Making Continuous Improvement a Reality
This manual provides comprehensive help on making continuous improvement a reality. The self-assessment and 360 degree questionnaires enable people to evaluate their commitment to various aspects of continuous improvement. The thought-starters and ‘planning actions’ sections can then be used to target weak areas and to create personalised plans to tackle them.
Buyers Guide
What is the purpose of this manual?
The manual was designed to help people, personally and within organisations to initiate, and more importantly, sustain continuous improvement. It supports the idea that ‘the only truly competitive edge’ is the one achieved by becoming a continuous improver.
Is it for me? What is the target population for this manual?
This manual is for everyone, it will help you as an individual wishing to assess and improve your ability to continuously improve and would be equally useful for managers, trainers and consultants wishing to help people within organisations achieve that all important ‘edge’.
Who wrote the manual?
Dr Peter Honey, a Chartered Psychologist and a trainer with many years experience of designing and delivering programmes to aid continuous improvement within a variety of organisations. Dr Honey is a strong believer in a process oriented approach and has found that working continuously to improve processes and standards is the best recipe for success.
What difference will it make?
Besides introducing you to the philosophy of continuous improvement it will help you to
- Understand the key elements
- Make an honest assessment of your continuous improvement skills
- Understand that without exception, things can always be improved
- Overcome resistance that may be holding you or your organisation back
- Devise measurable indicators of key processes with a view to improvement
- Fully understand the value of experimenting with new ways or doing things
- Measure key performance areas before, during and after improvements
In how many ways could I use the manual?
You could
- use the questionnaire to identify current levels of continuous improvement skills
- use the thought-starters as part of a personal development plan
- find out how to set the criteria for processes most in need of improvement ( e.g. incur the most cost, recurring mistakes, trigger most complaints)
- use the guidelines to write your own list of process measures
- run a workshop to revise and improve current key processes
So, why should I buy it?
Following its practical advice will ensure that you, and your organisation, adopt behaviours that will not only initiate continuous improvement but will maintain and sustain it on an ongoing basis.
Copyright and Photocopying
This publication is the copyright of Dr Peter Honey 1997 and is published by Peter Honey Publications Limited under licence. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be amended, retyped, reset, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form, electronic or otherwise, without the prior permission in writing of Peter Honey Publications Limited.
However, you do not need permission, in writing or otherwise, to photocopy or print any or all of this publication provided the following conditions are met.
- All photocopies and prints must display the copyright notice on the bottom right-hand corner of all pages
- You, or your company, have obtained and paid for the publication direct from Peter Honey Publications Limited (or from one of its authorised agents)
- You are:
- An employee of a company that has purchased the publication and wish to use all or part of it for internal company use
- An independent consultant who has purchased the publication and wishes to use all or part of it with your clients (in which case your permission to photocopy or print does not extend to your clients unless they, in addition to you, are purchasers of the publication).
Warning
The doing of an unauthorised act in relation to a copyright work may result in both a civil claim for compensation and criminal prosecution.