Book: Why “What Works for GE May Not Work for You”

New thinking for managing and sustaining process improvement

Published: Monday, May 17, 2010 - 12:21

(Productivity Press: NY) -- One size does not fit all. While Jack Welch is very intelligent, he doesn’t know other businesses as well as those who work in them every day. Many companies have invested heavily in process improvement, because GE and other large companies did, only to be disappointed by the (lack of) results. In What Works for GE May Not Work for You: Using Human Systems Dynamics to Build a Culture of Process Improvement (Productivity Press, 2010), authors Larry Solow and Brenda Fake argue these results are not a function of process improvement tools, but in the linear manner that such efforts are implemented. Their book provides new thinking for managing and sustaining process improvement in today’s complex nonlinear business environment.

Section One reviews the key bodies of knowledge of process improvement theories (lean, Six Sigma, and human systems dynamics) needed to tell the case story of TryinHard Marine. Section Two follows CEO, John Saylor, as he implements a typical, linear process improvement initiative, with all of its trials and tribulations. In the retelling of his story, the authors present tangible ways to address a range of complex, nonlinear, and emergent organizational issues as they arise. The last section provides additional tools to enable adaptive action at all levels of an organization.

Lawrence Solow focused his 30 years of organization change efforts at the intersection of people, processes, and strategy. Experienced as an internal and external change agent, he has helped a variety of profit and not-for-profit organizations make change happen. Lawrence, a Six Sigma Black Belt, is president of 3-D Change Inc. He holds a master’s degree in organizational communication from Temple University and he is a graduate of the Human Systems Dynamics Institute.

Brenda Fake, an operations manager and organization effectiveness consultant for more than 20 years, has applied her skills in a diverse set of public and private industries that include transportation, telecommunications, finance, engineering, public works, and high-tech manufacturing. Brenda, a Six Sigma Green Belt, is the founder of O-2 Optimizing Organizations. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Minnesota, a master of business administration from the University of St. Thomas, and she is a graduate of Human Systems Dynamics Institute.

About The Author

Productivity Press

For more than 25 years, Productivity Press has developed the largest catalog available anywhere of publications and learning tools about lean methodology, continuous improvement, and operational excellence. It is currently the premier source of authoritative information on organizational transformation. Productivity Press is an imprint of CRC Press, a premier global publisher of science, technology, and medical resources. Its aim is to broaden thinking and advance understanding in the sciences, providing researchers, academics, professionals, and students with the tools they need to share ideas and realize their potential. CRC Press is a member of Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business.