(The Pyzdek Institute: Tucson, AZ) -- For 50 years, the go-to method of improving call center performance has been monitoring and coaching. Yet measures of performance like disclosure compliance, call resolution, cross/upsell rates, and handle time are not continuously improving and in fact have been treading water in most centers for years. More coaching and monitoring would not only be expensive, they also cannot produce breakthrough results on a centerwide basis.

(NIST: Gaithersburg, MD) -- Letitia Baldrige, sister of Malcolm Baldrige, died Mon., October 29, 2012, at the age of 86. In announcing her passing, her son Malcolm Hollensteiner told the Foundation for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, Inc., that “she loved the board and took such pride in what we have done to carry forward Mac’s legacy.”

(Smarter Solutions: Austin, TX) -- Smarter Solutions has come out with a new blended learning, lean Six Sigma training method that overcomes the issues with online and nontraditional training. The method allows self-paced training for individuals, or groups to take the course as a team, but provides interactive and individualized coaching throughout the course by an lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt. Learn more about the course on July 18, 2012, during a one-hour webinar beginning at 11 a.m.

(MoreSteam: Columbus, OH) -- On Wed., June 20, 2012, MoreSteam.com, a global provider of online lean Six Sigma training and blended learning technology, will sponsor the Houston Lean Six Sigma Professionals (HLSSP) first roundtable discussion event at the Westin Oaks in Houston, Texas from 5:30–7 p.m. An expert panel will discuss “The Future of Lean Six Sigma: Major Trends and Challenges” and include representatives from Robbins Myers, Cardinal Health, Maersk Line, GE, The University of Houston, and MoreSteam.com.

(CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL) -- Design for Six Sigma in Product and Service Development: Applications and Case Studies (CRC Press, 2012), written by chapter authors, is edited by Elizabeth Cudney, Ph.D., and Sandra L. Furterer, Ph.D.

(IMEC: Peoria, IL) -- The Illinois Manufacturing Extension Center (IMEC) is launching a lean Six Sigma Green Belt training series beginning on June 8, 2012, in southern Illinois. The series is designed to help small and midsized manufacturers learn how to integrate concepts of lean and Six Sigma to increase productivity and ultimately, boost quality in their facilities. This group training serves as a first step to positioning a company to realize significant savings through a lean Six Sigma effort, providing short-term payback and ongoing savings as processes are continuously improved.

(Juran Institute: Southbury, CT) -- The Juran Healthcare team had two improvement project presentations accepted for the WCBF 11th Annual Lean, Six Sigma, and Process Improvement in Healthcare Summit, which took place in New Orleans, May 15–18, 2012. The project presentations were an example of the Juran Institute’s work in a systemwide process-redesign initiative to prepare a children’s hospital for implementing an electronic health-record system.

(Gemba Academy: Morro Bay, CA) -- Gemba Academy, a provider of online lean manufacturing and lean enterprise training, announces a no-cost webinar on May 23, 2012, at 1 p.m. CDT, presented by Bob Emiliani, titled “The Leader’s Role in Lean Success.”

(ASQ: Milwaukee) -- A new book from the American Society for Quality (ASQ), The Certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt Handbook, was created to reflect the most current thinking among key Six Sigma leaders regarding what should be contained in the ASQ Master Black Belt Body of Knowledge. For quick reference and ease of use, chapter and section numbering exactly mirrors that of the body of knowledge.

(Wiley: Hoboken, NJ) -- If you want to make your organization or team more productive, you have to change the way it thinks. Lean Six Sigma is a winning technique improve performance, but the jargon-packed language and theory of lean Six Sigma can be intimidating for both beginners and experienced users.