Continuous Improvement Has a Community Problem

Who do you turn to when you’re the improvement person?

Continuous Improvement can be a surprisingly lonely place.

You spend your time helping others solve problems, challenging thinking, building capability and trying to create change. But who do you talk to when you need to bounce around an idea, share a challenge or simply speak to someone who understands what you do?

In this episode of the Ever-So-Lean Podcast, I’m joined by Maxine Wood and Stuart Robertson for an open conversation about something we think is missing in the UK Continuous Improvement community: connection.

We talk about the strength of the improvement networks in Ireland and Northern Ireland, why similar communities seem harder to find across the wider UK, and what happens when practitioners from completely different industries get together and realise they’re facing many of the same challenges.

We also explore the importance of mentoring, giving back, learning from each other and creating spaces where people can contribute, but also have somewhere to lean when they need it.

Because Continuous Improvement shouldn't just be about tools, methodologies and qualifications.

Sometimes, you just need to find your people.

So, who’s in your Continuous Improvement network?

Key Takeaways

• Continuous Improvement can be a lonely place.
  People responsible for improvement are often trying to influence others, challenge thinking and create momentum without having a strong network around them.
• There is a genuine gap for a UK Continuous Improvement network.
  The conversation highlighted how difficult it is to find an obvious, accessible UK wide community specifically for CI practitioners.
• It needs to be accessible to everyone.
  Conferences and professional bodies have an important place, but not everybody has the budget or opportunity to access them. There is space for something free and open alongside them.
• Different industries, same challenges.
  Whether you're in retail, utilities, hospitality, manufacturing or somewhere completely different, the underlying challenges around engagement, leadership, culture and sustaining improvement are remarkably similar.
• We can learn a lot from the communities already working well.
  Ireland and Northern Ireland came through particularly strongly in the conversation, with practitioners connecting, visiting organisations, sharing experiences and genuinely helping each other.
• A network should be somewhere you can contribute AND lean on.
  This is probably my favourite point from the whole conversation. Experienced people can give back, newer practitioners can learn, and everyone has somewhere to ask questions, share experiences and find people who understand what they do.

Key Resources

Stuart Roberson's LinkedIn
👉 linkedin.com/in/stuart-robertson-mba-152b64140

Maxine Wood's LinkedIn
👉 linkedin.com/in/maxine-wood-98734246

UK Network for Continuous Improvement (UKNCI)
👉 https://www.UKNCI.uk

👉 https://www.linkedin.com/groups/42461005/

 

Find out more about Ever-So-Lean, including our learning programmes at
👉 www.eversolean.com

Explore the Lean Competency System
👉 https://www.leancompetency.org/

Learn more about the British Quality Foundation
👉 https://www.bqf.org.uk/

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