Bessant's continuous improvement model: revisiting and revising

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose that a redevelopment of Bessant's continuous improvement (CI) model makes a useful contribution to the research and understanding of the development of performance improvement in the public sector. Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents a conceptual discussion that develops the case for a three stage CI model from an analysis of the literature and feedback from key management stakeholders across a range of public sector organisations. Findings – Although Bessant's five stage model presents a useful way of understanding how CI culture evolves, it is less useful as a framework for measuring the level of CI maturity as it does not provide indicators against each of the five stages of development. It is argued that a three stage model which contains a set of indicators for each level may be useful in the current public sector context where self‐assessment is seen as central to driving organisational improvement. Research limitations/implications – The applicability of the revised conceptual framework of CI maturity has still to be tested to gauge its usefulness either as a self‐assessment tool or a research tool to measure the level of CI. Practical implications – The paper presents a revised CI model that arguably provides managers and researchers with a more pragmatic framework that more clearly indicates how managers can progress CI to develop mature learning organisations. Originality/value – The revised model of CI provides a conceptual framework for future research and analysis relating to the development of CI maturity levels.