From CI-Led to Business-Led
The goal is for CI to evolve beyond a centrally-driven initiative into something that’s owned and embedded across the organisation. When teams adopt continuous improvement as part of how they work, without relying on the CI function to initiate or sustain it, that’s when you know you’re heading in the right direction.
So, how can we tell we’re making that shift?
Signs of True Engagement
There are a few key indicators that suggest CI is moving from isolated efforts to an organisation-wide mindset:
- Stakeholders Seek You Out
One of the earliest signs is how often stakeholders come to you—not because they’ve been asked to, but because they want help. They recognise the value of CI and proactively seek your guidance on how to solve a problem, improve a process, or explore a new opportunity.
- CI Is Happening Without You
An even stronger indicator is what happens without your involvement. When teams begin:
- Running regular huddles
- Tracking and acting on meaningful measures
- Solving problems using structured approaches
- Sharing good practice across departments
...and they’re doing all of this without your direct input, that’s a powerful sign that CI is becoming part of the culture.
Enablers of Organisational Engagement
This kind of engagement doesn’t just appear—it’s usually the result of intentional strategies, such as:
- Upskilling CI champions across the business
- Equipping teams with tools, frameworks, and confidence
- Supporting local ownership while offering central guidance
The goal is to build capability, not dependency. As more teams build their own confidence and competence in improvement, your role shifts from leading everything to enabling others to lead.
The Ultimate Measure of Success
In many ways, organisation-wide engagement is the true test of CI maturity. When improvement continues whether or not you're in the room—when CI becomes business-as-usual rather than a special event—that’s when you know the culture has shifted.
And yes, it might feel like we’re “doing ourselves out of a job”—but we know that’s not really the case. Our work evolves. Once the foundations are in place, our value lies in helping the organisation reach even higher levels of performance and innovation.
Next up in this series: Achieving Sustainability of Improvement—another crucial part of how your team delivers real, consistent value.
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.
