Influence of team members' characteristics on the sustainability of continuous improvement initiatives

• Published in: Total quality management & business excellence Vol. 32; no. 7-8; pp. 852 - 868
• Main Authors: Tortorella, Guilherme Luz, Fogliatto, Flavio Sanson, Mac Cawley Vergara, Alejandro, Luis Gonçalves Quelhas, Osvaldo, Sawhney, Rapinder
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Routledge 19-05-2021; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: continuous improvement; interpersonal aspects; lean production; people engagement; Sustainability; teams characteristics
• ISSN: 1478-3363; 1478-3371
• DOI: 10.1080/14783363.2019.1641077

This article aims at examining the influence of teams' characteristics on the sustainability of Continuous Improvement (CI) initiatives. To achieve that, two identical manufacturing cells undergoing CI implementation and subordinated to the same leadership were investigated through a combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches. While one team has shown a sustained and increased performance, the other could not maintain improvements and worsened its performance. As the only factor distinguishing cells is team composition, we verify which team characteristics impact on CI sustainability. Results indicate that workers' seniority in company and in team, as well as their age positively influence team behaviour regarding the sustainability of CI initiatives. Long-term sustainability of CI initiatives has been a major concern in most companies. Although previous studies have approached the subject from different and complementary perspectives, the understanding of how specific characteristics of team members may influence the sustainability of CI is still vague and imprecise.