Helping Six Sigma Fit in With Your Company Culture

They may wonder why this method will prove better than similar attempts that have been tried in the past. Getting Six Sigma embraced within your corporate culture is important, and having employees come alongside will make the job of the Belts a lot easier.

Without their support, belts can quickly become disheartened.

The scepticism that can be found with the announcement of Six Sigma implementation is not limited to employees alone. Upper management is often wary of claims that Six Sigma can radically increase the bottom line of a company; it is hard to believe that a company can save $250,000 per project.

It is even harder to comprehend the savings as the worth of these projects are calculated over a decade, and begin to run into the billions of dollars.

Often management has trouble believing that Six Sigma is any different than other error reduction strategy, or that it will fit in with their corporate mission. Another objection is the cost of black belts and the expertise that they bring to the implementation process.

Well, the only way to address these issues is to have a cultural makeover from the top down. It is imperative that management wholeheartedly embraces Six Sigma and every procedure that will serve to indoctrinate its strategies within the business.

It’s a strategy that is designed and proven to work regardless of industry or company.

Here are some ways you can “sell” Six Sigma to employees and management alike.

• Results will be visible as milestones. First companies will notice financial gains, then employee satisfaction, and finally satisfied customers. These changes are measured by the conventionally perceptible barometer and will generally satisfy even the most cynical skeptics.
• Begin by assessing the corporate culture before deployment of Six Sigma strategies. Understanding where everyone is coming from will help you measure results afterwards.
• Accept that with time, people will become used to the changes. It’s likely that most people will forget they were ever leery about the process in the first place, as things begin to go well for the company.

In order for the deployment to be successful, it must be embraced within the corporate culture. Using the strategies above can decrease resistance and give Six Sigma deployment a good head start towards success.