The Process Step Most Companies Skip (and Why It's Costing You Efficiency, Morale, and Results)
HILARY M. CORNA
I help service-based companies streamline operations, build scalable processes, and create accountability to turn inefficiency into lasting growth using the PDCA Methodology. Download our FREE tools below👇
Most process problems aren’t from a lack of strategy—they’re from a lack of understanding.
At Toyota, I saw firsthand that sustainable improvement doesn’t come from a one-time fix. It comes from teaching people why a process matters and how to own it. It’s easy to skip training when you're moving fast. But every time you do, you multiply confusion, resistance, and rework.
A process is only as strong as the people running it. And people, when equipped with the right support, will blow you away with what they’re capable of.
I go deeper into this topic in the podcast if you want the full story.
🎧Listen here: Optimizing Business Performance through Effective Training Development
The podcast offers a deeper dive, but here’s a distilled look at how training development drives real process improvement.
Let’s get into it.
The Importance of Training Development for Process Improvement
Process improvement is not a one-time event. It requires a continuous cycle of learning, feedback, and iteration. A key component in this ongoing journey is effective training development. Training helps individuals and teams understand the processes they need to follow, the reasons behind them, and how they contribute to the overall goals of the organization.
The Power of Training in Process Improvement
Training is vital for successful process improvement. It bridges the gap between current and ideal processes by equipping employees with the knowledge and skills needed for new tools, methods, and technologies. Without it, even well-designed improvements can fail due to a lack of understanding.
Key Benefits of Effective Training:
Boosts Engagement and Morale: Employees feel valued when organizations invest in their development, leading to greater commitment to new processes and willingness to suggest improvements.
Enhances Skills and Reduces Errors: Training ensures a consistent understanding, helping employees effectively use new systems, reduce mistakes, and improve efficiency for smoother workflows.
Enables Continuous Feedback: Training creates vital feedback loops, identifying areas for improvement and fostering an iterative cycle of learning and adaptation.
Empowers Leadership: Leaders can reinforce training objectives through coaching and check-ins, emphasizing process adherence as a core organizational priority.
Cultivates a Learning Mindset: Continuous training fosters a growth mindset, encouraging employees to see mistakes as learning opportunities and contribute insights for refining processes, boosting innovation and agility.
Ultimately, effective training goes beyond compliance, empowering employees to critically think and meaningfully contribute to continuous improvement for sustained organizational success.
Curated Picks
Try: The One-Sentence Journal. End your day by writing just one sentence about what stood out. Something you learned, felt, or just found funny. Low effort, high clarity. It’s a surprisingly powerful way to build self-awareness.
Read: "The Phoenix Project: A Novel About IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win" by Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, George Spafford - This engaging story, while set in IT, offers universal lessons for any leader looking to improve processes, foster critical thinking, and drive continuous improvement for sustained success.
Strategy Spotlight
Ask this question:
Where in your business are you expecting people to perform without proper training?
That’s where you’re leaking energy.
Start with one area, maybe onboarding, sales handoffs, or project tracking. Build a simple, clear training module around it. You’ll see process adherence and results improve almost immediately.
Want to Work With Us?
If your processes look good on paper but break down in practice, training is likely the missing link. We help teams build clarity into their systems—so people aren’t just following checklists, they’re thinking critically, improving continuously, and leading confidently.
Here are two ways to get support:
The Ops Edge Academy Waitlist is Open For operations leaders who are done duct-taping systems together. This program helps you scale sustainably by developing your team—not just your tools.
The Flowstate Workshop A live, hands-on session to uncover what’s not working, align your team, and rebuild processes with people at the center.
In your service,
Hilary Corna