Developing Continuous Improvement Capability

Dealing with complex and uncertain environments requires a steady stream of innovation as well as occasional radical transition. Developing mechanisms to secure such continuous improvement (CI) is seen as a major strategic priority for many organisations. In particular, it raises the challenge of increasing employee involvement in the innovation process and of mobilising widespread problem-solving and learning behaviour. This paper reports on a major five-year research programme in the United Kingdom which explores the implementation of high involvement incremental innovation activities. It presents a reference model developed in this work for helping position and guide organisations in their implementation of CI.