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OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE - DOING MORE WITH LESS DOING MORE WITH LESS TLI – Asia Pacific White Papers Series Volume 10-Mar-TI01

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Page 1: OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE - DOING MORE WITH LESS · “Operational Excellence: Doing More with Less”. This resonates well with the current emphasis on raising productivity within the

OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE --

DOING MORE WITH LESSDOING MORE WITH LESS

TLI – Asia Pacific White Papers Series

Volume 10-Mar-TI01

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Disclaimer, Limitation of Liability and Terms of Use

NUS owns the copyright to the information contained in this report, we are licensed by the copyright owner to reproduce the information or we are authorised to reproduce it.

Please note that you are not authorised to distribute, copy, reproduce or display this report, any other pages within this report or any section thereof, in any form or manner, for commercial gain or otherwise, and you may only use the information for your own internal purposes. You are forbidden from collecting information from this report and incorporating it into your own database, products or documents. If you undertake any of these prohibited activities we put you on notice that you are breaching our and our licensors' intellectual property rights in the report and we reserve the right to take actionagainst you to uphold our rights, which may involve pursuing injunctive proceedings.

The information contained in this report has been compiled from sources believed to be reliable but no warranty, expressed or implied, is given that the information is complete or accurate nor that it is fit for a particular purpose. All such warranties are expressly disclaimed and excluded.

To the full extent permissible by law, NUS shall have no liability for any damage or loss (including, without limitation, financial loss, loss of profits, loss of business or any indirect or consequential loss), however it arises, resulting from the use of or inability to use this report or any material appearing on it or from any action or decision taken or not taken as a resultof using the report or any such material.

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Jointly organized by:

Foreword by

Operational Excellence Operational Excellence ––Using Lean Six Sigma to Using Lean Six Sigma to

Transform Customer ValueTransform Customer Value

Dr. Robert de SouzaDr. Robert de Souza

by

James W. MartinJames W. Martin

(An invited Whitepaper)

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 OOPPEERRAATTIIOONNAALL EEXXCCEELLLLEENNCCEE -- DDOOIINNGG MMOORREE WWIITTHH LLEESSSS

 

  

March 2010   |   Singapore 

FFOORREEWWOORRDD   BBYY   TTHHEE   EEXXEECCUUTTIIVVEE   DDIIRREECCTTOORR,,   TTLLII   ––   AASSIIAA   PPAACCIIFFIICC   

It is indeed appropriate that we launch the 2010 THINK Innovation Series with the theme “Operational Excellence: Doing More with Less”. This resonates well with the current emphasis on raising productivity within the Singapore economy and poses the challenge and opportunity for future growth.

We, at The Logistics Institute – Asia Pacific, are indeed, honoured to be partnering with the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) in bringing this first of a kind THINK series to the manufacturing and services sector. Our primary focus in this series is on Innovation, based on the belief that innovative transformation is perhaps an essential component to achieving key productivity growth in these sectors.

The word “innovation” has its origins from the Latin word “Nova” – new! In a recent article by Lerisca Lenus in the Business Times (16th March 2010), she shared that a more elaborate definition would be “the embodiment, combination, or synthesis of knowledge in original, relevant, valued new products, processes or services”. This perhaps captures the very essence of the THINK Innovation Series that is designed as a learning and knowledge-sharing platform focusing on productivity and innovation.

The manufacturing and service industry, in particular, performs an increasingly dynamic and pivotal role in today’s knowledge-based economies. The logistics industry serves as a good example of the genesis and growth of an essential, new innovation-driven and value-recognized service based industry, transformed from the traditional business notion of simple point-to-point transportation to that of serving the entire suite of logistical needs and wants of customers. Indeed, the quantum of advances brought forth by science (plastic pallets), technology (RFID) and communications (GPS) have compelled logistics service providers to leverage the new stream of soft resources, as exemplified by the prevalent technology, knowledge /human capital and geographical, relationship networks for profitable growth and competitive advantage.

THINK innovation! complements our other well-established THINK branded platforms such as THINK Executive (for CEOs), THINK IT (for CIOs), the quarterly themed THINK Solutions and the annual integrated THINK Logistics forum - each brings together speakers and panels on contemporary and leading edge topics. THINK programs usually spearhead master classes in the topic.

Operational Excellence and Doing More with Less are also titles of two books that we have innovatively merged to form the theme for the launch session. Authors of both books will be lead speakers at this inaugural event along with a distinguished panel. We invited James Martin, as the first Master Class Leader to author this special whitepaper, not only to mark this inaugural event but also to bring together the topics of productivity, innovation, operational excellence, Lean and Six Sigma to provide initial context and backdrop to the series. The series aims to foster a culture of continuous improvement and organization shaping innovation and starts with a lean management focus then moves through a toolbox of concepts and best practices (methodologies, systems and tools) such as in integrated business, sales and operation planning, resource optimization, innovative (business) design thinking and novel and special topics in supply chain management. James helps us succinctly define Operational Excellence (OPEX) and sets out a 10-step OPEX framework for its achievement. He shows, in this whitepaper, how the OPEX framework enables the design of products and services which satisfy customer needs while increasing productivity through efficient utilization of labour, capital and other assets on a sustainable basis.

I sincerely hope that you will (continue to) engage, learn, share and network as professionals, managers and executives. Thank you for your participation in this series.

 

 

Dr. Robert de Souza  

 

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March 2010   |   Singapore 

OOPPEERRAATTIIOONNAALL   EEXXCCEELLLLEENNCCEE   ––   UUSSIINNGG   LLEEAANN   SSIIXX   SSIIGGMMAA   TTOO   TTRRAANNSSFFOORRMM   CCUUSSTTOOMMEERR   VVAALLUUEE 

 

What is Operational Excellence (OPEX)?    Organizations define it differently. But, Operational Excellence implies customers receive the products and services they have been promised and as expected. Keeping customer promises requires that we understand customer needs and values, design systems and profitably operate those systems to satisfy customers. OPEX is an integrated set of activities which requires teamwork across organizations and their supply chains. It is not a single set of tools or methods such as Lean or Six Sigma. It is many tools and methods integrated at a tactical level to execute effective organizational strategies. At a basic level, it enables the design of products and services which satisfy customer needs while also increasing productivity through efficient utilization of labor, capital and other assets on a sustainable basis.

Our discussion breaks the deployment of OPEX into the ten steps shown in Figure 1. The first step encompasses organizational strategy. Subsequent steps move the OPEX discussion through identifying customer needs as well as designing products and services and managing operational systems. One goal of this discussion is to show that organizational productivity, through the efficient utilization of labor and capital i.e. factor productivity, also impacts Singapore’s productivity. A second goal is to show that increasing revenues is as useful as reducing cost when considering productivity. Third, we would like to show the importance of identifying customer needs and value expectations when designing products and service systems. Lean and Six Sigma will also be discussed relative to their impact on productivity. In summary, we hope to show that there are many synergies which we can gain by thinking from an Operational Excellence perspective.

Figure 1 – What is Oeprational Excellence (OPEX)?

Successful organizations continually improve their financial, operational and customer metrics year over year. Many of these measures are industry specific, and there are many variations. To help keep our focus, we will discuss Operational Excellence from a productivity perspective using tourism as an example since it is a major

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economic sector within Singapore. In our opinion, Operational Excellence is a good strategy for increasing organizational productivity within this economic sector as well as others in Singapore.

The tourism industry is very interesting, but, also complex. There are many different types of products and services which are offered to people from diverse cultures who also have unique personal preferences. In our discussion, we will define tourists as customers to include students, workers, business people, retirees and similar visitors. There are also indirect customers such as travel agencies, governmental entities and similar groups which arrange travel for others to Singapore. The reasons for visits to Singapore also vary. As an example, Figure 2 shows that visitors engage in many types of activities such as attending meetings, conventions, to work, shop, and recreation.

Figure 2 – Oeprational Excellence (OPEX) - Tourism

Operations consultants see much commonality across diverse industries relative to the many different types of products and services offered to customers to satisfy their varied needs. As an example, form the demand side, products and services create revenue which helps increase productivity. The efficient design and utilization of these resources also increases productivity. And when revenue creation (demand) is properly matched to efficient resource utilization (capacity), productivity can be significantly increased over historical baselines. Also supporting productive economic activities associated with tourism, is Singapore’s up-to-date infrastructure and the resources capacity created by private enterprises.

 Step 1: Create Strategy 

“Competitive pressures on organizations have increased over the past several decades due to the convergence of several major trends. These include geopolitical changes in Eastern Europe, Asia, and elsewhere, improvements in technology such as the Internet, and changes in workflow structure and management. These convergent trends have been discussed by several authors, including Thomas L. Friedman in his book titled, “The World Is Flat”. According to Friedman, in the last several decades, several accelerating trends have changed the way in which we view the workflow management associated with the production of products and services. These included expansion of the World Wide Web, making information readily available, improvements in workflow and software

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management, the standardization of technology, international collaboration, outsourcing and in-sourcing of work, changes in the geopolitical environment, and off-shoring of work across the world. These trends recently converged and contributed to the creation of production systems in which organizations may dominate not by virtual of their size, but rather on their organizational core competencies and other competitive strengths applied to niche or newly created markets. Although the world has become more competitive, there are many steps that organizations can take to become more competitive in the new global economy. In other words an organization can increase its relative competitive position by understanding and successfully using basic tools, methods, and concepts found in the field of operations management. Some examples include understanding customer needs and value elements to a more clear focus on product development efforts, deploying technology to align and improve workflows, and taking many other actions, at an operational level, to improve productivity through the efficient use of labor, materials, and capital. These actions, if properly executed, will increase the relative competitiveness of an organization.” -Operational Excellence- Chapter 1 pages 3-8.

 

Figure 3 – Step 1 : Create Strategy – Tourism

Figure 3 shows the concept that countries as well as organizations have both comparative and competitive advantages as well as disadvantages relative to similar organizational entities located elsewhere. Competitive advantage can be enhanced by favorable governmental regulations, expansion of infrastructure as well as private investment and operational efficiencies. Strategies to increase the economic activities associated with tourism can also be integrated using Operational Excellence principles for managing demand and capacity. As an example, Singapore currently has millions of visitors each year and several comparative advantages with respect to other countries in the region. Singapore’s industries can leverage OPEX to expand their competitive advantages at organizational levels by creating innovative approaches for increasing revenue and identifying operational efficiencies to increase productivity at every level.

  

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Step 2: Understand what Customer’s Value 

“The fact that we are in an increasingly competitive world can be seen in the growing list of products and services exchanged across the world. Global transactions occur because, from a customer’s viewpoint, there is a higher per unit value created by these exchanges. As organizations attempt to maximize the relative value content of their products and services, the degree of in-sourcing and outsourcing of work will accelerate over time. Also, boundaries between suppliers and their customers will continue to diminish in favor of collaborative and flexible workflow systems designed to deliver products and services at higher quality levels and lower cost. To increase relative competitiveness, an organization must identify its core competencies and create operational systems that amplify these competencies. By understanding customer needs and value expectations by market segment, in the context of a culturally diverse global marketplace, organizations can align their process workflows to meet customer value expectations through the design of their products and services.” - Operational Excellence- Introduction Pages xv-xvi.

“Customer value can be defined as a composite of price and convenience. Organizations continue to struggle with the question of where and how to add value to their products and services. The solution of value maximization for many leading-edge organizations is to outsource or in-source work wherever the highest value can be added to their products or services. It is also apparent, based on purely economic considerations, that outsourcing and in-sourcing cannot be effectively slowed or mitigated by any individual country without adversely impacting customer value at a local level. This implies that organizations throughout the world, which lack one or more forms of external competitive protection, must develop internal competitive strategies to add value to their products and services or experience erosion of their market share and profit margins. The practical result is that an organization that wants to avoid erosion of productivity and shareholder economic value added (EVA) must either maintain high local operational efficiency or move work elsewhere to remain competitive.” - Operational Excellence- Introduction Pages xv-xvi.

Figure 4 – Step 2 : Understand What Customers Value – Tourism

 

“As the world becomes more integrated and geographical barriers to free trade are systematically eliminated, an organization’s marketing strategies continue to evolve to serve culturally diverse customer needs and value expectations through globally deployed workflow systems. This evolution has been accelerated by technology, changes in the geopolitical and macroeconomic environments, and increasing sophistication and diverse

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operations management tools, methods, and concepts. In fact, the information available to organizations through the World Wide Web has leveled the playing field relative to the ability of organizations to keep in touch with their customers and productive workflow systems across the world to increase the exchange value of products and services. The increased availability of information-related demand and supply has enabled customers to satisfy their specific needs rather than relying on products and services designed for other people and cultures. This situation has enabled organizations to compete broadly across the world, by market segment, based on value elements related to price, speed, utility, and functionality through the mass customization of products and services.”- Operational Excellence- Introduction Pages xv-xvi.

Operational Excellence can aid market research and system design activities. One important lesson we have learned is that organizations can always do a better job of understanding their customers. Understanding customers, and what they value, enables an organization to design its products and services so they profitably sell. This increases productivity. As an example, Figure 4 shows that, some customers will pay more for convenience. In turn, convenience depends on how fast customers receive the benefits of a product or service. Understanding how customers value key elements of a system enables products and services to be designed in ways which increase revenue and reduce operational cost. This is because products and services do not have unnecessary features and functions. In summary, it is important to understand who uses your products and services as well as why, what, where, when and how they use them.

 Step 3: Identify Customer Needs 

“Dr. Kano developed three categories to classify customer needs. The first type of Kano needs are basic, the second types are performance, and the third are excitement needs. Basic needs are usually unspoken by the customer. The expectation is that the product or service will satisfy these customer needs at a basic level. It takes methodical research to extract this information from customers because they rarely describe the level at which basic needs must be set in order to be satisfied. Customers do not really notice if a basic need is met because it is an expectation of the value exchange between supplier and customer. Another characteristic of a basic need is that when it is absent, the customer will immediately notice and complain about its absence. Customers (also) differentiate one product or service from another based on performance needs which are related to price, cycle time, utility and the functions related to the product or service. Customers will usually be able to state the levels at which performance needs must be set to ensure their satisfaction. Also, there is usually several competitive product or service alternatives available to a customer at a given time. This makes it easy for a customer to compare such things as on-time delivery, product pricing, and other performance characteristics between competitors. In contrast to basic needs, customers will usually pay more for performance features if these are important to the customer. Excitement needs are product or service characteristics that delight a customer. An example would be a situation in which a customer says, “Wow! I didn’t know I needed this!” Excitement needs are usually associated with new products and services that delight and excite customers.” -Operational Excellence, pages 69-70.

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Figure 5 – Step 3 : Identify Customer Needs – Tourism

Figure 5 shows the relationship of Kano needs. Understanding customer needs is important especially in the tourism and hospitality industry. First, customers expect a product or service to satisfy their basic needs. Second organizations compete with each other relative to satisfying performance needs. Operational Excellence is useful for ensuring both types of needs are met in practice. Excitement needs are associated with innovation. Exciting products and services are innovative game changers which can significantly enhance revenue and productivity. Examples are all around us and include technological products and unique services. These types of products and services create competitive advantages by changing market dynamics. If properly managed, innovation can dramatically improve productivity.

 Step 4: Design Products and Services 

“Product and service design has a direct and significant impact on an organization’s operations. Relative to the organizational impact of design, it is commonly accepted that it drives a significant portion of cost over the life cycle of products and services. These costs may include direct labor, materials, capital equipment purchases, inventory investment, and similar operational costs. It has been widely documented that the deployment of best-in-class design practices results in reductions in total life cycle cost and time to market, and higher quality. Building a core competency in the design of products and services will also help an organization mitigate competitive advantages (of other organizations). These competitive advantages may include direct labor, materials, (access to) available capital, and similar advantages.”-Operational Excellence page 83-84.

Figure 6 shows that there are many interrelated processes are associated with hospitality and tourism. These include governmental services, transportation and hotels, cultural exhibits, natural attractions, promotional events as well as recreational and entertainment activities. These processes contain numerous workflows which must be designed to satisfy the needs and value expectations of diverse customers. Operational Excellence methods can be used to either design new or modify current products and services to improve productivity.

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Figure 6 – Step 4 : Design Innovative Products and Services – Tourism

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 5: Execute Strategy 

“According to the book written by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan and titled, “Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done”, “execution has to be in the culture.” This means it must be embedded into the reward system of an organization as well as organizational norms related to group and individual success or failure. Effective execution requires doing the right things efficiently and according to schedule to achieve strategic and tactical goals and objectives. As an example, when I was at Honeywell, in the mid-1990’s, the return on equity (ROE) goal, was approximately 30 percent. (Note: ROE=net profit ÷ average shareholder equity for the period of analysis.) The ROE target was successively broken down into relevant components. As an example, the metric layer just below the ROE target consisted of sales, cash flow, and operating income. The next lower metric level consisted of year over year productivity targets. The concept was that if these second, third, and lower-level metrics were improved over their original baselines to achieve targets, the higher-level organizational ROE target would be achieved according to plan. To systematically improve these metrics, it was necessary to deploy operational initiatives such as Lean, Six Sigma, preventive maintenance programs, supply-chain improvements, information technology (IT) deployments, and others. Deployment of enabling initiatives helps drive improvements to lower-level operational metrics such as inventory investment, cost reductions, gross margin improvements, and other productivity drivers.”-Operational Excellence page 12.

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Figure 7 – Step 5 : Execute Strategy – Tourism

Figure 7 shows how productivity opportunities are identified at a strategic level as financial targets and then broken down into lower level operational targets. Operational targets are then translated into actionable improvement projects which are also prioritized to ensure efficient resource allocation based on capacity constraints. To increase productivity, an organization must efficiently execute these projects using the correct tools and methods associated with enabler initiatives such as Lean and Six Sigma as well as others. The right tools and methods depend on the specific project.

 Step 6: Design Efficient Operations 

“The design of process workflows to build products or deliver services should be based on an organization’s marketing strategy (as translated into product and service designs). This simple concept will ensure that the design of a process workflow is aligned with the (voice of the customer) VOC and also meets an organization’s productivity goals. -Operational Excellence, page 127.

“The goal of process workflow design is to create workflows that will dynamically meet external demand, within ranges of capacity and at service levels designed into the process, using a minimum amount of required resources.” -Operational Excellence, page 151.

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Figure 8 – Step 6 : Design Efficient Operations – Tourism

Designing process workflows for efficiency is complicated since there are many tools and methods which need to be integrated to create the necessary operational flexibility to satisfy customer needs and increase productivity. Figure 8 shows some of this complexity. This is where operations consultants do most of their work. Major enablers are Lean and Six Sigma tools and methods.

 Step 7: Increase Productivity 

“Organizational boundaries between suppliers and customers should be torn down and replaced with flexible process workflows that are tied to the voice of the customer (VOC), properly designed and managed to increase their value content. A strategic goal of any organization should be to allocate its work in a way in which per unit value is maximized to improve its productivity.” -Operational Excellence- Conclusion pages 553- 554.

“There are many ways in which organizations can improve productivity by leveling or flattening their competitive playing field. Although this may not be an easy task because there are often differential competitive advantages between organizations, especially in different regions of the world. As an example, organizations may enjoy different competitive advantages such as low-cost labor, laws and regulations that accelerate value creation and large and efficient infrastructures that facilitate commerce relative to their competitors. In fact competitive organizations within the same industry may have differential competitive strengths and weaknesses caused by internal and external factors impacting their productivity. However, there are “flattening” or compensating factors that organizations can use to increase their relative competitiveness. These include deploying technology, effectively using capital and other resources, taking an active role in the regulatory environment, and using best-in-class organizational design and workforce management methods.”- Operational Excellence- Conclusion pages 553- 554.

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Figure 9 – Step 7 : Increase Productivity by Efficiently Managing Operations

Figure 9 shows that improvements of organizational productivity contribute to factor productivity at a country level. Key components of productivity must be measured. Also, all organizational activities should be strategically aligned to ensure workflow systems are designed to satisfy customer needs and increase productivity. In this context, revenue enhancement through innovation is as important as creating operational efficiencies such as efficiently utilizing labor, capital and other assets within an organization. But, both are needed.

 Step 8: Measure Customer Satisfaction 

“Measuring the VOC requires understanding three important concepts: Kano needs, value elements, and market segmentation. Understanding the VOC relative to these three concepts allows an organization to design systems to collect, analyze, and translate the VOC into meaningful internal metrics and targets. This enables organizations to develop new or modified products and services to meet global competitive pressures and maintain high productivity levels.” -Operational Excellence, Page 95.

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Figure 10 – Step 8 : Measure Cutomer Satisfaction

Customer needs change and operational breakdowns often occur. For these reasons, it is important that organizations continuously measure customer satisfaction. Figure 10 shows some of the ways this can be done in practice. But, it should also be remembered that although customers can be grouped into market segments, they are unique. As a result, it is important that organizations proactively seek customer feedback and modify the functions and features of their products and services to match changes in customer values and needs. Remember, high customer satisfaction levels will tend to increase revenues. This increases productivity.

 Step 9: Continually Improve 

“There are several strategies or toolsets that can be employed to execute a project. These include just-do-it projects, Lean methods, Six Sigma methods, capital expenditures, and process reengineering. Many projects have a known solution. In these types of projects, the root causes for the problem should be eliminated as soon as possible without extensive analysis. On the other hand, Lean methods, including 5-S (sorting, simplifying, sweeping, standardization, and sustaining), mistake-proofing, and process simplification (using value stream maps), should be applied if a root cause analysis is known and its elimination lends itself to the application of well-known Lean tools and methods. However, in more complex situations in which extensive data analysis is required of the problem, Six Sigma tools and methods may be more appropriate for the identification and elimination of root causes. Solutions to process breakdowns might also be related to inefficient product or process designs. In these situations, capital expenditures may be required to automate or significantly change the design of the product or process. Finally, reengineering may be required to extensively change a process workflow design. Often, reengineering is associated with across-the-board cuts in direct labor. However, across-the-board cuts in resources, including direct labor, without process analysis, often cause as many problems as they eliminate. When properly executed, however, reengineering will include a root cause analysis of a process workflow using one or more tools and methods associated with initiatives such as Lean, Six Sigma, and others, with a goal of improving productivity based on fact-based improvement actions.” ”The operational goal is to always link deployment of improvement projects with relevant toolsets and methods to improve financial performance and organizational productivity.” -Operational Excellence, pages 213-214.

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The correct tools and methods should be applied to execute improvement projects to increase productivity. This concept is shown in Figure 11. A percentage of projects should also reflect important business issues. These include projects that are usually associated with significant cost avoidance, customer satisfaction to maintain or increase revenues, known competitive threats, satisfy regulatory requirements and improve health and safety. In other words, not every improvement project can be easily measured for its productivity impact, but, should.

Figure 11 – Step 9 : Continually Improve

Step 10: Reinforce Ethics and Integrity 

In the past several years, some well known organizations were forced out of existence because of the actions of a few people. Unethical conduct, by a few, negates the hard work employees do every day and year after year to make their organizations successful. Employees, customers, suppliers and society also lose when influential people, at any level of an organization, engage in unethical conduct. Productivity decreases and is not be sustainable in these situations. Personal and organizational integrity are important. Figure 12 provides some definitions.

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Figure 12 – Step 10 : Reinforce Ethics and Integrity

Notes

1. Thomas L. Friedman (2006), The World Is Flat, Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, New York.

2. Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan with Charles Burck (2002), Execution-The Discipline of Getting Things Done, Crown Business.

3. Sam Holmes, Dow Jones Newswires, Monday, February 01, 2010, Singapore Committee: Target 2%-3% Annual Productivity Growth Over Next Decade. “SINGAPORE -(Dow Jones)- “The Singapore government's economic strategies committee said Monday that average productivity growth of 2%-3% per year can be achieved over the next decade. In its key recommendations to the Singapore government ahead of the Budget due Feb. 22, the committee said achieving such a productivity rate would allow gross domestic product to grow by between 3% and 5% per year in that period. "Productivity will therefore account for about two-thirds of our GDP growth, compared to just one-fifth in the last decade"

4. Saifulbahri Ismail, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 14 February 2010, Singapore's productivity level is 60-70% of what is possible: PM Lee, “ SINGAPORE: Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Sunday the country has a considerable way to go in its productivity drive, especially when compared with other countries which have achieved significant productivity growth. He said Singapore's productivity level is 60 to 70 per cent of what is possible.”

5. James William Martin, Operational Excellence – Translating Customer Value through Global Supply Chains, Copyright 2008, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

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March 2010   |   Singapore 

AABBOOUUTT   TTHHEE   AAUUTTHHOORR   ––   JJAAMMEESS   WWIILLLLIIAAMM   MMAARRTTIINN   

James William Martin is president of Six Sigma Integration, Inc., a continuous improvement consulting firm, located south of Boston. He is also the author of several books focused on change management, teamwork and process improvement including “Measuring and Improving Performance- Information Technology Applications in Lean Systems”, “Lean Six Sigma for the Office”, “Operational Excellence-Using Lean Six Sigma to Translate Customer Value through Global Supply Chains” and “Lean Six Sigma for Supply Chain Management- The 10 Step Solution Process”.

As a consultant for more than fifteen years, Mr. Martin has trained and mentored thousands of people in continuous improvement methods including supply chain

applications. He led continuous improvement deployments across Japan, China, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Australia, North America and Europe in diverse industries. He has also served as an adjunct instructor at the Providence’s College Graduate School of Business since 1988. He instructs courses in operations research, operations management and economic forecasting, as well as related quantitative subjects, and counsels MBA candidates from government organizations and leading corporations. He holds a M.S Mechanical Engineering, Northeastern University; M.B.A., Providence College; B.S. Industrial Engineering, University of Rhode Island. He also holds several patents and has written numerous articles on quality and process improvement.

  

  

  AABBOOUUTT   TTHHEE   LLOOGGIISSTTIICCSS   IINNSSTTIITTUUTTEE   ––   AASSIIAA   PPAACCIIFFIICC   

Established in 1998 under the Global School House Program, The Logistics Institute – Asia Pacific (TLI – Asia Pacific) is collaboration between the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Georgia Institute of Technology (GT). Modelled after The Logistics Institute (now known as Supply Chain and Logistics Institute) at GT, the Institute’s vision is to be the premier institute in Asia Pacific nurturing logistics excellence through research and education. TLI – Asia Pacific was awarded the prestigious Asian Freight & Supply Chain Award (AFSCA) for Best Education Course Provider for seven consecutive years, from 2003 to 2009; and has also won the Supply Chain Education & Training Award in the 2009 Supply Chain Asia Logistics Awards.

The Institute provides postgraduate and executive education in logistics and supply chain management (SCM), notably the Double Masters Degree in Logistics and SCM and the Executive Certificate in SCM. It also undertakes leading-edge research and development in supply chain engineering, technology and management in collaboration with industry; and hosts a regular series of THINK Tables that brings thought leaders in research and industry to discuss contemporary SCM issues, challenges and solutions in a dynamic environment.

The Institute’s key research themes include Supply Chain Intelligence, Supply Chain Optimization and Supply Chain Technology.

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A Collaboration Between

The premier institute in Asia Pacific nurturing logistics excellence through research, education and industry outreach

The Logistics Institute The Logistics Institute –– Asia PacificAsia Pacific

Winner of AFSCA Best Educational Course Provider 2003 Winner of AFSCA Best Educational Course Provider 2003 –– 20092009

Our Programs:

• Prestigious Double Master of Science in Logistics & Supply Chain Management 

• Executive Certificate in Supply Chain Management• Industry Research

• THINK Executive Summit, THINK Innovation Series, THINK IT, THINK Logistics, THINK Solutions Series

Winner of Supply Chain Asia Logistics Awards: Winner of Supply Chain Asia Logistics Awards: Supply Chain Education & Training Award 2009Supply Chain Education & Training Award 2009

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The Logistics Institute – Asia PacificNational University of Singapore21 Heng Mui Keng Terrace, #04‐01Singapore 119613

Tel: (65) 6516 4842    Fax: (65) 6775 3391E‐mail: [email protected] Website: www.tliap.nus.edu.sg