Six Sigma and Lean Talent Demand: Finally Reaching Parity

Third annual study by executive search firm Avery Point Group finds Leangaining ground on Six Sigma while companies continue to leverage bothmethodologies to gain competitive edgeATLANTA, Nov. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- The relationship between Six Sigma andLean is starting to show signs of becoming a more balanced partnership.According to an annual study by The Avery Point Group

(http://www.AveryPointGroup.com), a leading national executive search firm,there are increasing signs that these two corporate initiatives are finallyachieving parity.

"As an executive search firm, we have a unique vantage point from which toobserve the latest trends taking place in industry," says Tim Noble, managingprincipal of The Avery Point Group. "Trends in industry are often telegraphedinto candidate requirements in job postings, and they can serve as a windowinto the latest corporate initiatives. Our annual study continues to offeruseful insight into the latest trends taking place in the area of corporatecontinuous improvement."

Based on its third annual sampling of Internet job postings, The AveryPoint Group found that Six Sigma no longer outpaces Lean by a wide margin whenit comes to desired skill sets, as was found in its two previous annualstudies. Demand for Lean talent has grown in the past year to almost equalthat of Six Sigma. The growth in interest in Lean talent has not, however,come at the expense of Six Sigma; rather the study shows an overall increaseddemand for continuous improvement talent utilizing these skill sets.

The study also found, for those companies seeking Six Sigma talent, 38percent are looking for practitioners who have Lean expertise as part of theirtool set as well. For companies seeking Lean talent the desire is onlyslightly greater for candidates to exhibit Six Sigma knowledge also, with 42percent of all Lean jobs posted requiring Six Sigma exposure. As furthervalidation for the value of these skill sets, the study found demand for SixSigma and Lean talent from almost every function and industry segment.

"When it comes to desired skill sets companies want to have their cake andeat it, too," says Noble. "Even though companies may not have a full-blown SixSigma or Lean deployment underway, our study shows each year they increasinglydesire candidates that possess Six Sigma, Lean or both skill sets in theirDNA."

The Avery Point Group study also found that demand for Six Sigma talenthas become increasingly "operationalized" with less than one-fifth of SixSigma postings seeking to specifically fill Master Black Belt and Black Beltroles. "Companies are increasingly opting instead to inject candidates whoposses Six Sigma and Lean skill sets into regular line roles versus creatingstandalone structured continuous improvement roles, as often was the case withSix Sigma positions in the past," says Noble. "Lean, for the most part, hasalways been an operationalized-based approach, and for Six Sigma this trend isa natural progression for a widely deployed maturing corporate initiative."

Noble concludes, "The continued strong demand for Six Sigma and Leantalent, as shown in our study, is evidence that companies are increasinglyseeking to leverage these key continuous improvement methodologies as anintegral part of their operations in an effort to remain competitive intoday's global economy."

For more information about The Avery Point Group and its executive searchservices, contact Tim Noble at 678-585-9804 or visithttp://www.AveryPointGroup.com

This release was issued through eReleases(TM). For more information,visit http://www.ereleases.com.SOURCE The Avery Point Group, Inc.Tim Noble of The Avery Point Group, Inc., +1-678-585-9804