Empowering Continuous Improvement
The Weekly Report – July 14, 2025.
At our August 14 workshop, CI and lean manufacturing expert Greg Hunsaker will show companies how combining a culture of engagement with lean thinking boosts employee engagement and improves operations.
When he works with manufacturers, Greg Hunsaker, one of Enterprise Minnesota’s top business growth consultants, likes to ask leaders if they start a typical day focused on customer needs or on fighting fires. “If managers and supervisors have become the problem solvers for issues on the manufacturing floor (fighting fires), it’s probably because employees are not engaged or empowered to identify and solve issues on the spot,” he says.
At our August 14 manufacturing workshop, Empowering Continuous Improvement, Greg will show companies that the remedy is to shift responsibility and authority for problem solving and process improvement to employees. “That frees managers to work on the company and not in the company. It transforms punch-in, punch-out employees into the drivers of continuous improvement,” he says. “For the manufacturer, that means higher retention, improved quality, and an edge over competitors.”
Empowering production employees is straightforward, but requires thoughtful, step-by-step implementation. Assessing engagement levels, boosting communication, and developing proper goals and measures, laying the groundwork for employees to brainstorm and attempt problem-solving measures can eliminate waste, improve processes, and boost productivity.
“Engaged employees also have much higher retention rates, which limits the need for costly skills development of new hires,” Greg says. “Quality improves when the workforce has lower turnover because the company can more effectively standardize processes.”
I hope you can join us on Thursday, August 14 from 9:30-11:30 at the Eagan Community Center.
You will leave the workshop understanding:
- The power of connecting employees to company goals with clear metrics
- How to implement Plan, Do, Check, Act on a daily basis, and
- How to overcome common challenges to adopting a culture of continuous improvement
This event is exclusive to manufacturers and is free of charge. Find this event on our events page.
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