ABSTRACT

Continuous improvement is a total quality management approach that embraces incremental advancements to procedures that contribute to efficiency, reduce costs, and deliver the best product or service possible. As a result, employees at every level are engaged, participate in making incremental changes, and are empowered to make decisions. In an ever-changing world, adaptive leadership partners well with continuous improvement. Adaptive leaders take a process approach and use tools such as observation to assess the situation, identify challenges, regulate distress, and give the work back to the people (Northouse, 2019). Adaptive leadership compliments continuous improvement because both encourage teamwork and initiate change.

This project will examine how one local residential home improvement company navigated the complexities of the COVID-19 pandemic through the use of adaptive leadership and a continuous improvement approach. Feedback was sought in order to grow and learn how to better serve the team and clients. Soliciting and valuing organizational-wide input has proven to be invaluable. Developing a culture of continuous improvement and adopting traits from adaptive leadership resulted in increased employee engagement that inspired innovation, regulated distress, and enabled the organization to succeed during the pandemic.