I wrote a series* about Six Sigma teams before and how teamwork can make your organization stay on top.
When you think of teams, often what comes to mind is play or sports. With the FIFA World Cup fever still on, I can’t help thinking if Six Sigma and team dynamics can come into play with sports.
My research brought me to an analogy of Six Sigma team to American football team. In the article published by Frontiers of Quality of ASQ, Ronald D. Snee said that you can make Six Sigma your signature play to pull ahead of the competition.
This statement was brought about by an observation that Six Sigma leaders do not work as a team. It really is important to have them work as a team and know each of their functions very well. Snee then went on to share an analogy:
When we think of excellence and success in the sports world, Vince Lombardi, coach of the Green Bay Packer football team that won five National Football League titles and the first two Super Bowls, quickly comes to mind. His success came from careful thought, detailed planning, lots of practice and hard work, and a clear focus on the goal.
The Packer Sweet was Lombardi’s signature play. He practiced this play more than any other, refining it until his players knew they could run it anytime against any opponent.
Anyone who saw Green Bay football during the Lombardi years will recall the sweep in which the guards, Jerry Kramer and Fuzzy Thurston, pulled out of the line and led the running back, Jim Taylor, around the end while each of the other players completed his assignment.
The Packer Sweep had many variations. On every play, each player knew what his job was. He also understood that if he did his assignment well, the play would be successful, and it could be run at any time, against any opponent. Continue reading…
The Packer Sweep was not original. Lombardi borrowed it from Los Angeles Rams, but he perfected it. Six Sigma was not totally original too. It was developed from the work of others, and now continues to be enhanced. Just as Lombardi perfected the Packer Sweet, so do you need to perfect the use of Six Sigma and make it your signature play. After all, “Practice makes perfect.”
I am just bothered by the idea that if I had seen the team during Vince Lombardi’s time, I’d have witnessed how the team successfully made a clean sweep against their opponents. I am not sure if Green Bay Packers still execute this Packer Sweep. I sure hope they still do.
Here’s more about the Green Sweep.
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*Teamwork: The Key to Successful Six Sigma Projects
Making Your Six Sigma Team Work to the Fullest
Making Six Sigma Teams Effective
Creating Effective Six Sigma Teams
Managing Six Sigma Teams
Project Team: One of the Keys to Six Sigma Success
The Power of (Six Sigma) Teams
Six Sigma Strategy: Build Project Teams
Getting the Belts to Run the Six Sigma Project Teams
Taking Six Sigma Project Teams Higher
Ample Training is the Key to Project Teams’ Success
