Tributes

How does one write a recommendation for a living legend like Dr. Mikel Harry? One would certainly cite him as the driving creative force behind the Six Sigma methodology—one of the most important and successful management theories of the last 150 years. One could also cite the long list of captains of industry who rely on his keen insights and sage counsel. Or one could commend his success as an educator who has created innovative yet pragmatic systems for bringing his ideas to the masses. And one could still pay tribute to his accomplishments as a best-selling author and sought-after speaker.

Common to each of these remarkable achievements is the distinctive Mikel Harry touch—a unique combination of deep understanding, paradigm-shifting innovation, and playful irreverence for conventional thinking. Where others decompose problems into many smaller ones, Mike has the exceptionally rare ability to distill any challenge down to its essence. Consequently, the solutions he devises are robust and holistic. They stand the test of time and changing environments, and they often inspire entirely new ways to view the world we live and work in. And now he's doing it again.

In what will certainly be another game-changing contribution, his restless mind has embarked on the quest to understand and characterize the underlying cognitive and behavioral foundations of the Six Sigma methodology. The scope of this enterprise is grand, and the target audience is broad. Mike's passion is ultimately to offer this knowledge to society in general, empowering individuals, families, and organizations to move confidently to the next level. Mike calls this “The Great Discovery” and it's worth checking out at www.thegreatdiscovery.com. A heavy hitter has stepped back into the batters box -- I'm looking for another home run.

Gary Cort
Former Vice President, Research in Motion (Blackberry)

Mikel Harry, along with engineer Bill Smith, developed Six Sigma during the early 1980’s at Motorola.  Since then, Harry has become on the industry’s premier speakers, authors and thinkers.  Harry has personally trained and worked with some of the world’s top business people.

Who’s Driving Quality Today?
Laura Smith
Quality Digest Magazine (2005)

Mikel Harry’s innovation of Breakthrough Strategy has taken quality into America’s boardrooms.

Gregory Watson
President, American Society for Quality

Six Sigma is the most important initiative GE has ever undertaken…it is part of the genetic code of our future leadership.

Jack Welch
CEO, General Electric

Mikel Harry, who is widely considered the foremost expert—if not inventor—of Six Sigma as we know it today.

Dirk Dushame
Quality Digest Magazine

Dr. Mikel Harry has made many significant professional contributions, among them the invention of the Six Sigma Breakthrough Strategy and the Six Six Sigma Black Belt concept.

Evolution of a Business Management System
Daniel L. Quinn
Rath & Strong (2005)

Mikel Harry, often called the father of Six Sigma.

USA Today 2002

Quality Digest recently had the opportunity to spend a few hours with Mikel Harry, who’s widely considered the foremost expert—if not inventor—of Six Sigma as we know it today

Quality Digest Magazine 2004

That governments are starting to mimic manufacturing industry quality systems comes as no surprise to Mikel Harry, whom some call the “Father of Six Sigma.” Along with engineer Bill Smith, Harry developed Six Sigma at Motorola in the early 1980s. Since then, he’s had calls from governments all over the world interested in implementing the methodology

Six Sigma Goes To Washington
Quality Digest Magazine 2005

Mikel Harry's innovation of Breakthrough Strategy has taken quality into America's boardrooms.

Gregory Watson
President, American Society for Quality

… Mikel Harry, the world’s foremost expert, teacher and preacher on the subject.

MRO Today Magazine 1999

Dr. Harry has condensed into words what I have experienced at DuPont.

Don Linsenmann
Six Sigma Senior Champion, DuPont Corporation

Six-sigma had its origin at Motorola in 1987, with Mikel Harry as its best-known proponent.

T N Goh PhD
Professor of Industrial & Systems Engineering
National University of Singapore

Mikel Harry today is the most sought after Six Sigma consultant.

The Hindu Business Line (Financial Daily) 2003

What brought all this on? Mikel Harry, the Six Sigma cowboy, actually.

The BaldrigePlus Newsletter 2000

To elaborate the evolution of Six Sigma, one Six Sigma authority has to be introduced: Mikel Harry, who is called the Godfather of Six Sigma and is acknowledged as the leading authority on theory and practice. Even though he did not invent the concept, the way that it is currently practiced bears the unmistakable marks of Harry’s personality and personal history.

Process Quality Associates, Inc.

Welch fired the first Six Sigma leadership shot heard throughout the entire GE organization when he brought in Mikel Harry.

Tampa Bay Business Journal 2002

Mikel Harry, the founder of the Six Sigma methodology and the world’s leading authority in the field has tutored corporate legends such as Jack Welch, Jac Nassar and Larry Bossidy.

The Economic Times 2004

Since his introduction of the Six Sigma methodology as a breakthrough business strategy at GE, Mr Harry has been coach to the leaders of many corporations including heavyweights like Ford, DuPont, Dow, and Toshiba.

The Economic Times 2004

More than 20 years ago, Mikel Harry introduced DMAIC which has now become a “given” and a requirement to succeed in business today. Focused primarily on cost and profit margin factors, DMAIC has been mastered by GE, Honeywell, 3M, Samsung, Posco, and Dupont.

Dave Antis
President, Uniworld Consulting

Jack Welch called Six Sigma “… the biggest opportunity for growth, increased profitability, and individual employee satisfaction in the history of our company.”

Jack Welch and the GE Way
McGraw Hill (1999), Page 215.

We then brought in Mikel Harry, a former Motorola manager who was running the Six Sigma Academy in Scottsdale, Arizona.  If there is a Six Sigma zealot, Harry’s the guy.  We invited him to our annual officers meeting in Crotonville in October. I canceled our usual golf outing—a symbolic gesture if there ever was one—so that 170 of us could listen to Harry talk about his program.

Jack: Straight From the Gut
Warner Business Books 2003

Harry’s presentation succeeded in capturing our imagination.  I sensed [Six Sigma] was a lot more than statistics for engineers … At Six Sigma’s core is an idea that can turn a company inside out, focusing the organization outward on the customer.

Jack Welch and the GE Way
McGraw Hill (1999), Pages 329-330.

Mikel Harry, who had been at the center of the quality effort at Motorola, and later became a GE consultant during the early stages of its six sigma quality initiative.

Jack Welch and the GE Way
McGraw Hill (1999), Page 210.

This is not about sloganeering or bureaucracy or filling out forms,” Welch says. “It finally gives us a route to get to the control function, the hardest thing to do in a corporation.

Jack Welch and the GE Way
McGraw Hill (1999), Page 432.

Six Sigma is fundamental education, another differentiator for you, like getting your undergraduate or graduate degree.

Jack Welch