Once upon a time … Okay, the kid is right – that’s lazy writing. Still, it’s a proven way to create anticipation of the big event that always happens to save the day at the end of the story.

Let’s look at how that applies to the fable of a company that discovers the incredible impact that can come from establishing processes for engaging employees in systematic continuous improvement.

Once upon a time, in a kingdom not so far away, stood a company beset by challenges. Revenue was stagnant, morale was low, and competitors were gaining ground. The CEO paced the castle halls, advisors offered dubious strategies with costly investments, and shareholders grew restless.

"We need a miracle," sighed the CEO.

But unlike most fairy tales, no single hero emerged. So a royal decree was sent out across the realm: "Every subject in the kingdom shall have the power to improve their own work and learn from the improvements of others."

At first, changes were small. A customer service representative created a better response tool. A warehouse worker rearranged shelving and traffic patterns to reduce transport time. A sales representative developed a more efficient follow-up process.

The kingdom's advisors started tracking those micro-improvements. A 1% gain here, 2% there. Teams were meeting regularly to discuss what worked and what didn't. Employees no longer waited for top-down solutions.

Then came the quarterly results revealing a surprising outcome. Customer satisfaction was up 15%. Operational costs decreased 12%. Rework was down 8%. Along with all that, employee turnover was declining.

"How did this happen?" asked amazed shareholders.

The answer wasn't a heroic rescue, but rather the cumulative impact of systematic continuous improvement—hundreds of small changes from team members adding up to a remarkable turnaround.

Unlike fairy tales that end with "happily ever after," the story of this newly enlightened company continues on with "better ever after."

Click on the link below to learn how you can build a kingdom of continuous improvement where the journey never ends and the value grows forever.

6-Week Program for Systematic Continuous Improvement

“Better ever after!”

Tell Us Your Stories!

If you have a story that illustrates the power and potential of employees engaged in continuous improvement, we’d love to hear it – and share it with our readers.