Knowledge is power, and the best way to boost yours is through reading. Top business leaders like to spend as many as five hours a week learning as much as they can through reading. As it happens, there is a veritable hoard of Six Sigma and Lean books out there for you to discover. All of which are available from sites like amazon.com, or even at your local library, if you prefer to borrow your books. Interested in change management? Want to brush up on Lean or statistics? Are your leadership skills in need of rejuvenation? Today, we make it easy for you by narrowing down your search to five excellent Six Sigma-related books.
The Machine That Changed the World: The Story of Lean Production by James P. Womack et al.
This book by Womack, Daniel T. Jones, and Daniel Roos, is a best-selling all-access guide to everything you ever wanted to know about Lean production. Womack, Jones, and Roos exhaustively document Lean’s history and successes in maximizing efficiency. Lean is responsible for transforming Toyota’s production system, making it a global force in manufacturing. First published in 1990, this classic text has remained a staple on Lean, and on Six Sigma practitioners’ reading lists ever since.
Lean Six Sigma: Combining Six Sigma Quality with Lean Speed by Michael L. George.
George’s book details how Lean Six Sigma has helped transform organizational performance by drawing on Lean and Six Sigma strengths. Published in 2002, it also outlines the challenges faced when combining synergies of two differing methodologies. If you’re hungry for increased rates of production, minimal process variation, and more bottom-line impact, this is the book for you. Remember: Who is wiser, the wise man, or the one who asks him for help?
Value Stream Mapping: How to Visualize Work and Align Leadership for Organizational Transformation by Karen Martin et al.
This essential guide by Karen Martin and Mike Osterling was the recipient of The Shingo Research and Professional Publication Award in 2013. Martin and Osterling’s book teaches the importance of value stream mapping, an oft-underused strategy that can be surprisingly beneficial. Within its pages are written the secrets to transforming leadership thinking, defining strategy, prioritizing tasks, and eliminating waste. This is a useful guide for neophytes and veterans alike.
The Six Sigma Revolution: How General Electric and Others Turned Process Into Profits by George Eckes.
George Eckes’s book takes the form of a series of case studies. It looks at how companies like General Electrics, and several others, have used Six Sigma to their success. Furthermore, this handy text takes the Six Sigma approach and demonstrates how to apply it to all manner of business operations. It also looks at how to maintain Six Sigma and overcome resistance to achieve change. With strategies, tactics, tools, and techniques aplenty, The Six Sigma Revolution deserves a place on your shelf.
Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies by Jim Collins et al.
Built to Last by Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras draws on the authors’ six-year research project at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. Also examining how 18 different companies have managed to gain an edge in the market, this text comes highly recommended. Looking at small start-ups through to global corporations, the authors demonstrate how to use Six Sigma, Lean, and other methodologies, to your advantage.
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