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The differences between continuous improvement leaders and supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a continuous improvement leader and a supervisor. Additionally, a continuous improvement leader has an average salary of $85,851, which is higher than the $53,902 average annual salary of a supervisor.
The top three skills for a continuous improvement leader include lean six sigma, sigma and process improvement. The most important skills for a supervisor are customer service, safety procedures, and sales floor.
| Continuous Improvement Leader | Supervisor | |
| Yearly salary | $85,851 | $53,902 |
| Hourly rate | $41.27 | $25.91 |
| Growth rate | 6% | - |
| Number of jobs | 35,627 | 224,920 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A continuous improvement leader is an individual who is responsible for measuring and testing procedures to improve production efficiency in a company. Continuous improvement leaders must work closely with human resources employees or trainers so that they can develop a curriculum to bring hires to their peak efficiency quickly. They are required to improve processes and systems in the company as well as implement programs that have continuing long-term benefits. Continuous improvement leaders must also supervise and direct the work of staff members of the CI department.
Supervisors are responsible for overseeing the daily functions of employees in a specific team, department, or even a work shift. They create work schedules, organize work processes and workflows, train new hires, provide necessary reports related to the team function and the employees, monitor and evaluate employee performance, and ensure that goals of the specific team or department are met. When needed, supervisors also provide guidance to employees in terms of their career or even personal challenges. They also help in fostering harmonious work relationships by resolving interpersonal conflicts at work. To be successful in their role, they must have leadership skills, time management skills, decision-making capabilities, analytical skills, and problem-solving skills.
Continuous improvement leaders and supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Continuous Improvement Leader | Supervisor | |
| Average salary | $85,851 | $53,902 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $115,000 | Between $31,000 And $92,000 |
| Highest paying City | Fall River, MA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Wyoming | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Bunge | Reed Smith |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a continuous improvement leader and a supervisor in terms of educational background:
| Continuous Improvement Leader | Supervisor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between continuous improvement leaders' and supervisors' demographics:
| Continuous Improvement Leader | Supervisor | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 74.8% Female, 25.2% | Male, 55.8% Female, 44.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 5.4% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 4.6% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |