You can have your cake and eat it too. In other words, fostering innovation doesn't preclude deploying Six Sigma--a quality measurement and improvement program focusing on business process improvement. While Six Sigma was first applied in manufacturing, more and more service businesses and areas within corporations are using it. Six Sigma focuses on making companies' systems more efficient and productive, and has a very low tolerance for risk. That might seem at odds with innovation, but that's not the case. It's not advisable to launch both initiatives at the same time though: become grounded in one before attempting the other. To be effective with both, separate the efforts, communicate a compelling mission to employees, appoint one senior manager to oversee both efforts, and support both teams.

Learn more about combining innovation with Six Sigma:
- read the article at CIO Today