philosophy

We are committed to the notion that there exists a great deal of potential for increasing productivity in all organizations, despite recent trends to the contrary. The past decade witnessed dramatic increases in productivity through applying "inorganic" technology such as computer, automation and software systems. Recent declines in productivity increases and looming labor shortages are fueling economic concern – it is apparent we have generally wrung the major productivity improvements out of applying hardware and software technology.

The time has come to focus on the most powerful but historically avoided means of increasing productivity – Human Technology: our holistic approach for enabling the minds and utilizing the abilities of all members of the organization and applying Lean Thinking to every aspect of the Value Stream. Therein lies immense potential for continued economic and cultural progress for the United States of America. The cultural and economic power of Human Technology has been thoroughly demonstrated over the past decades by Japanese industrial firms, particularly the auto industry, and it continues to develop - with or without us!

We estimate at least 50% of organizations attempting Continuous Improvement Initiatives struggle to achieve the potential rewards of such programs...and why is that? The prevailing diagnosis is inadequate preparation for a very significant paradigm shift that affects ALL levels of the organization. It is the people – all of them – that make any initiative work over the long term. CI is not and cannot be implemented successfully with short term thinking!

Lean versus Six Sigma versus Lean/Sigma...how to proceed?

We note the growing body of evidence that Six Sigma and "Lean Sigma" approaches often put the cart-before-the-horse in attempting to apply sophisticated problem solving methodology well before the organization is prepared to accept it. On the other hand, those who patiently develop and successfully apply Lean Thinking as the first stage in their Continuous Improvement Initiatives almost always achieve far better short term improvements (through the simplicity and quickness of improving Cost, Quality and Delivery with Lean), while methodically and simultaneously developing a culture embracing CI thinking at every level of their organization. This is the key element for fueling success with subsequent analytical (and less easily assimilated) technology such as Six Sigma. Once securely in place, a Lean Culture will have become well positioned to request, accept and engage Six Sigma technology for issues it is well equipped to identify and tackle with minimum cultural resistance.

Programs for ensuring a successful Continuous Improvement Initiative...

A carefully developed plan for creating the necessary culture is essential to laying the groundwork for initiating your Continuous Improvement program. We seek to support you in a holistic, sustainable fashion. We provide the Lean Experience®, a highly effective introduction to Lean Management, as well as Introduction to Lean Office for administrative functions such as accounting, purchasing, engineering, sales and customer service.

Through Six Steps to Leading Effective Organizations® we guide your leadership team through assessing your organization and defining the existing cultural paradigm, identifying opportunities for developing the desired future state, and facilitating the transition to a sustainable continuous improvement culture - also referred to as Policy Deployment.

Introduction to Lean Health Care and Lean Lab programs have improved operations at laboratories, hospitals and Emergency Departments. Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) programs support Lean Initiatives in any industry. Innovation-Based Lean Leader Training programs are unique to the industry and include such powerful tools as Creativity Training, Hoshin Planning and A3 Problem Solving -- customized to any organization, with a special version for Health Care. Lean Leaders must be carefully developed to foster sustainable success!

Recognizing Personality Types and Working Styles: A Key to Successful Change Management® brings deep insight into human behavior and personality adaptations to the table to enable change managers to recognize patterns of resistance and apply appropriate communication techniques to overcome fear of change and achieve lasting results. Delivered by a human behavior specialist, this first-in-the-industry approach brings sound, proven psychological methods to assist with reorienting resistance into resonance!

Quality Management System (QMS) turnkey support includes ISO 9001: 2000, ISO 14001, ISO 13485, ISO 17025, TS 16949 and all related ISO and TS standards.

We cut to the quick for Six Sigma Hands–on Applications Support and provide focused on- site training, implementation and guidance for your projects - as well as complete training support for internationally recognized ASQ Green Belt and Black Belt certification. Our mentor will work with you on site, rather than sending people for training off-site, to achieve faster results with less expense.