While operational excellence initiatives often struggle to achieve their full potential, the root cause isn’t usually poor methodology or inadequate resources—it’s the absence of sustained senior leadership commitment. This pattern appears consistently across organizations of all sizes. Research consistently shows that OpEx professionals often struggle to secure senior leadership support, with many reporting mixed or moderate backing at best. This inconsistency becomes a significant obstacle in delivering meaningful and sustained improvement. But there are proven strategies to transform senior leaders from passive observers into active champions of your OpEx journey.
So, why do senior leaders often disengage? The answer usually lies in how we communicate value and create involvement opportunities that resonate with their priorities and pressures.
1) Speak Their Language
The fastest way to lose executive attention is to lead with tools and methodologies. Successful engagement starts with translating operational metrics into the language of strategic business outcomes. Instead of discussing cycle time reduction, frame conversations around faster time-to-market that captures market opportunities. Rather than focusing on defect rates, emphasize how quality improvements protect brand reputation.
Present data-driven projections showing clear ROI timelines and use industry benchmarks to create urgency. When leaders see operational excellence as a pathway to achieving their strategic objectives rather than an operational burden, engagement follows naturally. The key is making the business case so compelling that executives view operational excellence as essential to their success.
2) Demonstrate Quick Wins
Nothing engages senior leaders like tangible results. Identify high-impact, low effort improvement opportunities that deliver immediate, measurable outcomes. Focus on areas that directly affect customer experience or bottom-line performance. Visible successes help build confidence at both the executive and the team level to generate sustained stakeholder support.
These early victories act as proof points for larger investments and organizational changes, creating momentum that sustains executive commitment through more complex transformation phases.
3) Create Meaningful Engagement Opportunities
Transform executives from passive supporters into active participants by creating meaningful roles for them in the operational excellence journey. Engage leaders in gemba walks where they directly observe processes and talk with frontline employees. Where possible, include them in problem-solving sessions where their strategic perspective adds value to improvement discussions.
Establish formal leadership roles within the operational excellence governance structure, such as steering committee positions or improvement champion roles. Regular leadership review sessions should focus on operational performance with executives actively analyzing data and making improvement decisions. When leaders feel ownership rather than just responsibility, their engagement deepens significantly.
4) Develop Leadership Capabilities at all Levels
Effective operational excellence requires capability development across the entire management hierarchy. At Incitec Pivot Limited, the leadership team were supported to own, implement and improve the business system and become coaches and mentors to support their teams in change initiation and problem solving. This helped IPL to achieve a 20% improvement in OEE at Initiating Systems plant.
Senior leadership requires tailored education on operational excellence principles, combined with coaching on effective behaviors and advanced problem-solving capabilities. Without this foundation, executives cannot effectively sponsor, guide, or sustain OpEx initiatives across the organization.
Simultaneously, middle management development is equally critical. These managers serve as the bridge between strategic vision and frontline execution. Leadership teams frequently question whether their organizations possess the necessary skills and capabilities to drive operational excellence programs successfully. Strategic investment in training and coaching for middle management addresses this concern directly, strengthening leadership confidence in effective OpEx execution while building the foundational competencies needed for sustainable improvement.
5) Data-Led Communication
Regular communication of progress combined with data-led storytelling makes improvements tangible and shareable across the organization. Create narrative frameworks that connect operational metrics to strategic objectives, showing how process improvements translate into business results. Implement reporting systems that provide transparency into improvement progress while highlighting areas requiring executive attention or decision-making. The goal is giving leaders the transparency and visibility they need to confidently guide the operational excellence journey.
The Power of Engaged Senior Leadership
The impact of having senior leaders engaged in the OpEx journey is demonstrated by Tjarda Becker, Global Supply Chain Director Operational Excellence and Digital, at Royal Friesland Campina, “We’re very happy to have a Chief Supply Chain Officer who has a strong belief in improving shop floor lives and improving performance… he’s visionary about what the end-to-end supply chain should look like and what the culture and mindset should be.” This commitment has created a ripple effect throughout the organization, helping to unlock sustainable excellence at scale.
Your First Steps Forward
Engaging senior leaders in your OpEx journey starts with understanding their world and priorities. Begin by:
- Presenting the business case for OpEx in their language, not yours
- Identifying high-impact, quick-win opportunities that align with strategic priorities
- Proposing meaningful involvement that adds value to their leadership role
- Investing in leadership capability development tailored to operational excellence.
Remember that engagement is an ongoing process. As operational excellence initiatives evolve, so too must your approach to keeping leaders involved and invested. The organizations that achieve true operational excellence are those where senior leaders see themselves as primary beneficiaries and passionate advocates of the program.
More on Operational Excellence
To learn more about scaling and sustaining operational excellence in your organization download our latest whitepaper, Scaling Smarter: The Operational Excellence Playbook for Sustainable Growth
About Malcolm Tulip
With over 30 years of multi-industry transformation and operational excellence experience, Malcolm is a trusted advisor to leading global organizations. He has a proven track record of engaging stakeholders from executive level to the front-line. Connect with Malcolm on LinkedIn
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