Unlocking Sustainable Productivity Dividends with Continuous Improvement

In today's economic climate of low productivity growth¹, labor shortages and skills gaps², and elevated cost of capital³, achieving sustainable productivity gains is crucial for long-term success.

Unlocking sustainable productivity typically requires three lenses to consider – people, process and technology (tech alone will not get you there). A lot of digital organizations are promoting tech as the answer. ADAPTOVATE builds on the view that, yes, tech is part of the answer, but your organization needs a broader view to sustain the change in the long term.

We argue putting people at the center ensures every change is practical, scalable, and delivers tangible benefits. It begins with a significant Step Change, followed by embedding top-down and bottom-up mindsets to continuous improvement. This approach not only prepares organizations for future challenges but also actively shapes their trajectory towards long-term success. Sustainable productivity is not a one-time achievement but a continuous journey. As Jeff Bezos aptly put it, "If you decide that you’re going to do only the things you know are going to work, you’re going to leave a lot of opportunity on the table." This people mindset is essential for driving long-term growth and innovation.

There are sustained benefits when your organization’s continuous improvement ‘fly wheel’ is in flow:

• Increased efficiency: Achieve more with less, optimizing team effectiveness

• Reduced costs: Minimize expenses by eliminating waste and improving efficiency

• Improved quality: Enhance products/services with continuous improvement and process optimization

• Enhanced satisfaction: Meet customer needs effectively, leading to higher levels of satisfaction

• Increased engagement: Empower employees, involving them in decision-making to foster growth

• Faster innovation: Respond swiftly to market dynamics, seizing opportunities for growth

ADAPTOVATE typically adopts a two-phase approach to help organizations unlock these gains and maintain them over time.

Here’s how:

Phase 1: Achieving a Step Change

Our journey begins with a comprehensive view of the customer journey. By involving the people who do the work, we co-design processes that reduce costs and deliver immediate value. Phase 1 focuses on making a significant impact quickly by redesigning workflows and mapping out the customer journey.

Our methods include:

• Value Stream & Customer Journey Mapping: Understanding every step from the customer's perspective.
• Design Sprints & Human-Centered Design: Rapidly creating and testing solutions.
• Quarterly Planning & Road Mapping: Setting clear, achievable goals for continuous progress.
• Process Mapping & Redesign: Streamlining operations to eliminate inefficiencies.

Our collaborative approach ensures organizational changes are practical and beneficial, leading to a noticeable improvement in productivity right from the start.

Phase 2: Embedding Continuous Improvement

Once we’ve achieved an initial boost, we focus on sustaining these gains through a continuous improvement mindset. This means fostering an environment where ongoing innovation and adaptation are part of the organizational culture.

Key strategies include:

• Data-Driven Decisions: Using metrics to prioritize the most impactful ideas.
• Short, Iterative Cycles: Regularly testing and refining processes to drive innovation.
• Mindset Change: Encouraging everyone in the organization to take ownership of improvements, not just a single team or individual.

By embedding these practices, organizations can adapt quickly to changes and continue to enhance productivity over the long term.

Where ADAPTOVATE have helped others

Here are a few examples of how we’ve helped clients achieve sustainable productivity dividends:

Large Education Provider: We co-designed a new service delivery model that improved the student and staff experience, leading to a 29% reduction in full-time equivalents (FTEs) while ensuring the new model was fit for purpose.

Large Australian Bank: Our work with their Risk team streamlined processes, reducing approval times from weeks to 15 minutes, consolidating risk artifacts from 20 to 1, and cutting the cost of standard risk approvals by eight times.

State Government Organization: By collaborating with the right stakeholders, we increased the speed of mortgage application approvals from 45 days to 15 days, and reduced the number of technology systems in use, resulting in significant cost savings.

Footnotes.

¹ Australian Institute of Company Directors 2024, Productivity is at 60-year low, accessed 19 June 2024,

²Jobs and Skills Australia, 2024, Skills shortages remain elevated, accessed 19 June 2024,

³NSW Government, 2024-25 Budget Paper No. 3, 2024-25 Infrastructure Statement, pp 1-2, accessed 19 June 2024,