L/615/2702 Managing Continuous Organisational Improvement.

Context

You are employed in the Human Resources Department at the head office of a national chain of retailers. There is a highly competitive and evolving business environment for high street stores. In his introductory letter to staff the new CEO has identified the need for improvements and changes, so that the organisation continues to retain market share and be profitable.

The CEO has created a number of staff teams from across the organisation to consider the changes that are required and you have been invited to join Team A. This team will report to the Director of Operations and you are keen to do well. You know that successfully managing changes are crucial, as this will support the achievement of strategic and operational objectives and help the organisation to succeed. It is claimed that up to 60% of change programmes do not achieve the targeted outcomes and failure to do so can be costly. It is therefore crucial to get all parts of the change process right.

Task 1
The Director of Operations has called a meeting of his team which will focus on how organisations create a culture of continuous improvement and acceptance of change. You need to be prepared for the discussion and decide to produce detailed notes which:

 describe the features of organisational culture that encourage and allow for continuous improvement.

 analyse approaches that facilitate the introduction and acceptance of change.

 evaluate different approaches to continuous quality improvement.

Extension activities:
To gain a merit grade you must also:

Evaluate how leadership and management styles facilitate continuous improvement in organisations and help to embed change.

Extension activities:
To gain a distinction grade you must also:

Assess the importance of continuous improvement in supporting organisational success.