It's common to hear Lean Six Sigma referred to as a "tool", as in, it's another tool in the tool kit. This is misguided. Tools are used to make completing tasks easier. it's easier to cut wood with a saw; it's easier to insert or remove a screw with a screwdriver and so on. Lean Six Sigma, on the other hand, provides a framework for solving virtually any organizational problem where the outcome is inconsistent. It's also a mindset which challenges employees in an organization to think differently about how to solve problems.

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Trade associations are under continuing pressure to find innovative ways to deliver value to their members. Associations serving auto dealers, retailers, and real estate agents have likely been seriously affected by the recession. The economic downturn has dented revenues and renewals and members might be asking the unthinkable: what's the return on our membership dollars? Here are some some tips for improving association performance:

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A NY Times interview with Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO, a silicon valley design firm reinforces a critical point of six sigma problem-solving, discussed in a blog post in August 2009. In the post, I talked about the importance of good questions that provoke critical thinking. In the interview, Tim Brown espouses much the same philosophy and predilection for questions rather than answers. That’s not to suggest that answers are not important. Quite the contrary. But when the emphasis and focus are on coming up with quick answers,

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Lean Six Sigma in Public Sector and Non-profit Organizations Top 5 Success Factors 1. Leadership buy-in As with any successful organizational change, the senior leadership has to really believe that change is critical for the continued existence of the organization. If the leadership merely talks about change but doesn’t really change how they communicate and interact with the organization, people will see it for what it is…the next fad.

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Faced with a business problem, many managers resort to answers, implementing solutions that do not solve the problem. Sometimes you get better results by starting with questions, and using the available facts (data) to answer these questions. Here's a case in point. A company that leases industrial equipment observes that unpaid damage claims weigh on profitability. The answer is to implement a system to better track the claims and go after the delinquencies. This system will identify the aged claims so employees can contact lessees to ask for payments to cover the damages.

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