Making Six Sigma Last: Managing the Balance Between Cultural and Technical Change Hardback - 2001

"Making Six Sigma Last is the most practical and helpful resource that I have seen on this subject. George's charisma and charm spill over into this interesting and entertaining book. Using one of George's many analogies, 'this is an upper-deck shot,' and combined with his first book should become the benchmark for Six Sigma learning."-Dan Porter, Chairman and CEO, Wells Fargo Financial "An energetic, step-by-step exploration filled with interesting and entertaining examples of real-world business experiences. Making Six Sigma Last is a powerful action plan for managers!"-Guenter Bulk, Managing Director, GE Capital IT Solutions

Within the last several years, Six Sigma has exploded onto the American scene as a prominent method of improving the effectiveness and efficiency of businesses.

In his successful previous book, The Six Sigma Revolution, the man who helped implement Six Sigma at General Electric and helped formulate their training program gave readers step-by-step instruction in the strategic and tactical aspects of creating a Six Sigma initiative in any organi-zation. Now, George Eckes revisits the most popular quality improvement methodology in history, addressing an even more critical component of the Six Sigma implementation process-one that can assure the stability and longevity of your own initiative.

Making Six Sigma Last offers you the tools your organization needs to make this quantitative approach to improving effectiveness and efficiency work for you. In this book, Eckes focuses on the cultural component of a Six Sigma initiative-which, if mastered by an organization, can drive quicker and more dramatic improvement in Sigma performance. It is also the component that most organizations ignore-and most Six Sigma consultants are unaware even exists.

Offering simple yet direct concepts and techniques, Eckes demonstrates the necessity of dealing with human nature in persuading any organization to culturally accept change. Whereas current Six Sigma titles focus on the technical elements of change, Eckes concentrates on balancing the cultural component with the technical-the only way to achieve successful Six Sigma. He explains how to systematically improve your chances of realizing a solid change initiative, including how to:
* Create the need for Six Sigma
* Diagnose the four types of resistance to Six Sigma and overcome them
* Shape a vision so that your employees understand the desired results and new behaviors
* Alter your systems and structures to support the new Six Sigma culture
* Avoid pitfalls in managing your Six Sigma cultural transformation
* Develop highly effective Six Sigma leadership

You'll discover how to create clear, motivating Six Sigma goals in your organization, as well as learn from case studies of both successful and unsuccessful initiatives. Eckes also imparts the proven training secrets of Eckes & Associates, Inc. and profiles triumphant Six Sigma leaders-from whom you'll receive valuable, one-of-a-kind lessons.

If increasing profits and stock prices, improving customer satisfaction, and saving large amounts of money sounds good to you, reach for Making Six Sigma Last-and master the key ingredients to launching and leading a Six Sigma effort.