Date of Conferral
2021
Degree
Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)
School
Business Administration
Advisor
Christopher Beehner
Abstract
Organizations implementing a continuous improvement (CI) initiative may see 30% or higher failure rates in sustaining a CI project. Supply chain leaders who lack specific strategies to sustain CI initiatives longer than 1 year risk financial and resource losses. Grounded in total quality management, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies supply chain leaders use to sustain CI initiatives beyond the 1st year. The participants consisted of six supply chain leaders from one supply chain distribution organization located in the Midwest region of the United States who successfully implemented CI initiatives. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and documents consisting of project forms for control plans and failure mode effect analysis. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Four themes emerged: leadership engagement, employee engagement, standardization, and training. A key recommendation is that supply chain leaders invest in CI methodology training for all employees, including refresher CI training for leadership, and require leadership participation and engagement in all CI initiatives. The implications for positive social change include the potential to provide supply chain leaders with strategies to improve economic stability for the community, improve supply chain sustainability, and reduce natural resource consumption.
Recommended Citation
Williams, Jason, "Strategies for Sustainable Continuous Improvement Initiatives" (2021). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 11351.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/11351
