One step at a time: how incremental improvements can drive business success

As far back as 500 BC, Heraclitus wrote that the only constant is change. More than 2,500 years later it is still true. From our climate change to market fluctuations, from technology to social structures, the world is in constant flux. Businesses must continuously adapt and evolve to succeed.

In tumultuous conditions continuous improvement becomes vital. If we cannot identify and address problems as they arise, we risk being left behind and becoming obsolete or irrelevant.

The paradox of this is that most organizations cannot afford to be in constant flux. Without some stability and certainty, it is almost impossible to make progress, to meet existing goals or produce expected results. Almost nothing can be achieved if everything is always changing.

It is tempting to identify, save up and implement changes all at once in a bid to reduce the confusion of an ever-shifting business model. That, however, has its own drawbacks.

If nothing changes, the business will slowly lose ground and then, later, when everything changes all at once, it becomes very hard to manage. It is almost guaranteed that some of those changes will not work out as intended.

When those breakdowns inevitably occur, the sweeping breadth of the changes will make it almost impossible to pinpoint where the problem lies. The time taken to untangle the actual improvements from the less optimal adjustments will only drag the business down.

To minimize disruption, organizations should continuously make incremental improvements to retain organizational stability and ensure sustainable change. With this in mind, here are three simple steps to incrementally and successfully drive long-term change.

Identify process bottlenecks and other areas of improvement

The first step of the change management process is identifying what needs to be changed. Looking for process improvement opportunities should be part of everyone’s role, from process specialists to the people on the ground implementing the procedures. Embed continuous improvement into the culture of your organization to empower everyone across all levels to work together to uncover delays, areas of waste and the weak points that could be better managed. 

Those ideas need to be captured as suggestions or comments on existing processes, or as drafts and documents that outline new ways of working. Every opportunity to improve should be captured somewhere and evaluated for the benefit it could bring. Improvement needs to be ongoing and immediate to capture opportunities as they arise.

Document change and establish metrics to measure success

With a growing list of changes the temptation is to either fire them off as they appear or save them up for a complete rollout. Instead, there needs to be a strategic balance. When an improvement idea has solidified into a better process or procedure, consider how easily it can be implemented and evaluated. Changes need to be sustainable and not every improvement can be immediately put into practice. Some can be implemented right away, but others will require a more systematic approach.

Whatever the level of change, it needs to be measured, documented and validated. When the improvement is rolled out it should come with a clear idea of how success will be measured and a timeframe to make that judgment within. If those metrics are not met, the benefit of this incremental approach is that it is clear where the change was made and how to reverse it. If there are unexpected breakdowns or blockages, no one has to investigate to figure out where things went wrong as there is a very clear trail of change to follow. If the improvement does meet expectations, it creates a new baseline of performance that can be used for further growth.

Establish a baseline for success and go from there

With each new baseline process, new opportunities will emerge. Once an improvement has been implemented and proven successful, revisit the list of changes you have been assembling. Consult the teams working in the environment to understand which are still valid options for the business or division and what additional changes should be made.

Innovation can often spark creativity and, when improvements occur in one area, they can sometimes be applied to others or highlight new ways to build upon their foundation. This is how continuous improvement can occur without disrupting the business — by taking one step at a time and securing the gains at every point.

A slow, iterative approach to change management increases organizational resilience and agility

Change happens around us whether we like it or not, and any business that refuses to embrace the fluidity of the market will quickly be left behind. There is no reason, however, your organization has to bumble along, battered by constant uncertainty and unrelenting change.

Continuous improvement does not embrace chaos but takes all that energy and structures it creatively and effectively for an ongoing sequence of betterment, one change at a time. With that mindset, you can always be on the lookout for ways your business can improve. Make the implementation of those changes in a sequential, systematic way and you will cement your improvements every step along the way.

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