Continuous process improvement in Spanish local government

Purpose – In response to external pressures that Spanish City Halls have been experiencing since the late 1980s and beginning of the 1990s, some of the local administrations have become references of success among the rest of the Spanish City Halls by focusing their efforts on making improvements through continuous process improvement (CPI). Thus, the research question of this study was: how was CPI approached in Spanish City Halls that have become references in Spain? The objective of this study was to explore and shed further light on the literature about this subject, viewing CPI within the public context of a local administration. Design/methodology/approach – This study used a qualitatively based interpretive methodology, applying the case study as a research strategy through a dual design, which combines longitudinal and retrospective studies. Findings – Spanish City Hall's approach CPI through a group of interrelated principles, techniques and tools that have been applied in a public context, resulting in certain benefits in municipal management. Practical implications – As a result of the conclusions from the field study, a set of practical recommendations are presented here that can be useful for other local administrations involved in improvement efforts. Originality/value – Academic literature on the application of CPI in the public sector has been approached from perspectives like new public management or total quality management. However, in the Spanish context, there are practically no studies that explore and analyze the Spanish City Halls that have had positive results in their management, by focusing their efforts of improving work processes and public services on CPI.