Dispersion of continuous improvement and its impact on continuous improvement

An integrated continuous improvement (CI) strategy is asserted to comprise an essential element of the struggle for many firms to maintain international competitive advantage (Bessant and Caffyn, 1997 and Chapman et al 2002). Development and maintenance of an integrated CI strategy is enhanced when CI is dispersed throughout the organisation (Bessant and Caffyn, 1997; Kay and Anderson 1998; Boer et al 2001, Chapman et al 2002 and Sloan et al 2005). This paper examines the dispersion of CI across the functional departments of a sample of manufacturing firms and appraises the perceived impact of CI on a number of key indicators of business performance, also evaluating the extent to which these impacts are influenced by CI dispersion within the firm. This paper significantly extends the work of Sloan et al (2005) and Sloan and Sloan (2006) by examining the individual contribution of all organizational departments to organizational CI. The paper also examines connections between CI dispersion in the organisation and motivations for the implementation of CI, organisational experience with CI, problems encountered with CI implementation and support and tools used in implementing and monitoring CI. This research is based on a volume of previous work on CI in the supply chain drawing on the CIMA model developed as part of a joint study of CI in new product development funded by the European Union (see, for example, Boer et al 2001). The empirical results reported in the paper provide support for the proposition that dispersed CI in manufacturing firms enhances the business performance benefits of CI. We also found that the experience of CI was more positive in firms where CI was dispersed with fewer implementation problems and higher levels of support and measurement tools. The paper concludes management in organisations should give serious consideration to strategies which enhance the spread of CI activities throughout the organisation.