The standard operating procedure when deploying Six Sigma is getting leadership to support the initiative. Without leadership support, we’re often told, Six Sigma deployment will most likely fail.
To my mind, I don’t think any management would reject an initiative that would improve business. The initial reaction, which may look like rejection, may just be a product of not really knowing what Six Sigma is and what it entails. Often, readiness is a major factor of acceptance.
iSixSigma put out a checklist of things to determine if your management is ready for Six Sigma.
Here is a test which can help business leaders decide if their organization is ready for Six Sigma. Please answer each question using a scale of 0-10, with 10 meaning “absolutely yes,” 5 meaning “maybe” and 0 meaning “absolutely no.”
______ 1. Is the organization structure relatively stable, not about to change dramatically?
______ 2. Will the business leader make Six Sigma one of his or her top priorities?
______ 3. Does leadership have credibility and a history of successfully implementing company-wide improvement initiatives, demonstrating that they can sustain their attention?
______ 4. Will the business devote 10 percent of its resources to Six Sigma?
______ 5. Can the best project and change leaders in the business at manager or junior manager level be assigned to Six Sigma projects?
______ 6. To launch the effort, will members of the leadership team invest two days of their time?
______ 7. Will members of the leadership team mandate that their direct reports invest in a two-day Six Sigma orientation?
______ 8. Is the business leadership team open to actively sponsoring pilot projects?
______ 9. Is it common practice to work in teams – project teams, management teams or natural working teams?
______ 10. Are decisions based upon analysis of relevant data at all levels in the organization?
______ 11. Is work defined in terms of processes? Are key processes documented and accountabilities clear?
______ Total
Scoring:
75-110 = Time to get started!
50-75 = Risky, unless all leadership items are strong! Below 50 = Wait until conditions have improved!
Source:
Is Your Company’s Leadership Ready for Six Sigma?
