2008 Lean & Six Sigma Talent Demand Study Results Lean Talent Demand Finally Edges Out Six Sigma Fourth annual study by Lean & Six Sigma executive recruiting and search firm The Avery Point Group finds Lean talent demand surpassing Six Sigma while companies continue to leverage both methodologies. Lean & Six Sigma Talent Demand Trends | Lean & Six Sigma Job and Career Trends

1. The Avery Point Group  Six Sigma
 Lean Transformation
Let Us Lead You to Executive Talent SM  Operational Excellence
 Plant Management
 Operations Management
 Supply Chain Management
 Finance Management
2008 Study Results The Avery Point Group:
Executive Search for Lean
& Six Sigma Talent
Lean Talent Demand Finally Edges Out Six Sigma
The Avery Point Group is a global
executive recruiting and search firm
that assists companies in identifying,
Fourth annual study by Lean & Six Sigma executive recruiting and search
assessing and recruiting mid-level
firm The Avery Point Group finds Lean talent demand surpassing Six management to senior executive Lean
Sigma while companies continue to leverage both methodologies in a & Six Sigma talent. Our firm leverages
down economy. its principals’ decades of executive
Lean & Six Sigma operations and
After years of steady gains, Lean has finally achieved a slight edge over Six Sigma as staffing experience to provide the
the more desired skill set. According to an annual study by The Avery Point Group, a highest quality executive search
leading national executive recruiting firm, the accelerating demand for Lean talent is an services.
indicator that companies are increasingly looking to Lean as a means to help them
Download our web brochure:
combat the current economic headwinds they are facing. Executive Search Brochure (PDF)
quot;As an executive recruiting firm, we have a unique vantage point from which to observe Learn more about our process:
the latest trends taking place in industry,quot; says Tim Noble, managing principal of The Lean Sigma Search (PDF)
Avery Point Group. quot;Trends in industry are often telegraphed into candidate Visit our Jobs Blog:
requirements in job postings, and they can serve as a window into the latest corporate LeanSixSigmaJobs.blogspot.com
initiatives. Our annual study continues to offer useful insight into the latest trends taking
place in the area of corporate continuous improvement.quot; Lean Sigma Talent Demand Trends:
LeanSigmaTalent.com
Based on its fourth annual study of Internet job postings, The Avery Point Group found
that Six Sigma may no longer hold its once dominant position in the world of corporate How is Our Lean & Six
continuous improvement initiatives, as was found in its three previous annual studies.
For the first time, the study showed that demand for Lean talent has grown to eclipse Sigma Executive Search
and slightly exceed that of Six Sigma. The growth in interest in Lean talent has not, Firm Different?
however, come at the expense of Six Sigma; rather, this year’s study continues to
With our team’s significant Six Sigma
confirm an overall increasing demand for continuous improvement talent, with Lean
and Lean executive experience, we are
driving most of the recent talent demand growth.
uniquely qualified to help our clients
find, assess and recruit the right
The study also found, for those companies seeking Six Sigma or Lean talent, fully 50
continuous improvement and
percent are looking for practitioners to have both skill sets. Further, the study indicated
operational excellence talent. Our key
that job postings are making increasing demands on candidates, requiring them to
principals are Six Sigma Master Black
possess a much deeper knowledge and experience skill set with regard to their Lean
Belt and Lean trained by globally
backgrounds versus prior years.
recognized industry leading Fortune
500 companies and have real-world
quot;No longer is it acceptable for candidates to claim to have a Lean Sigma or Lean Six
executive experience leading their
Sigma background,quot; says Noble. quot;Companies want to see candidates that have the
application in manufacturing,
hardcore Lean experience gained in a true Lean transformation setting, and that can’t
distribution and service-based
be gained from an environment where Lean is an afterthought or a lesser appendage to
industries.
an existing Six Sigma program.”
Our key principals have managed
Despite the rising prominence of Lean as the potentially new dominant continuous
global operations and led key Lean &
improvement methodology, Six Sigma is by no means past its prime, as evidenced by
Six Sigma initiatives in Eastern Europe,
its continued talent demand resilience. It, however, means that companies, in the face
Western Europe, Latin America and
of strong economic headwinds, are seriously rethinking the balance these two
throughout Asia. Our principals, with
methodologies have with one another in their overall continuous improvement initiatives.
their global perspective, understand
what it takes to find, assess and recruit
“This is certainly a major center of gravity shift from our first study in 2005 where Six
talent for companies to succeed in
Sigma talent demand outpaced Lean by more than 50 percent,” concludes Noble.
today’s global economy. Unlike other
“However, in the end, the real winner is any company that successfully engages in
Lean & Six Sigma executive search
some form of continuous improvement, regardless of whether it is Lean, Six Sigma, or
firms, we truly speak the language of
some other well-executed combination of both.”
our clients and candidates.

2. The Avery Point Group  Six Sigma
 Lean Transformation
Let Us Lead You to Executive Talent SM  Operational Excellence
 Plant Management
 Operations Management
 Supply Chain Management
 Finance Management
PROCESS and Lean Sigma SearchTM Process practice services a wide spectrum of industries,
spanning manufacturing, distribution and
SERVICES service-based companies.
Our Contingent Search Services:
 Leverage our principals’ decades of executive
operations and staffing experience.
 Leverage our extensive proprietary database of
contacts and candidates.
 Leverage our Lean Sigma Search™ value
Search excellence starts with the sound stream process to find the ideal candidate.
foundation of a well-defined and consistent  Our clients only pay upon the successful
search methodology. Our Lean Sigma Search™ placement of our presented candidates.
value stream process methodology incorporates  Fee is based on a percentage of the candidate’s
a unique Lean Six Sigma approach to filling our first year’s total compensation.
clients’ staffing needs.  We offer our clients a 60-day replacement
guarantee.
An important foundation of Lean Six Sigma
methodology is the concept of waste and defect Our Retained Search Services:
elimination. Lean Six Sigma defines a defect in
terms of meeting the specifications, expectations  Leverage our principals’ decades of executive
and requirements of the customer. What is a operations and staffing experience.
defect with regard to the executive search  Leverage our extensive proprietary database of
process? Presenting unqualified candidates, contacts and candidates.
candidates with missing skill sets and candidates  Leverage our Lean Sigma Search™ value
who don’t fit the corporate culture and chemistry stream process to find the ideal candidate.
of the client are just some examples of waste  Client site visit to gain improved insight into
and defects that can result from a poor search company culture = improved candidate fit.
process.  Face to face or video conference interview with
full candidate assessment process
At The Avery Point Group we practice what we methodology: Position Benchmarking
preach when it comes to Lean Six Sigma. Our Specification, Full Written Interview Evaluation,
experience has shown us the importance of and Full Candidate Summary
incorporating the voice of the client (VOC) at  At a minimum, 3 - 4 candidates meeting our
each critical phase in the value stream clients’ requirements will be presented in 60
placement process. We take great care in days.
defining and characterizing the client’s critical to  Fee is based on a percentage of the candidate’s
quality (CTQs) requirements, up front, to ensure first year’s total compensation.
successful screening and placement of  One-third of the estimated fee is paid up front to
candidates, thus avoiding waste and defects engage our search services.
that can cost a client time, money, and worse  We offer our clients a 90-day replacement
yet, a poor placement. guarantee.
Each phase of our Lean Sigma Search™ value
stream process is designed to move the process
along efficiently and effectively through our
executive search value stream, thus enabling us
to exceed our clients’ expectations and
requirements.
The Avery Point Group, Inc.
Executive Search Services 4555 Mansell Road – Suite 300
We provide both a contingent and retained Alpharetta, Georgia
search focus with functional expertise in the 30022 USA
areas of Six Sigma, Lean, operational
 excellence, plant management, operations
P: +1 678-585-9804
2004 -2009 management, supply chain management,
distribution management and finance. Our F: +1 678-585-9832
The Avery Point Group