Six Sigma and Lean: a marriage in the making.(Headline: The Avery Point Group)

As courtships go, none has been more contested and anticipated than the evolving relationship between Six Sigma and Lean. According to a recent study by The Avery Point Group, an executive search firm specializing in Lean and Six Sigma, there are increasing signs that these two corporate initiatives are headed down the aisle of eternal matrimony. "As an executive search firm, we have a unique vantage point from which to track the latest trends taking place in industry," says Tim Noble, managing principal of The Avery Point Group. "Trends in industry are often telegraphed into candidate requirements in job postings and they can serve as a window into the latest corporate initiatives."

Based on a recent sampling of Internet job board postings, The Avery Point Group study found that SIX Sigma still outpaces Lean by a wide margin when it comes to desired skill sets. However, for those companies seeking Six Sigma talent, one-third are looking for practitioners to also have Lean expertise as part of their tool set. For companies seeking Lean talent, the desire is even greater for candidates to also possess Six Sigma knowledge, with almost half of all Lean jobs posted requiring Six Sigma exposure. The merger between SIX Sigma and Lean is also clearly evident for jobs posted at the very heart of SIX Sigmas key leadership roles. Almost half of all companies seeking to specifically hire Master Black Belt and Black Belt talent required candidates to also possess Lean as a core part of their tool set. "When it comes to desired skill sets, companies want to have their cake ...