Sustainable development of improvement activities--the long-term operation of a suggestion scheme in a Swedish company

Although the use of continuous improvement (CI) is widespread today, many organizations are faced with problems associated with both the implementation and long-term sustainability of their CI programmes. The purpose of this article is to identify factors important for the sustainable development of suggestion schemes. A case study has been performed in a company that was chosen because the suggestion scheme has been in existence for nine years with a activity level. The main method used is semi-structured interviews and the study of the long-term development has been complemented with previous research performed at the case study company. There seem to have been three periods in the development of the suggestion scheme. First, a period when the system was introduced by a champion (Initiation). Secondly, a period of decline in interest (Decline). Finally, a period of new interest when the suggestion scheme attracted new attention from employees (New Interest). A number of factors seem to influence the sustainability of the suggestion scheme. (1) A champion initiated the suggestion scheme in 1993. (2) The system has been simple and easy to adjust to suit the interests of the stakeholders within the organization. Furthermore it was not too time consuming for anyone involved. (3) Commitment both from managers and shop-floor workers has been an important aspect of the sustainability of the system. (4) Also important was quick feedback to employees submitting suggestions.