Building Bridges Across Improvement Communities: Three Months Later
- Eric Olsen
- Oct 3
- 6 min read
FPW Symposium 2025 Blog Series, Part 2
"I've been thinking about our conversation in Salt Lake City," Bruce Hamilton began during the August 8 FPW monthly meeting. "What if we've been asking the wrong question all along? Instead of 'which improvement methodology is best,' what if we asked 'what do all these methodologies grow from?'"
He then unveiled a simple drawing that might reshape how we think about workplace improvement: a tree.
Three months after 110 professionals identified shared challenges at the FPW Symposium, eleven initiative teams reported back with progress that exceeded typical post-conference enthusiasm. But it was Hamilton's tree framework that captured how seemingly separate efforts were actually growing from common roots.
The Continual Improvement Tree: A Unifying Framework
The Adjacent Communities initiative team presented their tree with "continual improvement" as the trunk—deliberately using Deming's preferred term "continual" rather than "continuous" to encompass both technical and cultural dimensions.
The roots represent what we all share: Learning, Experimentation, Respect for People, and Value Creation. The branches? Those are the various methodologies—Lean, Agile, Six Sigma, Design Thinking, and dozens more—growing from common ground rather than competing for dominance.
"The slightly unfamiliar term 'continual improvement' creates curiosity rather than defensiveness," noted Steve Pereira, who created the visual representation. "Organizations can keep their methodological identity while recognizing shared foundations."
This wasn't just clever visualization. Joanne Pabst from Shingo and supply chain practitioners from O.C. Tanner immediately saw applications. The framework offers entry points for any organization, regardless of their improvement journey's starting point.
Concrete Progress Across Initiatives
While the tree framework provided conceptual unity, individual initiatives demonstrated tangible momentum:
LEAN (Lean Education Academic Network) attracted 40+ educators to their LinkedIn group within weeks. Ken Snyder reported they're reconnecting with 200+ previous members while Dave Ostreicher develops a free, peer-reviewed Body of Knowledge. "We're asking what constitutes an amazing student learning experience," Snyder explained, seeking practitioner input about skills that matter most in workplaces.
Ways of Working moved from concept to action. Dana Miller reported four specific experiments identified, including work with the Michigan Science Center—applying improvement thinking beyond traditional manufacturing. Their "improvement design and experiment cards" offer lightweight approaches without terminology barriers. "We're meeting people where they are," Miller explained.
High Mix Low Volume addressed the majority of businesses that don't fit the high-volume manufacturing mold. Shahrukh Irani described work with CPI Card Group: "Rather than pushing theoretical frameworks, we're solving immediate problems using mind mapping and ChatGPT, building credibility for deeper engagement." His vision of "factories of one"—where each employee operates as an autonomous business unit—challenges traditional hierarchical thinking. While this initiative has faced challenges in maintaining momentum post-symposium, this is part of the natural evolution of initiative lifecycles, providing valuable learning for future efforts.
Go & See Database presented an elegantly simple solution from Rich Sheridan and Sarah Neam: a curated directory linking to organizations' own tour information. With Helen Zak retiring, they're exploring support through other FPW partner organizations. Twelve organizations have already offered to host tours.
Lean Into AI launched an August 20 webinar attracting hundreds of participants. Kelly Reo's team created a six-event series exploring how AI can enhance rather than replace human-centered improvement. The rapid framework development (90 minutes from concept to structure at the symposium) demonstrated the community's ability to respond quickly to emerging needs. Next webinar!
Critical Gaps Revealed
The August meeting also exposed uncomfortable truths. Bruce Hamilton discovered something startling while working on CEO Outreach: "None of the participating FPW organizations currently have materials that speak directly to CEOs. Everything targets practitioners and middle management."
This revelation energized the team to develop executive-focused approaches, recognizing that transformation efforts often fail without CEO engagement. The addition of marketing expertise to support CEO messaging offers hope for crafting compelling executive communication.
Shahrukh Irani raised another critical point: "Where are the actual customers in these conversations?" While many participants represent improvement organizations and educational institutions, practitioner voices remain underrepresented. Deb Thompson shared healthcare's struggles with workplace violence and workforce shortages. Jill Miller described how a major office furniture manufacturer, despite 28+ years of Toyota Production System experience, faces post-pandemic disruption.
These perspectives remind us that improvement work must address messy reality, not theoretical ideals.
Natural Convergence Points
The meeting revealed synergies begging for coordination:
Knowledge Management: LEAN's Body of Knowledge, High Mix Low Volume's content contributions, Ways of Working's experiment documentation, and Go & See's tour database all need curation mechanisms. Rather than building separate systems, these initiatives could share infrastructure.
Audience Engagement: CEO Outreach, the dormant Marketing & Branding initiative, and Next Gen Lean each target different segments. Combining top-down (executive), bottom-up (next generation), and middle-out (practitioner) approaches could multiply impact through coordinated messaging.
Educational Pipeline: From university programs (LEAN) through early career (Next Gen) to executive engagement (CEO Outreach), pieces exist without clear progression pathways.
These overlaps aren't problems—they're opportunities for multiplication through strategic coordination.
Key Learnings and Insights
Three months into this journey, several critical insights have emerged from our collective work:
The Power of Common Language: The continual improvement tree demonstrates how shared vocabulary can unite rather than divide. When we focus on roots rather than branches, collaboration becomes natural rather than forced.
Initiative Evolution Is Natural: Not all initiatives maintain the same momentum, and that's valuable data. The High Mix Low Volume experience teaches us about resource requirements, leadership transitions, and the importance of early wins. These aren't failures—they're learning cycles that strengthen future efforts.
Missing Voices Matter Most: The gap between who participates in improvement conferences and who actually does the work reveals our biggest opportunity. The "coffee shop manager problem" Ken Snyder identified—that those who need these tools most can't access them—demands creative solutions beyond traditional conference models.
Technology Requires Intentionality: The rapid formation of Lean Into AI shows our community can respond quickly to emerging challenges. Yet Ken Snyder's observation from Shingo Prize winners—that the best organizations spend less on technology than competitors—reminds us that tools serve purpose, not vice versa.
Cross-Sector Learning Accelerates Progress: Ways of Working's Michigan Science Center collaboration proves improvement thinking transcends manufacturing. Each sector brings unique insights that enrich the whole community.
The Learning Continuum
Rather than asking "what's different this time," we recognize we're part of a continuum stretching from Deming through Toyota to today's digital transformation. Post-conference initiatives typically fade within months. While some of our initiatives are progressing faster than others, the overall momentum continues because we're building on decades of learning rather than starting fresh.
First, the initiatives emerged from genuine need rather than assigned topics. Participants chose what they cared about through Open Space Technology.
Second, monthly infrastructure maintains momentum. Regular Friday meetings, initiative check-ins, and cross-project updates create accountability without bureaucracy.
Third, the continual improvement tree provides identity without isolation. Initiatives maintain autonomy while recognizing interdependence.
Most importantly, progress is measurable: 40+ educators engaged, numerous mentors volunteered, 12 organizations offering tours, webinars attracting hundreds. This isn't conference enthusiasm—it's sustained action building on a foundation laid by generations of improvement practitioners.
Join the Movement
The October 27-28 Northeast Lean Conference provides a critical opportunity for FPW community engagement. Join fellow Future of People at Work members for dedicated working sessions designed to strengthen our collaborative continuous improvement movement.
Sunday FPW Working Session (October 26, 3:00-6:00 PM EDT)
Format: Hybrid - in-person or virtual via Zoom
Structured Agenda:
3:00-4:30 PM: Working group huddles (concurrent sessions)
4:30-6:00 PM: All-group report-outs (plenary format)
Purpose: Direct engagement with working group initiatives, cross-functional learning from parallel improvement efforts, and real-time problem-solving on current challenges
This focused session represents a critical inflection point to share our transformation journey from Detroit 2024's discovery phase to Salt Lake City 2025's solution deployment, strengthen organizational alignment across our seven partner organizations, and demonstrate measurable progress from our active working groups.
Plans for future gatherings are developing. But you don't need to wait for events to contribute.
Each initiative needs specific help: LEAN seeks input on amazing student experiences. Adjacent Communities needs connections to other improvement communities. Ways of Working wants experiment opportunities. Go & See needs tour hosts.
Most critically, we need practitioner voices—people doing the work, not just consulting about it.
Because three months after Salt Lake City, we've proven that "Better Together" isn't just aspiration. It's methodology.
Next: How structured dialogue across nine sectors generated breakthrough insights and unexpected collaborations.
This blog series was co-created by the 110 participants of the FPW Symposium 2025 and ongoing initiative teams, augmented with Claude.AI to capture and synthesize our collective insights. Part two of nine documenting our journey toward workplace transformation. Join monthly discussions at www.fpwork.org.
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