Development of a Framework for Evaluating Continuous Improvement Training Within the Context of Enterprise Transformation

Abstract

Many organizations fail in their efforts to create a culture of continuous improvement. For many manufacturing organizations, lean is one vehicle used to create a culture of continuous improvement. However, according to a 2007 survey of organizations attempting to introduce lean conducted by Industry Weekly, the rate of failure is above 70%, due to piecemeal adoption, lack of employee buy-in, and deficient continuous improvement strategies. Effective training is one mechanism available to organizations to create a comprehensive approach for creating a culture of continuous improvement. Effective training can be used to increase employee buy-in and to create a unified understanding of continuous improvement tools and strategies among employees. This article details a study to identify determinants of training effectiveness at a steel manufacturing company in the early stages of lean implementation. Time, resources, and communication were identified as the primary determinants of training effectiveness and efficiency in this organization. To extend the applicability of these findings, the results from this study were placed within a larger context of enterprise transformation and used to specify a framework for enterprise transformation that can assist organizational leaders in designing training programs and to increase the likelihood of success in their efforts to create a culture of continuous improvement.

Keywords:

• continuous improvement
• training
• lean implementation
• change management
• enterprise transformation