ABSTRACT
System improvement is more than the discovery of an elegant solution. It is a twofold process that includes problem resolution and solution implementation. Both activities require technical as well as emotional competencies. This chapter considers the dual nature of problem-solving by examining the following topics:
■ System Improvement Is Really About Change ■ Why System Improvement Sometimes Fails to Achieve Expectations ■ System Improvement Includes Problem Resolution and Solution
Implementation ■ Making It All Work
Those of you who pick up this book have, in most cases, been exposed to other works on lean manufacturing, Six-Sigma, or process improvement. All of these practices describe matter-of-fact and quantitative methods for getting from a troubled situation to a calm, productive one. Although such techniques are effective and reliable, they do not describe how people will be affected by improvement, or how the organization can deal with underlying emotions that arise when work processes are changed.
