Integrating Lean Six Sigma and High-Performance Organizations

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.

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.