Leadership: A Term Some Say Is Overused But is Sorely Lacking in Process Improvement

Over my many years working on and in processes to improve them, I’ve noticed a concerning trend more often than I would like to see.  In most organizations, an improvement focus is parroted in internal conversations with senior leadership, all the way to the top.  It is probably slipped in with dinner engagements with clients and customers.  After all no one would dare say they weren’t focused on this important concern.

But back in the office and down in the trenches it gets shoved into second place or maybe even further back.  Many experts say it is because of the ‘old’ quality-productivity-cost triangle.  You’ve heard it before: “pick two of them since you can’t have all three.”  So the choice is made to “get it out the door to meet deadline” and not push up the figures in the operating budget.  Why is that so?

My view is we are sorely lacking true leaders in our organizations.  Men or women who will stand up and say “No we aren’t going to do that!”  That takes leadership.  But you want to know where leadership is needed even more?  It is the executives above that individual who agree with the decision and support him or her.

Some would say you can’t follow that approach in all cases.  Maybe, maybe not.  But I would say if those on the line have to make that decision in many if not all cases, you’ve got a bigger process problem than you may realize.  The voice of the process is screaming ‘help’ at you and you are consciously or unconsciously not listening.  Broken processes don’t self-heal and will get worse.

If our organizations are going to improve, we need leaders to support the process improvement initiatives.  To me the alternative is the ‘race to the bottom’ which you’ve heard before.  As you start heading down toward that bottom, things get warmer.  And eventually you will get to a place which is very warm indeed.