Why Sustainability is So Hard to Achieve
You’ve probably heard the phrase, “the grass is growing back”. It’s a common frustration. After a successful initiative, things quietly begin to slide. Old habits creep back in. New ways of working are diluted. The initial energy fades. And before you know it, you’re back to square one.
Sustainability requires more than tools and templates. It requires purpose, ownership, and continuous reinforcement.
1. People Must Understand the 'Why'
Sustainable improvement doesn’t happen when people follow new processes blindly. It happens when they understand the purpose behind the change – why it matters to them, their team, and the wider organisation. Without this connection, behaviours don’t shift in a meaningful way.
Helping people see the value in the change is crucial. That means linking improvements to real outcomes – whether that’s improved service, reduced waste, better customer experience, or more fulfilling work.
2. Focus on the New Way of Operating
It’s not enough to fix problems; you need to embed the solution into the rhythm of daily work. That means redesigning routines, updating standards, and building new habits.
Coaching and reinforcement become critical at this stage. Teams need to be supported as they adjust to new expectations – not just told to change.
3. Measure What Matters
To know if your improvements are working – and lasting – you need the right performance measures in place. This means going beyond traditional KPIs and tracking indicators of behaviour, adoption, and process health.
Sustainability is visible in small signs: handovers that run smoothly, decisions made with better data, problems solved at source. If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.
4. Leaders Must Continue to Improve
The role of business leaders is pivotal. Not just during the change process, but after. They need to continue asking questions, reinforcing expectations, and role-modelling the behaviours they want to see.
When leaders drift back into old habits, the rest of the organisation follows. But when they stay committed – even quietly – they create the conditions for continuous improvement to thrive.
5. Think Journey, Not Event
Sustainability isn’t a box to tick. It’s a mindset. A culture. A journey.
That journey requires ongoing learning, reflection, and adaptation. As new challenges emerge, mature improvement teams don’t go back to the drawing board – they build on what’s already there. They evolve their practices and stay aligned with the organisation’s changing needs.
6. Communication is Key
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, is communication. Keeping the momentum going means continually sharing the why, celebrating the wins, and reinforcing the how.
Improvement leaders must keep the story of change alive – reminding teams of where they’ve come from, what they’ve achieved, and what comes next.
Final Thoughts
Achieving sustainability is the hallmark of a mature improvement function. It’s not about perfection – but about persistence. About making sure improvements don’t just happen, but endure.
If your team can build purpose, measure impact, lead consistently, and keep the conversation going, you’ll create not just better processes – but a stronger, more resilient organisation.
And that’s what true Operational Excellence looks like.
Ready to see how your improvement team stacks up?
Want to discuss a Team Maturity Assessment and start benchmarking your team against best-in-class practices? Get in touch today.
