Making improvements stick : The importance of people over process

Purpose – Explains how to make organizational reforms last. Design/methodology/approach – Describes the actions needed to move an organization from implementation to the point where improvements are fully embedded. Findings – Highlights the importance of having a top‐level champion who supports and advocates change, gaining and maintaining stakeholder engagement, ensuring honest and timely communication, encouraging a long‐term focus on changing the behavior of the organization, supporting individuals with the capability to lead the improvement process, continuing to invest in building the internal capability of the organization and introducing robust financial and non‐financial incentives. Practical implications – Stresses the need to allow people to comment constructively on reform. Social implications – Details the impact of such social factors as ignorance, lethargy, committees and inflexibility in holding back improvements. Originality/value – Emphasizes that improvement is more about people than about process.