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The main subject of the article is continuous performance improvement (CPI). More specifically, the author seeks to understand the most important management challenges under that heading. An extensive empirical study determines companies' most important continuous performance improvement roots.

The study was conducted from January to September 2008. The author conducted 48 interviews with senior executives of well‐known global companies. The companies cover a wide range of industries.

Three categories of performance roots are undeniably the chief variables of company and management effectiveness: leadership, business models, and people, i.e. the “golden triangle” of continuous performance improvement. CPI at world‐class levels will only occur if all of these levers are focused upon on an ongoing basis.

The study is embedded in qualitative research, i.e. mainly open‐ended interviews.

Continuous performance improvement means constantly searching for a “better practice”, implementing that practice, and then searching for another “better practice”. Without the emphasis on continuous improvement, one‐time gains are unlikely to lead to further improvements. The competitive squeeze provides the main rationale for executives to build a continuous performance improvement mindset. In doing so, they preserve margins and vitality. A continuous performance improvement approach must be developed that minimizes both perceived and actual risk while ensuring that the benefits from the changes are captured quickly.

Each industry faces a regular, predictable and persistent erosion of competitive positions as a result of competitive pressure, technological progress and changes in industry dynamics. While the dynamics of industries are not easy to understand, the real challenge is how to build a continuous performance improvement mindset and how to roll it out at a pace that will be sufficiently fast to stay ahead of the pack. This article is about the main components of a continuous performance improvement approach (the golden triangle of CPI).

Performance management is a key issue in the construction industry as a result of complex internal and external factors. Large construction organizations are implementing performance management models to improve business processes, products and management of people to facilitate continuous improvement. This study investigates the implementation of performance management models in large construction engineering organizations. First, a brief review of the drive for performance improvement and the strategic considerations for the adoption of performance management models is carried out with specific reference to the Balanced Scorecard and the EFQM Excellence Model. Second, using case studies of large construction engineering organizations, the findings from the implementation of performance management models are analysed and discussed. It is shown that whilst progress has been made in the implementation of performance management models in large construction organizations, significant challenges remained at the planning, deployment and assessment and review stages. This includes the motivation for performance management, leadership and resources, communication mechanisms, measurement and data collection techniques and the role of knowledge management. Performance management models provide a basis to develop strategy for sustaining longterm business objectives, and more construction organizations will adopt such innovative tools to facilitate continuous improvement, as the business benefits become clear.

The new management concept of flexible business process reengineering (FBPR) may be defined as a methodology that combines the best of three management tools – positioning, continuous improvement and business process reengineering (PIR). Employing all three management tools to a sufficient degree could enhance the effectiveness of an improvement project compared to the conventional BPR methodology. The changes could be slightly less “radical” than conventional BPR, but in exchange, it is a relatively less risky strategy and can facilitate continuous learning and improvement. To maximize the organization's competitiveness through the application of FBPR, it is important to establish a value delivery system (VDS) to increase the project's effectiveness and to employ performance benchmarking to determine the performance gap. Using a case study, this paper illustrates the essentiality and the application of VDS and performance benchmarking during the implementation of FBPR.

This study aims to analyze the effects of microentrepreneurs’ knowledge transfer (KT) on personal improvement (PI) and business improvement (BI).

The study was developed in two stages: a literature review based on KT and the learning process in microenterprises to have managerial competence and PI and BI to acquire the managerial competence that entrepreneurs need. The second stage was constructing a structural model based on 107 questionnaires and bootstrapping of 5,000 replications of microentrepreneurs who went through a training program (quantitative) and a focus group (qualitative). This study had a mixed approach, exploratory scope and experimental design.

The research showed real evidence about the performance level of microentrepreneurs when they passed through the process of KT and its impact on PI and BI. This research considers their managerial competencies, and the findings show a relationship between the theory of individual and organizational learning.

This study considered Peruvian microentrepreneurs who participated in a virtual training program that included several courses related to their current environments and topics of interest. The analyzed period covered the years affected by COVID-19.

The model reveals that KT is relevant to PI and BI. Performance was measured regarding growth, income, innovation, productivity and responsibility before and after the program.

This research analyzed the need for training microentrepreneurs for personal and private reasons under a COVID-19 scenario to foster their businesses and assume financial responsibilities. This study considered Peru’s reality, a country in which 94.9% of companies are microenterprises. The study revealed that microentrepreneurs improved their personal and professional lives and addressed relevant social problems that affect their environments because of the KT effects.

This study bridges the gap in the literature on how the theory of KT can be applied to entrepreneurs. This study revealed significant findings in terms of PI and BIs. The impact of KT indicates the relevance of managerial competencies related to the performance level obtained in terms of growth, income, innovation, productivity and responsibility.

The aim of this paper is to explore the longitudinal alignment between performance measures and business strategy. Moreover, the paper will probe the role of business improvement models as a key catalyst in this alignment process. Since the late 1980s performance measurement has become topical with ever‐increasing interest in the subject. The increasing interest has been driven by the rapidly changing business environment and strategy, in both the private and public sectors. A literature review covering the current issues concerning performance measurement was undertaken, emphasising the development of performance measurement in relation to business strategy. The continual alignment of performance measures and frameworks with business strategy is stressed. Also, business improvement models are reviewed as possible mechanisms for enabling this alignment. Following this review, a longitudinal case study approach, based on a five‐year university/industry learning partnership with an international aerospace organisation, was used to investigate alignment between performance measures and business strategy. The findings of the study confirm that performance measures linked to strategy are more effective. Moreover, the alignment between the measures, measurement framework and the strategy must be continually reviewed and treated as a dynamic and complex issue, rather than a linear mechanistic relationship.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the contributions of synergic implementation of total quality management (TQM) and total productive maintenance (TPM) paradigms towards improving business performance in the Indian manufacturing industry.

In this study, a large number of manufacturing organisations have been extensively surveyed, to ascertain contributions made by TQM‐TPM paradigms in the Indian manufacturing organisations towards realizing business performance improvements. The correlations between various organisational initiatives towards TQM‐TPM implementation and business performance improvements have been evaluated and validated by employing various statistical tools.

The research focuses upon the significant contributions of TQM‐TPM organisational initiatives like quality related queries; top level support and level of total employee involvement; culture of continuous improvement; TQM and TPM core strategies; and transfusion of TQM and TPM, towards affecting improvements in business performance. The inter‐relationships between various TQM‐TPM organisational initiatives with the business performance improvement parameters have been evaluated, to efficiently manage the synergic TQM‐TPM paradigms to realize organisational objectives of growth and sustainability.

The study establishes that focused TQM‐TPM implementation over a reasonable time period can strategically contribute towards realization of significant manufacturing performance enhancements.

The study stresses upon the need for improving the synergy between maintenance and quality functions in the organisations for meeting the challenges of highly competitive environments. The study highlights that significant achievements in manufacturing performance can be achieved through strategic synergic TQM‐TPM implementation over a considerable period of time.

The analysis of initiatives adopted by Indian entrepreneurs towards TQM‐TPM implementation has been presented in the study to demonstrate the commitment for quality and maintenance aspects of organisations to realize manufacturing excellence through TQM‐TPM paradigms.

The study highlights the strong potential of synergic TQM‐TPM implementation initiatives in affecting business performance improvements. The achievements of Indian manufacturing organisations through proactive TQM‐TPM initiatives have been evaluated and critical TPM success factors identified for enhancing the effectiveness of TQM‐TPM implementation programs in the Indian context.

The purpose of this paper is to comparatively assess the contributions of total quality management (TQM) and total productive maintenance (TPM) practices, exclusively and collectively, on manufacturing business performance.

Responses to survey questionnaires were collected using multiple modes of data collection. A total of 269 filled responses were collected and analyzed to ascertain the contribution made by exclusive and collective implementation of TQM and TPM practices on business performance. The respondent firms were grouped into three clusters based on early, in-transition and advanced stages of implementation of either or both TQM and TPM manufacturing practices. Comparative assessment of the impact of standalone TQM, standalone TPM and combined TQM–TPM manufacturing methods on business performance parameters have been evaluated using statistical tools within each cluster.

Evidences were found to support the supposition that integrated implementation of both TQM and TPM practices over a reasonable period of time contributes in delivering better business performance as compared to the standalone implementation strategy.

The study has its own limitations because of its chosen research approach. As the data in this study were collected from production management personnel on the basis of their subjective evaluations, more comprehensive objective performance indicators shall be employed for comparative assessment of manufacturing practices in future studies. In-depth case studies are needed to further validate the findings of the research study.

The analytical results reveal that an integrated TQM–TPM strategic implementation can systematically contribute toward realization of significant improvement in manufacturing business performance parameters. The results of this study are vital for production managers and senior management personnel of manufacturing firms that have implemented TQM and are considering introducing TPM in their organization (or vice-versa).

This empirical study signifies the need for strategically aligning and managing various production improvement ideologies for realization of an organization’s growth and sustainability in a long run. In particular, this paper invigorates the discussion about improving the synergy between maintenance and quality functions in the organization for meeting the challenges of highly competitive market environment.

Discusses how Unisys Ltd in the UK and other leading companies are finding that performance measuring and improving key business processes form a vital part of a company‐wide improvement strategy. Using examples from Unisys, shows how cross‐functional methods of process improvement are being deployed to this end. Discusses the key business processes, breaking these down further into delivery and support processes. Looks at how to exploit the challenges and opportunities to be found in the 1990s and how to structure measuring, improving, planning and controlling the key business processes as part of a company‐wide strategy.

Increasingly line managers are expressing frustration at receiving incomplete performance solutions, weak return on investment, and less than expected results from performance support departments that claim to have the answer for improving business results. Often there are complaints that departments such as human resources, training, information technology, and quality operate in silos and compete against each other for success rather than working together to deliver complete solutions to performance problems. Proposes that we eliminate silos and deliver complete performance solutions by adopting a new performance vision, an enterprise learning and performance strategy, and a common human performance improvement (HPI) process. Provides a definition of HPI and a five‐phase HPI process as a starting point for performance improvement departments. Critical outcomes of the process are diagnosing workplace and learning barriers to performance and designing and implementing blended performance solutions that deliver comprehensive results. New roles, competencies, and approaches to developing performance improvement expertise are required in implementing performance interventions using an HPI process. Provides a glossary of performance terms and a checklist of recommended steps for starting the transformation to HPI.

The need for performance improvement has led to the implementation of industry‐specific key performance indicators (KPIs) and greater awareness of the benefits of measurement in construction engineering organisations. This paper aims to present and discuss the findings of a survey based on the practical experiences of leading UK construction engineering organisations.

The paper is based on a questionnaire survey, the findings of which are discussed and analysed. The survey focused on establishing current industry practice and forms part of a larger study, which involved detailed case studies and led to the development of an innovative framework for links knowledge management initiatives with business performance measurement.

The survey shows that a significant proportion of organisations are now using a range of financial and non‐financial measures to assess business performance, and a growing number are adopting the excellence model and/or the balanced scorecard to facilitate a structured approach to implementing continuous improvement strategies. The paper identifies the barriers to the use of performance measurement models and discusses the differences between the practices in smaller and larger construction engineering firms.

The paper concludes with some practical considerations for implementing performance measurement models, which will be of value to business improvement managers and other senior managers in construction and other project‐based industries.