The Change Agent’s Field Guide: Mastering the Intersections of Change Management and Continuous Improvement

While there are many books specific to change management or continuous improvement, there are few, if any, books that address the intersections between change management and continuous improvement. After 30+ years as a change agent implementing lean and process improvement, the author’s hypothesis on why continuous improvement efforts ＂stick＂ sometimes and other times not is that many leaders of these efforts fail to understand the importance of change management and the critical intersections between people and process improvement. He provides a blueprint or roadmap for leaders of continuous improvement (aka ’change agents’) efforts on how to anticipate, manage, and measure change while engaging in continuous improvement. Managing these critical intersections is key to successful outcomes for both planned and unplanned change initiatives.

This book helps anyone involved in leading continuous improvement within an organization better understand when to apply change management techniques necessary to achieve successful outcomes. Many continuous improvement efforts fail because those leading changes do not recognize when to pause and evaluate critical intersections needing change management tools. This book provides clear guidance on when to pause, what to do, and how to navigate these intersections successfully.

In addition, this book provides a primer for those leading change on the foundations of change management and continuous improvement, an area often missed in their formal education.

The reader learns how to plan change, manage people through change, measure change, and sustain change - all important aspects of being an effective change agent.

Kyle Stone started his career in the North American automotive industry designing and installing automotive paint systems then worked as a manufacturing engineer for Altec, Industry where he evolved into a Lean leader as they transitioned from a functional manufacturer to a Lean organization. He was trained by TBM and Simpler Consulting in Lean principles and practices eventually developing a Lean Training Program used extensively throughout Altec’s entire manufacturing operations. His +30-year career spans industries including automotive, healthcare, chemical, pulp and paper, and heavy steel fabrication primarily focused on process improvement, operations management, human resources, and organizational development. He has led over 250 Kaizen events and continues to assist organizations on their lean journey as a consultant. He holds a PhD in Organizational Performance and Change and a Masters in Adult Education and Training, both from Colorado State University. He is a Professor at Colorado Mesa University and regularly consults, assisting organizations with process improvement and developing change agents.