Contrasting continuous improvement (within a siloed organization) and collaborative improvement (across organizational ecosystems)
| Continuous improvement—within one organization | Collaborative improvement—across organizational ecosystems | |
|---|---|---|
| Often provided in a top-down format, with clear roles and hierarchies | Structure is … | Often negotiated among actors. Friction or ambiguity is common, requiring facilitation to align |
| Defined and systematic, often utilizing established frameworks (e.g. PDSA, Six Sigma) | Process is … | Iterative and flexible, requiring adaptability to accommodate diverse stakeholder needs |
| Preexisting and typically well-established within the organization | Relationships are … | Often need to be formed, relying on trust-building and mutual understanding |
| Built on established relationships, organizational hierarchy, and clear communication of roles and expectations | Trust is … | Critical but often underdeveloped at the outset; requires deliberate facilitation and ongoing efforts to build credibility and align expectations. Trust is both a foundation and a dynamic process |
| Encouraged through organizational directives and intrinsic motivation of employees | Engagement is … | Requires voluntary participation, driven by shared benefits and collective ownership |
| Organizational goals, productivity, and customer satisfaction | Motivated by … | Common challenges, shared community goals, and external pressures |
| Aligned with internal organizational priorities, such as efficiency and quality | Goals are … | More difficult to agree on across stakeholders, often balancing diverse and sometimes conflicting objectives |
| Defined by leadership and communicated clearly to all employees | A vision is … | Often collaboratively developed, requiring negotiation and agreement among diverse stakeholders |
| Continuous improvement—within one organization | Collaborative improvement—across organizational ecosystems | |
|---|---|---|
| Often provided in a top-down format, with clear roles and hierarchies | Often negotiated among actors. Friction or ambiguity is common, requiring facilitation to align | |
| Defined and systematic, often utilizing established frameworks (e.g. PDSA, Six Sigma) | Iterative and flexible, requiring adaptability to accommodate diverse stakeholder needs | |
| Preexisting and typically well-established within the organization | Often need to be formed, relying on trust-building and mutual understanding | |
| Built on established relationships, organizational hierarchy, and clear communication of roles and expectations | Critical but often underdeveloped at the outset; requires deliberate facilitation and ongoing efforts to build credibility and align expectations. Trust is both a foundation and a dynamic process | |
| Encouraged through organizational directives and intrinsic motivation of employees | Requires voluntary participation, driven by shared benefits and collective ownership | |
| Organizational goals, productivity, and customer satisfaction | Common challenges, shared community goals, and external pressures | |
| Aligned with internal organizational priorities, such as efficiency and quality | More difficult to agree on across stakeholders, often balancing diverse and sometimes conflicting objectives | |
| Defined by leadership and communicated clearly to all employees | Often collaboratively developed, requiring negotiation and agreement among diverse stakeholders |
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