Before continuing on the path of Continuous Improvement, I would like to share a reflection on this process; in fact, someone might wonder how helpful it can be to talk about continuous improvement in such a messy period.
So let's try to get a picture of the situation, from the point of view of companies, using a "cause-effect" diagram:
Reading this diagram, from bottom to the other with the "if... then" mode, it becomes immediately clear and unequivocal that if a company does not have a solid financial foundation, the risk of being unable to restart the activity is very high. How, then, can such a situation be avoided or, at least, mitigated its effects? The answer, of course, lies in
reconsidering your business model, seriously evaluate competitiveness, focus on improving performance and sustainability.
Technically speaking, sustainability is the characteristic of a process or state that can be maintained at a certain level indefinitely (Wikipedia). Consequently, it can be said that to be sustainable a certain process must maintain a certain "state" over time.
If we look at this definition from an environmental point of view, the term sustainability therefore refers to the ability to maintain current resources, ensuring that they are not exhausted — which also applies to companies. If, on the other hand, we take into account business continuity, a sustainable company is one capable of maintaining its position in the market over time. And again, the tool to use is continuous improvement.
Not improving one's position, constantly, even slightly, — in terms of competitiveness, knowledge, ability to innovate, adaptation to changes in the market, means leaving room for competition and giving up market shares. Maybe not right away, but globalization is a pervasive phenomenon and affects all sectors without distinction (Amazon docet).
To close the topic, if there is a good time to talk about continuous improvement and seriously think about taking such a path, it is just this. If you are convinced, head to my post about the subject and, by the way, best wishes for a happy Easter to everyone!
