Integrating Lean Six Sigma and High-Performance Organizations: Leading the Charge Toward Dramatic, Rapid, and Sustainable Improvement - Softcover

Devane, Tom

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0787969737 ISBN 13: 9780787969738

Publisher: John Wiley &Sons, 2064

Synopsis

You know that great improvement initiatives abound. What you may not know is how to implement them effectively; get fast, dramatic improvement; and sustain those results for the long term. It's a common problem. But take heart: The next wave of performance excellence is here—the seamless integration of today's leading improvement methods. This integration, described thoroughly in this book, builds upon the strengths and addresses the shortcomings of each discipline. For example:

• While Six Sigma provides a disciplined, quantitative approach, many efforts fail because they don't address the people side of performance improvement and change management. Plus, Six Sigma efforts are expensive and take too long to produce results.
• Lean Manufacturing techniques can provide quick results, but they lack quantitative tools to reduce variation, and, as a result, are incapable of addressing numerous high-dollar improvement opportunities.
• Though High-Performance Organizations (HPO) create conditions for great motivation, improve intra-organizational interactions, and lower employee turnover, many HPO interventions fail to produce solid business results because members lack a disciplined approach and the tools for improvement.

About this title

About the Author

Tom Devane, international consultant, author, and workshop leader, is the founder of Tom Devane & Associates. His broad range of clients includes Microsoft, Johnson & Johnson, StorageTek, Weyerhaeuser, and the government of South Africa. He is the coauthor and coeditor of The Change Handbook and a contributor to numerous books, magazines, and websites. Devane is a guest lecturer at Cornell University and Sonoma State University, and a three-time recipient of the Diamond Award for Teaching Excellence from the University of Denver, where he is a member of the adjunct faculty.

From the Back Cover

The Best of the Best

Learn How Bringing Together Three Top Improvement Initiatives Can Lead Your Company to New Heights

You know that great improvement initiatives abound. What you may not know is how to implement them effectively; get fast, dramatic improvement; and sustain those results for the long term. It?s a common problem. But take heart: The next wave of performance excellence is here?the seamless integration of today?s leading improvement methods. This integration, described thoroughly in this book, builds upon the strengths and addresses the shortcomings of each discipline. For example:

• While Six Sigma provides a disciplined, quantitative approach, many efforts fail because they don?t address the people side of performance improvement and change management. Plus, Six Sigma efforts are expensive and often take a long time to implement.
• Lean Manufacturing techniques can provide quick results, but they lack quantitative tools to reduce variation and, as a result, are incapable of addressing numerous high-dollar improvement opportunities.
• Though High-Performance Organizations (HPO) create conditions for great motivation, lower employee turnover, and improve intra-organizational interactions, many HPO interventions fail to produce solid business results because members lack a disciplined approach and the tools for improvement.

In this much-needed book, internationally renowned consultant Tom Devane provides a solid reference that helps leaders at all levels integrate the best practices in "hard" (technical) and "soft" (people) aspects of performance improvement to achieve sustainable results and instill an attitude of continuous improvement throughout the organization. Integrating Lean Six Sigma and High-Performance Organizations offers the principles, tools, and guidance you need to solve common problems and create an environment that fosters high performance. This book offers:

• A description of proven principles and a set of tools that help leaders focus on high-leverage activities that generate rapid, cost-effective, sustainable improvement
• Practical suggestions for integrating the hard and soft aspects of performance improvement
• Templates and "lessons learned" analyses that can be used to develop and implement effective plans
• A wealth of pragmatic solutions that can be consulted on an as-needed basis

Best of all, Integrating Lean Six Sigma and High-Performance Organizations is filled with colorful, real-life stories from a wide range of companies?stories that readers can easily apply to their own circumstances. If you are an organizational change agent, a Six Sigma Black Belt, a consultant, an organization development or human resources professional, or a manager or executive seeking sustainable improvements, this book will help you lead your company to the next level of performance.

From the Inside Flap

Karl Schmidt, vice president process excellence, Johnson & Johnson
"Tom Devane has provided a straightforward, practical guide for leaders striving to improve their business results. Moving quickly from the theory to pragmatic tips and time proven tools, Devane offers a leader's roadmap for performance improvements in today's rapidly changing business environment."

Takashi Masumoto, regional leader and Six Sigma Trainer, General Electric, Japan (As of June 30, 2003)
"This is the book that I've been looking for until now! Why? Because it exactly guide us to the practical methodology and concepts that any business enterprises and firms would seek for. From my experience of the business practitioner and quality trainer, it is highly vital to integrate and harmonize 'the hard part,' which helps to improve the current processes and products, tackling the vital few causes of the problems, and 'the soft part,' which helps to obtain the buy-in form the key stakeholders and the employees for a change. This book is a wonderful roadmap to innovate a company dynamically in terms of the productivity, the interactive communication and the customer satisfaction."

Saul Eisen, coordinator, Psychology Master's Program in Organization Development at Sonoma State University
"This is a breakthrough synthesis of the best of cutting-edge practices for improving organizational performance. Tom Devane has developed a practical handbook for leaders, internal change agents, and consultants, clearly laying out the key principles and methods for achieving improvements that are both dramatic and sustainable. He describes an integrated, comprehensive approach that achieves greater results by building ownership for the change throughout the organization, while implementing process improvement methods and tools, and building the core competencies required for implementation. The result is a roadmap for successful change that will work the first time around, start producing results quickly, and continue to work reliably into the future of the organization."

Gary Hunt, vice president human resources, administration, and MIS, Operational Management International, Inc. (Baldrige Award Winner in 2000)
"Development of high potential organization requires dedication, innovation and a set of proven processes. Tom Devane has given the tools to any company that wants to become a high quality and performance organization."

Edition details

• Publisher: John Wiley &Sons
• Publication date: 2064
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0787969737
• ISBN 13: 9780787969738
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 458