Eric Harding of Republic Services: When Having a Methodology Matters More Than Which One

From People Solve Problems by Jamie Flinchbaugh

May 27, 2026 · 23 min

About this episode

Eric Harding discusses the importance of methodology in problem solving and the significance of defining problems clearly.

Some problem-solving wisdom comes from advanced frameworks. Other wisdom comes from eighth-grade science class. Eric Harding holds onto both. In this episode of People Solve Problems, host Jamie Flinchbaugh sits down with Eric Harding, Vice President of HR Operations and Systems at Republic Services. With more than twenty years across HR, manufacturing, and product development, Eric has seen what works, what fails, and what gets dressed up as something more sophisticated than it really is. The conversation moves through methodology, coaching, culture, and measurement, returning again and again to a single truth: the fundamentals do most of the work. Eric describes how his thinking about problem solving traces back through Intel's seven-step method in the early nineties, through Six Sigma belts and DMAIC, through Lean, and through more recent labels. He prefers the term methodology-based improvement because it removes the anxiety that surfaces the moment a specific brand name appears in the room. What he has noticed across organizations is that the named system matters less than the discipline of being systematic. And he is direct about where most teams fall short. Defining the…

People in this episode

Host: Jamie Flinchbaugh

Guest: Eric Harding

Topics covered

problem solving
methodology
HR operations
organizational culture
measurement
systematic improvement

Keywords

methodology
problem solving
HR operations
Lean
Six Sigma
organizational culture
measurement

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Republic Services, Intel, Six Sigma, Lean