GEMBAfication

An honest conversation with Fraser Cowe about readiness for change, bottom-up improvement, and why success in one part of the business doesn’t guarantee success everywhere else.“We assumed the capability was there. It wasn’t. And that was on us.” In this episode:  00:00 Introducing Continuous Improvement at scale in Tesco’s contact centres 03:21 From hearts and minds to boot camps: building frontline capability 08:47 Why facilitation skills matter as much as CI tools 10:27 Making performance visible through PQCD dashboards 11:54 What success actually looked like 14:49 Getting it wrong first time and why 18:55 Leadership alignment as the missing piece 20:30 Readiness for change and avoiding fatigue 24:07 OutroMake Continuous Improvement stick in your organisationRolling out CI tools is one thing. Embedding the capability, building trust, and sustaining change at scale is another. Our performance improvement consultancy supports organisations to assess readiness for change, build real problem‑solving capability, and create improvement systems that last.Explore Consultancy: https://pmi.co.uk/consultancy/ Visit us at pmi.co.uk for more:Dive into our Knowledge Hub for more tools, videos, and infographicsJoin us for a PMI LIVE WebinarExplore Lean Six Sigma CertificationsFollow us on LinkedIn

Alannah Martin shares what really happened when her team replaced a traditional Interactive Voice Response telephone system with natural language technology in a live contact centre.“We knew that understanding our customers’ needs and why they were contacting us was fundamental to being able to improve anything.” In this episode:  00:00 Introduction and the problem with call transfers   02:08 Why traditional phone menus fail customers   05:23 Testing change safely with a phased rollout   08:55 Unlocking self‑service without forcing it   13:58 What success actually looked like   16:19 What didn’t go to plan   20:22 Lessons on stakeholder trust and leading change   27:01 Outro How to unlock your full potential with expert performance improvement consultancyIf you’re serious about improving your organisation’s performance, then you need to get serious about process improvement. Our consultancy services can help you achieve your goals.Explore Consultancy: https://pmi.co.uk/consultancy/ Visit us at pmi.co.uk for more:Dive into our Knowledge Hub for more tools, videos, and infographicsJoin us for a PMI LIVE WebinarExplore Lean Six Sigma CertificationsFollow us on LinkedIn

Most organisations set out with clear goals and good intentions.But change is rarely simple. It’s often messy, non‑linear, and full of surprises.GEMBAfication is PMI’s new podcast for improvement professionals looking for an honest view of what improvement really looks like in practice. Because in our world, every experience is valuable.Hosted by Susannah Clarke, Managing Partner at PMI, the series goes behind the scenes with leaders and practitioners who’ve driven change in their organisations. Sometimes with great success, sometimes with unexpected setbacks. You’ll hear about the methods that helped them mobilise, measure, and deliver results, and what they learned when things didn’t go to plan. These are candid conversations about what it really takes to improve, adapt, and lead when change meets the realities of day-to-day work.Launching on 18th March, GEMBAfication explores change as it really happens.Subscribe now so you never miss an episode.Visit us at pmi.co.uk for more:Dive into our Knowledge Hub for more tools, videos, and infographicsJoin us for a PMI LIVE WebinarExplore Lean Six Sigma CertificationsFollow us on LinkedIn