People and Culture Drive Operational Excellence
2 Minute Read

In the pursuit of operational excellence and continuous improvement, it is important to consider the role of people and culture in driving long-term success. While improving processes and eliminating waste may provide short-term gains, the true key to sustainable improvement lies in addressing the culture and employees within the organization. As Frances Hasselbaink noted, “Culture does not change because we desire to change it. Culture changes when the organization is transformed; the culture reflects the realities of people working together daily.”
Rafiq Vohra, Associate Director of Operational Excellence at Societal™ CDMO, dug deeper into what it takes for an organization to optimize their operational excellence in his recent white paper. In it he breaks down three main buckets of focus that organization typically focus on in the pursuit of operational excellence and the one main they often forget: people and culture.

- Short-term Focus on Process and Waste Removal – Focusing on improving efficiency through process and waste removal has its limitations.
- Challenges in Creating a Culture of Continuous Improvement – To truly empower employees to embrace continuous improvement beyond goals and objectives, it is important to create a culture that values and supports the OE mindset, rather than simply implementing a program on paper.
- Strategies for Promoting a Culture of Continuous Improvement – Three things are needed to empower individuals who are willing and able to embrace change.
- Provide necessary tools and support to drive improvements. This can be as simple as ensuring time in the schedule for meetings, training, and analysis.
- Demonstrate how using process improvement techniques can enhance day-to-day work and professional development.
- Ensure efforts are noticed, encouraged, and rewarded by fostering a “change mindset” culture.
While process improvement is certainly important, it is as equally important to recognize and reward the hard-working individuals who make it happen. By taking a step back from the data and numbers, and empowering and appreciating the people who drive change, organizations can create a pathway to embracing and sustaining continuous improvement.
To learn more about our approach to operational excellence and how people and culture play a big part, download the white paper here .