For any organization to be successful over the long term, it must engage in a relentless quest to improve. Improvement is hard work, but the alternative is entropy. There is no middle ground. More than the application of a new tool or the charismatic personality of a leader, organizational improvement requires great executives, smart and energetic managers, and skilled team members.

Sustainable results require a culture in which every person participates every day in making improvements. Sustainable results also depend on the degree to which an organization's culture is aligned with specific guiding principles. The Shingo Model provides a powerful framework designed to guide the transformation of an organization's culture toward achieving ideal results.