The Sixth Sigma

Branson shares his insights with small business owners on creating the company culture.  He identifies the essence of a workforce that serves the customer.  …

…   “It turned out that people who work in a friendly environment that is tolerant of mistakes, and who are empowered to make decisions about how they do their jobs, arrive at the best possible solutions for serving customers.”   …

via Entrepreneur: Richard Branson on Thinking Big.

and a culture that embraces experimentation.  The company is cited as being too internally focused to succeed in new markets.  And, leaders are not serving the workforce well.  Where should the company focus its culture of intensity and tenacity next?   …

…   “how little attention those inside the castle, especially those occupying management positions, pay to the world outside.

Microsoft is such an inwardly-focused company, he said.”   …

via Fortune on Technology: Top management has lost its way.

Transformational change requires recognition of and focus on the organization culture.  Soft skills, such as influence, communication, and empathy, can shift the tide to a successful implementation.  …

…   “most leaders only consider the operational or financial considerations when contemplating a large-scale change. They ignore culture … “   …

via Forbes: Large-Scale Changes.

for the acquisition of of Elastic Therapy by DJO Inc.  …

…   “ETI’s management team has also initiated the process of incorporating lean manufacturing concepts into ETI’s manufacturing processes and has continually invested in new technology and state-of-the-art, computer-controlled production machines to drive its highly technical knitting process. “   …

via DJO: DJO Incorporated Acquires Manufacturer of Compression Therapy Products, Elastic Therapy, Inc..

compromised safety for the Deepwater Horizon project.  Enterprise culture pervades the workplace creating an environment that accepts significant risks.  …

…   “We see no instance where a decision-making person or group of people sat there aware of safety risks, aware of costs, and opted to give up safety for costs. “   …

via BBC: Gulf oil spill.

Steve St. Angelo, Toyota Chief Quality Officer, shares the company’s quality leadership initiatives, which includes kaizen training for the North American workforce to drive empowerment.  …

…   “On July 29, Toyota opened its North American Center for Quality Excellence in Ann Arbor, Michigan which offers Toyota’s North American employees and select suppliers training to reinforce the Toyota Way and the company’s Customer-First commitment to quality.

The Center’s mission is to provide quality and design-based training to improve the capabilities of Toyota employees so that they are empowered to work from a Customer-First perspective.

Toyota team members will learn from a curriculum of safety, design and quality control training to reinforce work methods and develop new work standards through benchmarking and continuous improvement (kaizen) processes. “   …

Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing North America, TEMA.

kills promising opportunities with higher risk.  …

…   “And it was an expensive device to produce, so there was more risk involved for Nokia. So management did the usual. They killed it. “   …

via New York Times: Nokia Culture of Complacency.

The call to action is clear.  A culture of safety is paramount to manufacturing organizations.  Scrutinize the data.  Manage by walking around.  And, routinely communicate the safety journey.  …

…   “C-suite leaders must move rapidly to create a culture in which safety is valued as the foundation for every other dimension of performance. ”   …

via Forbes: Oil CEOs.

Saks CEO offers career lessons and perspective on the real drivers of business success.  …

…   “Yet, it’s the reverse, because it’s the people, the leadership, the culture and the ideas that are ultimately driving the numbers and the results. “   …

via New York Times: Culture Drives Results.