If it ain't broke, fix it anyway!

Tom Peters, one of the foremost gurus on business excellence, once said: “‘If it ain’t broke, you just haven’t looked hard enough. Fix it anyway.”

His point goes to the heart of the reality that everything can be made to perform better – no exception. We all know that, but the tendency to stick with the “tried and true” ways of doing things can be so powerful that most companies only turn to making improvements when they’re in trouble. What they need instead is a routine process for engaging every person on the team in systematic continuous improvement.

Take a look at Lantech, a stretch-wrapping machine manufacturer. They had made some gains in their production through a few improvement events. Despite their initial success, though, the advances weren't being sustained over time. They realized that without constant attention, even the best processes can drift back to their old ways.

So they implemented a daily improvement process involving all employees, from managers to frontline workers. Each morning, cross-functional teams walk the production floor, reviewing key metrics and identifying declines. They engage with team members to understand issues and implement corrective actions on the spot. The routine practice keeps processes on track, tackles any problems instantly and identifies ways to improve them every day.

The results have been transformative. By harnessing the collective power of small, daily improvements, Lantech has accelerated its productivity, quality, and financial performance. What’s more, it has imbedded a culture of continuous improvement and employee engagement. Lantech’s CEO says, "Continuous improvement is a philosophy of life. It's a matter of waking up every day and deciding to be better than yesterday."

Fact is, sustainable gains can only come from tapping the talent of frontline employees to drive incremental improvements as part of their everyday work.

If you’d like to transform your company with routine improvement processes, click here to schedule a time to learn about a simple, highly effective first step you can take with my 8-Week Systematic Continuous Improvement program.

Begin your improvement journey today!

“Great is the enemy of better”