A few weeks ago, while touring a large 3PL warehouse near my home, the site leader proudly told me they require one continuous improvement event per quarter.
What struck me was that someone at his relatively senior level viewed continuous improvement as an event…a one-time thing…a task performed on a regular basis, instead of something every person should be doing every single day.
It reminded me of a story from World War II. Eisenhower was once quoted as saying:
“I don’t know what the hell this ‘logistics’ is that Marshall is always talking about, but I want some of it.”
A surprising number of senior leaders seem to have the same surface-level understanding of continuous improvement. They know a few buzzwords, and they know they’re supposed to do this thing, but the deeper philosophy is missing.
I imagine the reason a quarterly requirement exists is because it’s easy to measure. You can check the box, show that you completed it, and create a visible display of action.
In fact, I’ve been in meetings where someone mentioned an idea for a CI initiative, and someone interrupts:
“Wait, didn’t we just do one last month?”
I’ve always said this is the equivalent of going to the dentist twice a year…and that’s it. No brushing. No flossing. Your oral health box was already checked off last September.
True, lasting continuous improvement starts at the lowest level. It comes from individuals making small, incremental improvements to their jobs every single day.
Tiny 1% improvements that, over time, compound into something far more impactful than any quarterly event ever could.
The challenge is that those improvements are much harder to individually measure.
The organizations that truly embrace continuous improvement are not the ones that schedule it once a quarter. They are the ones that build cultures where people are expected, empowered, and encouraged to improve something every single day.
Continuous improvement is not an event.
It’s a mindset, a culture, and a daily habit.