Why Care?

"I found the book to be an extremely well-researched body of knowledge. I saw it as a very powerful work to connect the dots between the different facets of a dynamic, live and inspiring Continuous Improvement culture built upon people interactions." Eric Piquant, Continuous Improvement Coach

"I found ‘Why Care?’ to be a very stimulating read. It should provoke an informed debate that leads to measurable change." Ken Nelson MBE, LEDCOM CEO

"Why Care? brings to the fore the key fact that Continuous Improvement cannot succeed without thriving individuals! It is not so much about the tools and techniques and more about genuinely caring for people and creating a culture where people feel safe to be/become the best versions of themselves. The book is full of wonderful nuggets of gold. It gives organizations a road map on how to take care of their employees. This is especially important to tap into people's discretionary effort." Ciara Carlin, Operations and Process Improvement Manager

"Well done to the authors of Why Care? in appropriately placing the individual front and center in the enabling and sustaining of CI cultures. For far too long the focus has been overly and overtly on tools and techniques, projects and results – whilst important elements in their own right, they have unfortunately been put to the fore of people. Faced with the immense challenges associated with integrating Lean with Digital Transformation and Industry 4.0, as well as with the demands of contemporary workforces, managers and leaders must now more than ever be truly “mind-full” of their people and individuals. This book should greatly assist those managers and leaders to understand why they need to care, and to reflect and recalibrate on how to lead and manage more effectively and respectfully." Darrin Taylor, Lecturer in Management & Lean Program Director South East Technology University

"The ‘people side’ of continuous improvement has, for too long, lacked adequate attention, yet it is crucial. This book makes a compelling argument for a deep focus on the ‘people side’, and combines a wealth of information, ideas and practical resources that can be used by anyone, at any level in an organization, to increase that focus. Recommended reading for anyone interested in helping their organization thrive." Nuala O'Hagan, CI Coach

"What a need I had of this book at the beginning of my career! Almost 30 years later, leading teams and projects in different countries or activities, I still have a lot of 'aha' moments. The importance of psychological well-being is still a neglected area and understanding how to bring it into your personal and professional life, is fundamental. A brilliant book pointing out why, how and what to do to continuously progress in minimizing the most important waste of our time, the lack of thriving individuals." Catalin Manoli, Factory Director, Danone

"While in companies, we sometimes witness debates and opposition between the deployment of CI and a human approach, this book reconciles the two. It shows how by placing the individual at the heart of the system and helping them to develop, we manage to create an environment of trust, kindness, high standards and professionalism that propels the individual into a powerful, committed collective and allows the company to accelerate its pace of progress. In the future, teams that develop in this way will be the cornerstone of successful organizations in an increasingly Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous (VUCA) environment." Olivier Marsal, Industrial Director, Hermès

"I'm captivated by this book, not only for its intriguing nature but also for its capacity to explore a vital question regarding continuous improvement. While the significance of people is frequently acknowledged, individuals often get absorbed in the technical aspects of work, neglecting the social components. However, our present work systems are more akin to a double helix rather than distinct social and technical columns. The technical & social are interwoven and inseparable. This book admirably addresses this issue by starting with the fundamental question: “Why Care?”"Skip Steward, Vice President, Baptist Memorial Hospitals

"To unlock the true potential in every individual in your organization, you need to create an environment of trust and psychological safety. Why Care?, gets to the heart of what it takes to truly understand every individual’s mental fitness so you can then create a team of high trust, respect, psychological safety, and continuous improvement. A must read for every leader or aspiring leader." Stephen Dargan, Cultural Transformation Executive

"Why Care is an excellent book on such an important topic in today's world. Psychological safety is essential in achieving excellence within an organization. The book explores the latest thinking and practical approaches to help. I recommend Why Care to anyone, regardless of position or role in an organization." Brad Jeavons, Author, Speaker and Organization Improvement Consultant

"This book does a terrific job in peeling away layers within an organizational ecosystem, through the strata of the “Why Care Model” to look at how a psychologically (un) safe environment can support or undermine a culture of Continuous Improvement – for individuals, teams, leaders, and for the enterprise. I look forward to sharing these practical approaches, frameworks and tools with my clients – and using them to fill critical gaps that many transformation programs would otherwise miss." Indi Ray, Principal Consultant, Vedas Advisory

"In the research I have carried out with the authors of this book, we found that you won’t create a sustainable culture of improvement by focusing on the well-being of your people alone, but equally you won’t create a culture of improvement if you don’t focus on the well-being of your people. Within the People Value Stream approach, we found that the key was not to start with how we manage people, but to start with your people, how they think, what they need, the value they bring as unique individuals, the safe environment they require and what they need to thrive. This inside-out thinking requires teams, leaders, and the whole organization to focus on these individual requirements for psychological well-being to create an environment where everyone can thrive. This requires a sort of mass customization of our leadership. The authors have skilfully explored why this is so, what is required, as well as how to do this. It escapes me how anyone can consider trying to create a sustainable culture of continuous improvement without reading this book first." Professor Peter Hines, Enterprise Excellence Network