The Practical Leader

OCTOBER 12, 2011

If you’re signed up for the webcast, here’s a sneak preview of a few key concepts in this discussion and a chance to do a bit of advance study : Commitment Continuum. Given the short time, we’ll be scratching the surface.

Six Sigma 61

Six Sigma Workshop Continuous Change Video 61

Mike Cardus

JANUARY 26, 2011

If you haven’t seen a draft agenda or team charter, ask the team leader if they have one If you have ideas for the agenda and comments on the draft, send them to the team leader prior to the first meeting Discuss with your boss the project time commitments and potential conflicts with your “regular job.”

Six Sigma 98

Six Sigma Team Team Building Workshop 98

The Practical Leader

AUGUST 31, 2011

We’ve been working with more and more executive teams who proclaim strategies for transforming their culture toward higher safety, customer service, innovation, Lean/Six Sigma approaches, productivity, employee engagement, or new technology platforms. The Peak Performance Balance: Managing Things and Leading People.

Six Sigma 53

Six Sigma Workshop Seminar Self-aware 53

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 27, 2014

A mid-level manager in this 5,000-employee hospital, she is leading a 70-member group on patient flow as part of a larger organizational effort. Her ability to lead and inspire — to become a change leader from her position as a mid-level manager — is helping her team produce results. I found a few defining characteristics: 1.

Middle Management 13

Middle Management Six Sigma Taylorism Taylor 13

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 10, 2011

These mandated-from-above programs include Lean Six Sigma initiatives with experts (" Belts ") in command, big IT implementations, and reengineering of major end-to-end processes. An executive in the company's finance operations adopted a Six Sigma belt-driven approach to reduce costs in the company's global shared service centers.

Six Sigma 15

Six Sigma Bottom-up Cost Project 15

Harvard Business Review

MAY 1, 2012

One possibility is that managers don't really want their people to innovate, no matter what they say otherwise. Based on my experience, there are at least three (largely unintentional) reasons why managers send mixed messages about innovation. Managers may also fear that innovation will cannibalize current business.

Innovation 14

Innovation Six Sigma Management Short-term 14

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 16, 2014

If the number of executives from other companies who have been benchmarking GE’s management-development centers is an indication, interest in creating corporate universities is on the rise. For instance, we have a course for mid-level executives, called the Manager Development Course (MDC).

Six Sigma 8

Six Sigma Human Resources Benchmarking Participative 8

Harvard Business Review

FEBRUARY 26, 2014

Such advice is plentiful and familiar: Make time for non-work activities, exercise to reduce stress, learn to say “no,” manage your time more efficiently. At Quest Diagnostics, we turned things around, in part, by adopting Six Sigma, which aims at a standard of perfection. Leadership Managing yourself Work life balance'

Career 17

Career Six Sigma Deming Advice 17

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

Six Sigma or Lean) the right way. As Peter Hunter , a former naval officer and management consultant, has said , "People hate being told what to do. As described in my previous post, " Get Your Worker to Disrupt Their Jobs ," you should commit to your employees that they will stay employed if they suggest process change.

Process 15

Process Mayo Six Sigma Ryan 15

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 21, 2012

This will shorten the educational time commitment, thereby lengthening the time an individual has to actually master the skill on the job. Project Management and Lean Six Sigma certifications both center on hands-on learning. While there is the obvious bookwork, both programs require specific on-the-job training.

Skills 17

Skills Six Sigma Supply Chain Education 17

Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 7, 2013

Today, it is not uncommon to hear an executive talk about managing a $30 billion brand. As brand thinking has been institutionalized, management has figured out ways to assign value to this "asset." So, if you are an enlightened executive in the post-Steve Jobs era, how do you grow and manage this emerging corporate asset?

Strategy 9

Strategy Six Sigma Engineering Bottom-up 9

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 24, 2014

Leaders and organizations are under more stress than ever to do two things simultaneously: deliver on today’s pressing commitments by troubleshooting and refining processes; and find and invest in innovation opportunities that will create tomorrow’s success. You probably reach for your firefighter’s hat to extinguish the short-term problem.

Budgeting 12

Budgeting Innovation Disruptive Innovation Six Sigma 12

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 18, 2013

This ensured their commitment to the effort and created support for tough decisions—even when those decisions directly affected their own bailiwicks. With these rules in place, 8 cross-functional teams—each composed of middle managers, a consultant guide, and a sponsor from the leadership team—were formed.

Cost 8

Cost Health Care Six Sigma Insourcing 8

Harvard Business Review

NOVEMBER 5, 2012

P&G committed corporate leadership, foundation grants and a modification of Six Sigma so nonprofits could more effectively manage to agreed-upon results. Knowing the challenges they had in hiring a qualified workforce locally, P&G helped launch a broad effort to fix education, from cradle to career.

Six Sigma 8

Six Sigma Long-term Innovation Definition 8

Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 29, 2015

It made a massive investment (more than $1 billion) to build a software “ Center of Excellence ” in San Ramon, California to manage the data explosion created by the increasing intelligence of its industrial machines. Melody Ivory , a User Experience Product Manager, told me, “I was about employee number 30 in February 2012.

Software 8

Software Six Sigma Insourcing P&L 8

Harvard Business Review

APRIL 27, 2015

In a McKinsey poll , 94% of the managers surveyed said they were dissatisfied with their company’s innovation performance. By comparison, think of the long strides many businesses have made in reengineering their supply chains, boosting product quality, and rolling out lean six sigma. And it’s not just your company.

Innovation 8

Innovation Company Engineering Supply Chain 8