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The Power of Six Sigma
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The Power of Six Sigma

An Inspiring Tale of How Six Sigma is Transforming the Way We Work

Subir Chowdhury
Kaplan Publishing, 2001
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Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

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Recommendation

Understand from the outset what The Power of Six Sigma is not. It is not really a story about two buddies who lunch together while they pursue management success - that’s just the framework. It is not a book on how to implement Six Sigma - although it would prove a useful adjunct to any such program. Nor is it one of those books filled with consultant-ese whose primary function seems to be to advertise: "You need to hire me to help you to dispel the confusion that my book just generated." This is actually a very down-to-earth introduction to the quality enhancement strategy that is continuing to transform the corporate world. Frustrated onlookers may believe that practitioners keep the practical meaning of Six Sigma hidden, like some secret magic potion, but this powerful little book blows the lid off the caldron. Written as a lunchroom dialogue between friends, it’s as user-friendly as it is insightful. getAbstract highly recommends this manual to anyone at any level involved, or becoming involved, with Six Sigma.

Summary

Meet the Six Shooters

Soon after General Electric CEO Jack Welch starting waxing warmly on the advantages of Six Sigma, Fortune 500 companies began adopting the program.

Unfortunately, they often did so without realizing the commitment they were making. Some of them assumed they already knew what Six Sigma was designed to do; others failed to pay enough attention to how to get Welch’s lauded results.

Not surprisingly, some of those companies were disappointed at the results. Six Sigma worked for GE, it worked for Allied Signal - but it didn’t work as well for those who embarked upon it without understanding it in the first place.

This is particularly regrettable because some of these executives made promises to their shareholders that they weren’t always able to keep. Managers and CEOs are encouraged to understand Six Sigma before they try to present it as the next great cure-all to lagging profits.

The Real Power Of Six Sigma

The real power of Six Sigma is straightforward: it is a system that combines "people power" with "process power." What exactly does that mean?

Well, take football, for example. You can win by making the extraordinary...

About the Author

Subir Chowdhury is executive vice president of the American Supplier Institute, an international consulting and training firm that specializes in Six Sigma. Chowdhury is also the author of Management 21C and co-author of Robust Engineering and The Mahalanobis-Taguchi System. He has received numerous awards for his leadership in quality management, particularly stemming from his work with the automotive industry.

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