Mike Martyn Receives Shingo Publication Award for 'Redefining Excellence: Maturity to Mastery'

The Shingo Institute, part of the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University, has announced that Mike Martyn has been awarded the Shingo Publication Award for his transformative case study, Redefining Excellence: Maturity to Mastery. This distinguished award recognizes exceptional works that advance the global understanding and application of the principles of organizational excellence.

Redefining Excellence: Maturity to Mastery offers a bold reexamination of what it truly means for an organization to excel. While many companies equate excellence with meeting performance targets or earning industry recognition, Martyn challenges readers to move beyond traditional measures and embrace a more profound aspiration: the pursuit of mastery. Through a compelling case study of Android Industries — an organization long recognized as a high-performing automotive supplier — Martyn illustrates how even the most successful enterprises must evolve if they hope to build systems and cultures that endure.

Drawing on more than two decades of implementation experience, Martyn introduces the groundbreaking S1 Turnkey Model, a fully integrated system designed to accelerate leader development, elevate organizational capability and create lasting cultural transformation. The case study explores the powerful interplay of mindset, method and mastery, revealing how organizations can redefine excellence by designing systems that inspire purpose, drive innovation, and cultivate behaviors aligned with sustainable, principle-based leadership. Filled with real-world examples, practical frameworks, and insights from global application, Redefining Excellence: Maturity to Mastery provides a roadmap for organizations ready to move from maturity to mastery.

“Mike Martyn’s work reflects the very heart of the Shingo Guiding Principles,” said Ken Snyder, Executive Director of the Shingo Institute. “Redefining Excellence: Maturity to Mastery pushes the boundaries of how we understand culture, leadership, and transformation. It offers an essential perspective on what it takes to build organizations that not only perform exceptionally, but also grow, innovate, and endure.”

The author will be formally presented with the award at the Shingo Connect Awards Gala in San Diego, California, on March 19. Shingo Connect includes workshops, site tours, keynotes and sessions focused on achieving organizational excellence. Learn more at http://shingo.org/events.

The case study will be available to purchase soon on the author’s website: https://www.sisucg.com/our-books.

About the Author

Michael Martyn is a leading architect of principle-based transformation and the Founder and President of SISU Consulting Group. He has guided more than 500 organizations across 22 countries and supported 54 sites in achieving Shingo recognition, results that place SISU among the most influential consulting groups in the global excellence community. For nearly 25 years, Michael has helped organizations translate principles into systems, behaviors, experience, and sustained results. His work spans complex manufacturing, healthcare, public agencies, higher education, and large multinational enterprises. Throughout his career, Michael has been recognized for a disciplined, people-focused, and results-driven approach to transformation. His work reflects a deep belief that excellence is achieved when leaders align their philosophy with their behavior, engage their people in daily improvement, and design systems that make purpose, performance, and pride in work possible.

About the Shingo Institute

The Shingo Institute is home to the Shingo Prize, an award recognizing organizations that demonstrate an exceptional culture fostering continuous improvement. Part of the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University, the Shingo Institute is named after Japanese industrial engineer and Toyota adviser Shigeo Shingo, one of the world's thought leaders in the Toyota Production System.

Drawing from Shingo’s teachings and years of experience working with organizations worldwide, the Shingo Institute developed the Shingo Model, the basis for its various educational offerings, including workshops, study tours, and conferences. Workshops are available in multiple languages through the Institute's Licensed Affiliates. For more information on workshops and affiliates or to register to attend an event, please visit https://shingo.org.