¶ … SIGMA Implementation

Six-Sigma has been successfully adopted by many global organizations starting with Motorola. The strategy focuses on minimization of defects to improve quality and enhance productivity. While I fully believe in the effectiveness of this strategy, it must be noted that without proper implementation plan, Six-sigma fails to generate desired results. For this reason, our organization first needs to understand the basics of implementing six-sigma before jumping on the bandwagon. We first need to understand that six-sigma is largely dependent on company's culture and management's commitment to success. Culture determines the level of resistance to change. If a company has been adopting quality initiatives, it is likely to accept Six-sigma without much resistance. However if there is a chance the people will resist change, it is important to prepare for this beforehand. Some communication strategies need to be adopted to inform people of the quality initiative, its purpose, its benefits and its impact on employees and the organization.

Commitment from top level management is of utmost significance. In order to successfully implement six-sigma, the management must commit to it so that it can influence others and gain their support as well. Employees must be completely convinced that Six-sigma initiative is for real and needs to be taken seriously. Top management can tie rewards with performance based on six-sigma just like GE CEO Jack Welch did when the company first implemented six-sigma in 1996. When it appeared that people might not take it seriously, Welch informed employees that their promotion in the organization would be dependent on how quickly they mastered Six-Sigma (Harry, 2006). This had an immediate impact on people's attitude towards the new initiative. The same kind of conviction needs to be displayed by our executives in order to get the desired results out of this program.

Reference

Mikel Harry, Six Sigma: The Breakthrough Strategy, Bantam Books. 2006