Ted Iverson’s approach to organizational excellence is rooted in a fundamental truth: meaningful purpose must guide actions and decision-making.
“This style of business is not one of those spectator sport approaches to leadership,” says Iverson, whose insights come from three decades as a Shingo Examiner. “The consultants can’t do it for you. Good consultants who have travelled this path are valuable in helping to create a safe and effective journey.”
At its core, Iverson describes his methodology as a “leadership-engaged, purpose-focused way of running your business.” This foundation, he explains, is then “supercharged with a continuous improvement system that connects to the organization fulfilling their meaningful purpose.”
Speaking at a McKinsey Talks Operations podcast, Iverson explained how this plays out in practice: “In those kinds of environments, we often have frontline individuals who are very personally connected to what’s going on. All the way through the organization there’s a level of enthusiasm and connection through that purpose.”
The success of this approach depends on aligning measurements with purpose. “If we have measurables that are not connected to elements of purpose,” Iverson notes, “then we need to ask ourselves, ‘Is there an opportunity to better align these? Are these the right measurements for holding my people accountable for moving in directions that are aligned with the overall organization?'”
We use the Shingo Model to help organizations achieve this level of performance and culture. As Iverson emphasizes, “The Prize is not the goal.” Instead, the focus is on creating environments where purpose drives action and improvement becomes natural.
When organizations get this right, frontline workers demonstrate “a level of enthusiasm and engagement and understanding about their organization at the top level, that they can then drop down into, ‘Here’s what I do to contribute,’ and you can really see the value and the worth that they have as one of those key contributors.”
Through Iverson Consulting Group, his objective is clear: “Every individual deserves to have a work environment that is at Shingo Prize-level, which means that your organization is not only high-performing, but there is a feeling among employees that somehow the stars have aligned and something amazing is happening, and they are exactly where they are supposed to be to contribute their part to make that happen. It is alignment to life purpose through a business system, focused on doing good.” He’s working to ensure that the learning and experiences gained over his career are captured and transferred to the next generation of leaders.
“We will partner with others who can contribute to making this opportunity available to more organizations,” Iverson states. The goal is to create more workplaces where talent is nurtured and engaged, where meaningful purpose guides decisions, and where continuous improvement connects directly to fulfilling that purpose.
For leaders looking to transform their organizations, Iverson’s message remains consistent: excellence emerges from environments where purpose guides actions and decision-making, where talent is genuinely nurtured and engaged, and where improvement becomes part of the organization’s DNA.
Written in partnership with Tom White
