderom, C.P.M. (2021) ‘Kaizen event process quality: towards a phase-based understanding of high-quality group problem-solving’, International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 41(6), pp. 962–990. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOPM-09-2020-0666.
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