The CI Manager Crisis: Why CI Leaders Struggle and Why Hiring a CI Manager from Outside Isn't the Solution

The Rocky Start of Most CI Managers

New Continuous Improvement (CI) Managers all too often hit turbulence early—struggling with issues like:

• Resistance from frontline teams who wonder, “Who invited this outsider?”

• Role ambiguity, as they wrestle with unclear responsibilities and priorities.

• Disconnected projects that feel unaligned with genuine strategic needs.

• Endless activity, no impact, leaving them feeling exhausted and directionless (“Work 80-hour weeks, deliver zero results.”)

💔 The Emotional Toll

Meet Jane, recently promoted as CI Manager at a mid-sized manufacturing firm. She spent her first month “supporting” shop-floor supervisors, only to hear, “Come back when you’ve actually fixed something, not just given us more paperwork.” By month four, Jane was emotionally drained—hating mornings, questioning her place, and quietly searching for other roles.

Hiring Externally—A False ‘Solve’

When organizations face these early setbacks, they often reach for a quick fix: hiring a CI Manager from outside.

Sounds smart—until that hire stumbles into the same pitfalls:

🐢 Slow Ramp-Up:

Even ministers need time to learn the lay of the land. Studies show only 12% of organizations feel their onboarding accelerates productivity (source). Culture, informal rules, and internal relationships take months to grasp—time most CI projects don’t allow.

💸 Sky-High Costs:

• Recruiting externally costs around 1.7× more than promoting from within due to hiring fees, relocation, and training (source).

• And turnover isn't cheap: replacing someone externally can cost 90–200% of their annual salary (source).

😤 Demoralizing for Internal Teams:

When companies pass over internal talent, ambition erodes. According to LinkedIn, 94% would stay longer if promotions were accessible—but external hires send a disheartening message: “No internal growth.”

🌱 Culture and Credibility Gap:

CI work happens at the shop floor—where credibility is earned through established relationships. According to SHRM, knowledge of internal culture correlates with better retention and performance (source).

Real-World Strong Backs

1. Slow starts mean slower results
   External hire Tom started on Day 1. But his plant’s entrenched silos kept surprising him. By Month 3, executives lost patience—and shifted budget to another initiative, re-assigning Tom to a role he ended up hating.

2. Cost shock
   A medical equipment manufacturer. spent $150k recruiting a CI Manager. Six months later, he left—taking another $180k hit in severance and replacement costs. That same internal candidate, Jane, would have cost far less and likely stayed.

3. Culture war
   A logistics company inadvertently demotivated its top internal process improvement lead by hiring outside CI Managers. Several high-performers left, citing “no promotion pathway.”

🛠 Building the Better Way

Wouldn't it be better to...

1. Develop internal talent
   Make ready-to-go CI Managers out of emerging leaders and recent promotions.

2. Accelerate ramp-up
   By building on existing relationships, lessons learned on day one match real work environment dynamics.

3. Showcase promotions
   Prepared case studies from current internal team members prove value—and create a ripple of inspiration and engagement across the organization.

Final Thoughts

The best CI Managers aren’t necessarily the ones with the most external experience—they’re often those who already know the people, processes, and politics—and just needed the tools, structure, and confidence to lead well.

With internal promotions, you avoid a costly cycle of ineffective hires and burnouts—and instead ignite a transformation that starts at home.

If you're interested to see a resource to help with this, check out our Continuous Improvement Leader Launch & Accelerator Program.

Even if you already hired outside CI Managers, this can even help them avoid the pitfalls!

And if your company is considering hiring outside CI Managers, share with the hiring managers this warning from those who've seen failures!