The Role of Leadership in Continuous Improvement (CI)

The objective of the research is to identify the main factors that contribute to successful implementation and sustainable Continuous Improvement (CI), highlighting the role of leadership in this regard. A systematic literature review (SLR) was carried out to obtain the most relevant information from over 60 academic articles on the topic discussed. A large problem in several sectors is waste—Overproduction, Defect, Inventory, Transportation, Waiting, Motion, Over-process, and Non-utilized talent, while continuous improvement is used to reduce or eliminate waste. Finding points the main contributors to the success of continuous improvement—Leadership, Staff and Organization. Leadership will play the role of supporting, developing, engaging, and recognizing employees; managing the changes necessary for continuous improvement; and establishing and managing the system to align activities with strategic objectives to achieve sustainable, effective, and growing results for the organization.