Week 4: Bad Managers Kill More CI Programmes Than Bad Methodology

Bad Managers Kill More CI Programmes Than Bad Methodology

“I don’t have time for this.”

That is what the operations manager said when I asked him to attend the weekly improvement review. Said it the way you say “I don’t have time for the gym.” Like improvement was a nice-to-have.

Within four months, a programme delivering genuine results was dead. Not because the methodology was wrong. Because one manager decided improvement was not his job. And told every person in his organisation the same thing.

After 20+ years and 40+ organisations, I can tell you with certainty: the single biggest variable in CI success is the quality of the managers. Not the methodology. Not the consultants. The managers.

Five Behaviours That Destroy CI

The Blamer. First question after a defect: “Who did this?” I watched a manager publicly ask an operator what they had done wrong. In front of the entire shift. That operator had reported a process flaw two weeks earlier. Nothing was done. The system failed. The manager blamed the person. Suggestions dropped to zero within a month. One blaming event undoes six months of culture building.

The Delegator Who Disappears. Says the right things at kickoff. Delegates everything to the CI coordinator. Never seen again. Does not attend reviews. Does not visit the Gemba. The team notices. Always.

The Credit Taker. At Johnson Controls, frontline engineers eliminated a recurring defect costing significant rework hours. The regional manager presented it at a global review as his strategic initiative. Engineers not mentioned. One told me: “Why would I bother? He gets the credit, I get the extra work.”

The Sceptic. Does not believe CI works. Attends reviews, checks phone. Signs off charters without reading them. Unspoken message: “Mandatory theatre. Do the minimum.”

The Over-Controller. Every change needs approval. Every suggestion goes through formal process. By the time an idea passes three levels, motivation is dead. They will not have another idea.

The Manager Who Builds

They asked one question more than any other: “What do you need from me?”

Not “Why is this late?” That question acknowledges the team is doing the work. Positions the manager as supporter. Creates accountability.

At Shell Malaysia, a deployment manager asked this every review. Team needed maintenance data from the CMMS? Sorted within 48 hours. Needed 30 minutes with a shift supervisor? Next day. Speed of removing barriers was his superpower.

They went to the Gemba without an entourage. Quiet walk. “What is frustrating you today?” Those conversations generated more ideas than any brainstorming session I ever facilitated.

They celebrated specifically. Not “great job, team.” Instead: “Maria identified the labelling delay. Proposed reversing the order. We save 40 minutes per shift. Thank you, Maria.” Costs nothing. Thirty seconds. Tells everyone: improvement is noticed here.

They admitted mistakes. The best leader I worked with opened a review: “I cancelled three improvement reviews last month. That was wrong. I am recommitting.” If the boss admits a mistake, everyone else can too.

The Culture Test

If a manager blames an operator publicly and nothing happens -- that is the culture. Not the lobby wall. Not the values statement. What happens when someone behaves badly.

At Shell, those behaviours were challenged. Consistently. The leadership infrastructure created accountability for how managers led improvement.

In organisations without that accountability, the worst behaviours go unchecked. The programme dies from the management layer down. Not from the shopfloor up.

How many of those five killing behaviours did you recognise? More importantly -- which ones are you exhibiting yourself?