The Power of Six Sigma

"Sick Sigmund?" Larry chuckled. "No, Six Sigma. The number six, and sigma, the Greek letter. But the phrase 'Six Sigma' means something more in business. It represents a statistical measure, and a management philosophy. A few guys at Motorola came up with the concept in the mid-eighties, tinkered with it, and are now spreading the word to other companies." "Like who?" "Like you name it," Larry said. "The Six Sigma devotees reads like a Who's Who of the Fortune 500: General Electric, Allied Signal, Sony, Motorola, and Polaroid, among others. But the biggest early convert was undoubtedly General Electric's CEO Jack Welch. In 1995, GE's operating margin was about 13.5 percent. By 1998 they'd gotten it up to 16.7-percent, a number Welch previously thought was impossible. That represents a $600 million bonus to the bottom line." "Well, what's so great about Six Sigma?" The Power of Six Sigma is unlike any other book on Six Sigma. This fictionalized tale simplifies a complicated topic and, through the dialogue between "Joe" and "Larry," explains the way Six Sigma works in a non-threatening, easy-to-understand way. Everyone in the organization will learn what Six Sigma is and how it works. The road to increased profits, and improved efficiency, quality, and productivity, does not begin with a new management strategy. It all begins with acceptance. This is the most engaging, accessible and useful guide to one of the biggest management philosophies of the decade; being taken seriously by GE, ABB, Allied Signal, Polaroid, Sony and Toshiba. Sigma is the measure; Six is the target. This book makes the Six Sigma phenomenon accessible to everyone, from entrepreneurs to managers, from multi-national CEOs to assembly-line workers. Praise for The Power of Six Sigma " The Power of Six Sigma is an excellent overview that demystifies the key elements of implementing Six Sigma. Subir Chowdhury has provided an enlightened summary of the Critical Success Factors required for understanding the power of Six Sigma. A MUST READ for executives and managers who are considering this Management Philosophy for their organization." Dick Smith, Partner, Six Sigma Consulting, PricewaterhouseCoopers "Subir Chowdhury has broken down the often mystical subject of Six Sigma into a very thorough, yet easy, read. I believe The Power of Six Sigma will do for your customer centered, profit driven defect reduction efforts what The Goal did for cycle time reduction and supply chain improvement." Steve Gunther, Vice President, Seagate Technology "Six sigma has become a central part of business success. Every leader must know and apply these principles to their organization. The Power of Six Sigma offers practical guidelines for making six sigma happen. It will become a sourcecode for those who want to execute six sigma." Dave Ulrich, Professor of Business, University of Michigan "A powerful exposition of the six sigma concept, its benefits and implementation challenges. Important reading for all executives committed to excellence." John A. Quelch , ex-Dean, London Business School "Subir Chowdhury is one of the best of the "new age" of organizational consultants. Chowdhury has a gift for explaining Six Sigma strategy to leaders at ALL levels in their organization in this important book." Marshall Goldsmith, Executive Director, Financial Times Knowledge Dialogue "Subir Chowdhury provides us with a clear message as to the impact Six Sigma can make on any business. He explains how these disciplined, customer-focused processes enhance organizational effectiveness and provide bottom line results. In a highly competitive, chaotic world, predictability is achieved through the Six Sigma