2009 Lean & Six Sigma Talent Demand Study Results Lean Talent Demand Widens lead Over Six Sigma In Bleak Economy Fifth annual study by executive search firm The Avery Point Group finds Lean talent demand continuing to surpass Six Sigma as companies grapple with today’s bleak economic environment. 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
2009 Study Results The Avery Point Group:
Executive Search for
Lean Talent Demand Widens Lead Over Six Sigma in Bleak Economy Lean & Six Sigma
Talent
Fifth annual study by executive search firm The Avery Point Group finds Lean talent
The Avery Point Group is a
demand continuing to surpass Six Sigma as companies grapple with today’s bleak
global executive recruiting and
economic environment.
search firm that assists
companies in identifying,
The recession and rapidly slumping sales are forcing many companies to reevaluate their
assessing and recruiting mid-
priorities with regard to their continuous improvement initiatives. As a result, demand for Lean
level management to senior
talent is showing signs that it is accelerating its edge over Six Sigma as the more desired skill set,
executive Lean & Six Sigma
according to a new study by The Avery Point Group, a global executive recruiting firm specializing
talent. Our firm leverages its
in Lean and Six Sigma talent.
principals’ decades of
quot;As an executive recruiting firm, we have a unique vantage point from which to observe the latest executive Lean & Six Sigma
trends taking place in industry,quot; explains Tim Noble, managing principal of The Avery Point Group. operations and staffing
quot;Trends in industry are often telegraphed into candidate requirements in job postings, and they experience to provide the
can serve as a window into the latest corporate initiatives. Our annual study continues to serve as highest quality executive
an industry benchmark that offers useful insight into the latest trends taking place in the area of search services.
corporate continuous improvement.quot;
How is Our Lean & Six
Based on its fifth annual study of Internet job postings, The Avery Point Group found that demand Sigma Executive
for Lean talent continues to gain ground over Six Sigma as the more desired skill set, reinforcing Search Firm Different?
last year’s study that signaled an ongoing shift in focus toward Lean. This year’s study showed
that Lean talent demand exceeded Six Sigma by almost 11 percent, further widening its lead over With our team’s significant Six
last year’s results that showed only a slight edge for Lean over Six Sigma. Sigma and Lean executive
experience, we are uniquely
This year’s study also found, for those companies seeking Lean talent, only 44 percent are qualified to help our clients
requiring candidates to possess Six Sigma knowledge as well. On the other hand, for those find, assess and recruit the
companies seeking Six Sigma talent, fully 49 percent of the roles also require candidates to right continuous improvement
possess Lean knowledge. “Reflecting the broader job market, demand for Lean and Six Sigma and operational excellence
talent is down versus 2008 and 2007 peak levels,” states Noble. “However, on a relative basis for talent. Our key principals are
the hiring that is taking place, companies are starting to shift more and more of their focus toward Six Sigma Master Black Belt
Lean. This is perhaps an indication that they see Lean as a better and more practical hedge and Lean trained by globally
against today’s tough economic challenges.” recognized industry leading
Fortune 500 companies and
The Avery Point Group fully expects this shift toward Lean to accelerate further as the recession have real-world executive
grinds on through 2009. “We have had a situation in the past couple of months where companies experience leading their
have had to take unprecedented and drastic actions, shedding large amounts of labor to bring application in manufacturing,
their cost structure and inventories in line with plummeting sales,” comments Noble. “As the dust distribution and service-based
settles, and as companies regain their footing, some may find that their remaining operations industries.
aren’t as flexible or as effective at servicing their market’s new realities. For some companies this
situation can be a transformational opportunity to leverage Lean, while for others it could spell Our key principals have
further disaster.” managed global operations
and led key Lean & Six Sigma
The Avery Point Group is already seeing a few forward-thinking companies seizing on Lean as a initiatives in Eastern Europe,
competitive and strategic opportunity to transform their businesses amid the recession. These Western Europe, Latin America
companies see Lean as a key to reducing waste, improving cash flow and improving operational and throughout Asia. Our
flexibility, thus enabling them to adjust more quickly to the new realities of today’s economic principals, with their global
climate. As the nation exits the recession, these forward-thinking companies may be well- perspective, understand what it
positioned to leverage huge productivity gains as volume returns, outpacing their competitors by takes to find, assess and
achieving higher inventory turns, greater operational flexibility and lower operating costs. recruit talent for companies to
succeed in today’s global
Could the recession and the growing shift in talent demand toward Lean be signaling the economy. Unlike other Lean &
beginning of the end for Six Sigma? “Certainly not,“ concludes Noble. “The overall foundation of Six Sigma executive search
continuous improvement should be viewed as a collection of tool sets that includes both Lean and firms, we truly speak the
Six Sigma, which are applied when and where appropriate. Overall, there are certainly benefits to language of our clients and
integrating both methodologies, but the steep challenges of today’s recession may be better candidates.
served by Lean’s more immediate and practical focus on waste, flow, and flexibility.”

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
An important foundation of Lean Six Sigma guarantee.
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
quality (CTQs) requirements, up front, to ensure  Fee is based on a percentage of the candidate’s
successful screening and placement of first year’s total compensation.
candidates, thus avoiding waste and defects  One-third of the estimated fee is paid up front to
that can cost a client time, money, and worse engage our search services.
yet, a poor placement.  We offer our clients a 90-day replacement
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.
Executive Search Services The Avery Point Group, Inc.
4555 Mansell Road – Suite 300
We provide both a contingent and retained
Alpharetta, Georgia
search focus with functional expertise in the
areas of Six Sigma, Lean, operational 30022 USA
 excellence, plant management, operations
2004 -2009 management, supply chain management, P: +1 678-585-9804
distribution management and finance. Our F: +1 678-585-9832
The Avery Point Group