This paper presents the results of a\r\nlongitudinal study of four continuous improvement\r\n(CI) leader companies in two different global regions.\r\nThe goal of the research was to understand how\r\nemployee perception of different factors that impact\r\nthe long-term sustainability of the CI process might\r\nchange over time. Quantitative data analysis was used\r\nto capture and statistically analyse employee\r\nperceptions by CI factor, time, and geographical\r\nlocation. After validation and reduction techniques\r\nwere applied to the research model, five factors were\r\nsingled out: change management, strategic planning,\r\nknowledge management, performance management,\r\nand sustainability of the CI process. For two of the four\r\ncompanies, no changes in perception were found\r\nduring the period of study for any of the factors. For\r\nthe other two, however, changes were perceived in at\r\nleast one of the five constructs in the study. Changes\r\nwere also found across the regions included. By\r\nleveraging the quantitative analysis with qualitative\r\ndata collected through interviews and visits to the case\r\nstudy companies, we were able to explain the changes\r\nin perception and single out the best CI management\r\nprocess to sustain CI in the long term.
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