Posted by:
Tom McCarty
Strategic Consulting

As Dan Probst wrote earlier, our new book Six Sigma for Sustainability shows executives how they can apply work-process improvement strategies to jump-start their sustainability programs.

Many companies are engaged in sustainability at the tactical level, but embedding these concepts into the corporate culture requires holistic approach that brings together all the players within the firm into a collaborative management model.

When all the right people are engaged, Six Sigma becomes the vehicle for leaders to identify the “transfer function,”  the critical few activities that, done well, will meet or exceed the expectations of customers and other key stakeholders. Deploying those strategies in alignment with all the business units and support functions that contribute to a sustainability program creates a “house of quality” that leads to breakthrough success.

I’ve seen Six Sigma used to enhance many types of business processes, but none are better suited than sustainability to Six Sigma’s DMAIC model – Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve Control. Sustainability is a recent concept for virtual every company, yet it is a differentiator and key driver of long-term success when it is woven into the corporate fabric. Six Sigma provides the tools to help you get there.

Posted by:
Dan Probst
Energy and Sustainability Services

I led Jones Lang LaSalle’s  energy services businesses in the Americas long before we expanded our menu to include a broad  scope of sustainability services.  So, like many in our business,  I used to think of energy efficiency as the best way to add value to the corporate bottom line.

Reducing energy use and the associated carbon emissions is still a key part of any corporate sustainability program, but I now see even greater potential value in areas that  touch employees more directly, such as health, well-being and job satisfaction, all of which affect productivity. It may be hard to measure the effect on an individual or company, but the correlation between sustainable companies and successful companies is too strong to ignore.

Becoming a sustainable company is more than just recycling and reducing energy, though.  To achieve breakthrough performance, companies must create a collaborative process that involves key internal stakeholders from HR and IT to business units, as well as suppliers and customers.

How to create and implement such a process is a subject big enough to fill a book. That’s why my colleagues Tom McCarty, Michael Jordan and I co-authored Six Sigma for Sustainability, published this year by McGraw-Hill.  Tom is one of the world’s leading authorities on Six Sigma, having published several books on the subject previously. I offer the sustainability viewpoint, and Michael—both a Six Sigma Black Belt and a LEED AP as well as one of our top consultants on CRE strategy—provides a unique dual perspective.

I’m obviously biased, but I believe there is no greater way for CRE directors to contribute to positive corporate transformation today that through an integrated energy and sustainability program such as we outline in Six Sigma for Sustainability.