The Lean of Six Sigma Helps HR Streamline its Tasks

An article on BLR.com says that many companies want their HR department to become more of a strategic partner than do succession planning and organizational support.

The argument is that HR already has a lot in their hands, and so an additional task may be counterproductive for the department. However, there is a way to free up HR for them to take part in strategic planning for the company, too.

In the article, it says that HR can use the Lean concepts of Six Sigma to streamline their tasks. The three useful concepts are:

1. Using Process Value And Mapping - determine whether the HR function is procedure and process heavy
2. Improving ‘Throughput’ - review the systems and staffing for your processes since both affect the end result.
3. Introduce ‘Pull’ Systems - link process and demand cuts out waste that could cause overproduction. “For service [providers] like HR, the objective is to reduce the overall lead time of providing services by reducing things in progress.”

Read more…

Related story:
Six Sigma in HR

Filed under: Benefits and Savings, Human Resource, Tips, Processes, Lean, Six Sigma

No Comments » |

Six Sigma Improving Human Performance and Workplace Safety

According to the Practicing Perfection Institute (PPI) survey, Six Sigma can improve human performance and workplace safety, slash errors and eliminate accidents, while showing efficiency improvements of more than 70%.

The results from three clients of PPI are:

• An electrical transmission organization in central Texas reports a 55.2% reduction in the average number of minutes per month of equipment outage caused by human error through integrating PPI’s methods.
• A major electrical transmission/distribution company in the northeastern U.S. reports that PPI’s own techniques for workplace safety resulted in an almost 75% reduction in human error rate — even in the midst of massive capital expansion employing multiple contractors!
• A commercial nuclear power plant was just awarded a Strength award by the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) for its incorporation of Six Sigma methods.

Read more…

Source:
Six Sigma Zone News

Filed under: Benefits and Savings, Human Resource, Team Dynamics, Deployment, Six Sigma

1 Comment |

Truemen Management Consultancy is now Six Sigma Compliant for Recruitment

The EconomicTimes-IndiaTimes reports:

Bangalore based HR company Truemen Management Consultancy has become the first ever firm in the world to achieve Six Sigma Compliance for recruitment, a top company official said.

The company serves 250 of the best clients in industry which included Mindtree, Wipro, Symphony and others.

Truemen’s Six Sigma complaince was carried out and certified by Nathan and Nathan Consultants, one of India’s top quality consulting companies.

Read more…

I’m a bit surprised by the use of the term “compliance.” As far as I know, if you go into Six Sigma, you don’t work for compliance. Rather, you work for being a Six Sigma company, which is able to achieve a 3.4 DPMOs, and is able to sustain your process improvement efforts.

Perhaps this is what they mean by being compliant or has achieved a Six Sigma compliance. Sometimes, we have to be careful with our semantics if we don’t want our info getting messed up.

Filed under: Six Sigma Organizations, Human Resource, Six Sigma

2 Comments |

Can Six Sigma Protect Companies from Crisis?

The fuel crisis is global. And because most, if not all, of our activities depend on fuel, we are now feeling the crunch.

The hottest issue of the day in the country is the impending increase of fuel. Different sectors have different views on how to peg the increase: in one go or in small amounts. So far, I have not heard of any company closures, or companies retrenching their workforce to cope with the crisis. What we’re experiencing though are increases of basic commodities.

Already two locally based airlines, PAL and SEAIR, are seeking regulatory nod for fuel surcharge increase.

The fuel crisis however has a different effect on other companies outside of the Philippines. In the airlines industry for example, many American airlines have regrouped, increased charges, put charges where there weren’t before, and cut down on flights and employees. AirTran is to cut 180 pilot jobs, 300 flight attendant jobs.
A Six Sigma company is actually doing those cuts. Jazz Air LP has implemented several cost-saving measures to cope with the rising fuel cost. Although Jazz is already a lean company, yet they have to let some of their people go.

According to Joseph Randell, President and CEO of Jazz:

While Jazz is already a lean organization and is in a reasonable position to manage its current challenges, every effort is being made to reduce our costs and to prepare for what may lie ahead.

Jazz has already established a number of fuel-saving initiatives, recently froze all hiring and non-critical staff overtime, and instituted a number of other cost-saving programs. Being a Six Sigma organization has made Jazz a more efficient airline and the focus to ensure we remain competitive is constant.

Read more…

This incident made me ask, can Six Sigma protect companies from crisis?

Source:
iSixSigma News

Filed under: Six Sigma Organizations, Human Resource, Lean, Six Sigma, Airlines, Customer Service

No Comments » |

Do Six Sigma and HR Work Well Together?

Yes, they do, and I also believe so.

I found this article on Articles Bridge via Six Sigma Zone, and it discusses how HR and Six Sigma can work together and achieve the desired results.

This is how:

1. HR can help in forming the Six Sigma team.
2. HR can assist in creating job descriptions for candidates of each team member.
3. HR can ensure that Black Belts and the team get training in teamwork, conflict management and personal communication skills.
4. HR professionals, with their project management education and analytical skills, can help play a major role in strategic, operational and administrative activities of Six Sigma projects.
5. HR professionals can use the Six Sigma methodology in risk areas, where safety and health issues are a priority.

Read more…

In other words, both Six Sigma and HR involve people, teams, and team work. While HR specializes in making people or human resource function well, Six Sigma can provide the tool to enhance it. Thus, I see no reason for the two to not being able to work successfully together.

Related story:
Why HR Should Be Involved in Six Sigma

*Photo from Stock.Xchng

Filed under: Human Resource, Team Dynamics, Six Sigma

No Comments » |

Using Six Sigma Tools for Talent Acquisition

I used to work for a training center of a placement agency. Every day, people seeking jobs overseas would crowd the office. And so I thought, recruitment work or the placement business is fast and easy. But that was a misconception. I knew about this when the HR of that agency approached me for help in looking for engineers for a steel company in the Middle East.

I found that there was pressure from employers to fill certain positions with highly qualified people, and the agency was having a hard time accomplishing that task. Maybe for those companies facing the same dilemma, you can learn from what Volta Asia Enterprises is doing.

Volt Asia Enterprises, is a world class leader in the staffing service industry based in Malaysia. To improve efficiencies, the company is going into Six Sigma and using Six Sigma tools such as DMAIC and SIPOC.

Speaking before the American Chamber of Commerce Human Resources Committee workshop in Taipei, Excelsis Magno, regional general manager of Volt Asia Enterprises, said that “Six Sigma is a business philosophy that matches a company’s basic strategies to customer needs and expectations.”

At Volta for example, she further said:

The basic approach is to understand the current performance level. To improve existing processes, the DMAIC roadmap is applied to define, measure, analyze, improve and control. For redesigning a process, the technique is define, measure, analyze, design and verify. She then defined the various roles, before discussing concepts and sharing possible applications.

Statistical metrics are used to describe the quality of a process in a state of near perfection with only 3.4 defects per million opportunities (DPMO). To emphasize the benefits of working towards Six Sigma, here are two examples: For every opening out of 10,000 total that are not filled in a year,” posited Magno, “at 93 percent (three sigma), there are 58 openings a month; at 99 percent (four sigma), there are 19 a month; at 99.9997 percent (six sigma), there are merely three every 100 years.

Continue reading…

Source:
China Post

*Photo from Stock.Xchng

Filed under: Six Sigma Organizations, Human Resource, DMAIC, Six Sigma, SIPOC

No Comments » |

Human Sigma: The Heart and Soul of Employee-Customer Relations

For those of you here in Metro Manila, here’s some good news.

Deming Management Systems(R), a division of Kairos Management Technologies, is bringing you the management benchmarking forum on Human Sigma: The Heart and Soul of Employee-Customer Relations.

Below are the complete details.

February 21, 2008, 1:00pm, Hotel Intercontinental, Makati City

Designed for corporate managers in human resources, marketing, sales, total quality, and customer relations, this forum introduces the participants to proven methods of using employee-customer interaction as one strategic measure to drive financial performance.

LINE-UP OF RESOURCE SPEAKERS

Theoretical Framework: Prof. Nenette Barrios, Professorial Lecturer, De La Salle - Professional Schools

Best Practice 1: Mr. Reuben San Jose Pangan, Vice President, Customer Relations, Sun Cellular

Best Practice 2: Mr. Florendo G. Maranam, Vice President, Human Resources, Bank of P.I.

Best Practice 3: Mr. Emmanuel A. Aligada, Head for Customer Relations, Globe Telecom

Best Practice 4: Ms. Cristina Fe N. Arevalo, Vice President, Human Resources, Toyota Motor

REGISTRATION RATE POLICY

Investment is P5,000/person to cover the cost of participation, snack, training kit, and certificate of participation. A special P4,000 rate is extended to all participants who are currently based in Visayas and Mindanao.

Participants are entitled to get a free copy of the 305-page book – “The Buzzword-Centric Workplace” written by Reylito A. H. Elbo, business columnist of Business World and Manila Times. This special edition of management buzzwords is not available in popular bookstores.
No difficult registration forms to fill-up. To register, simply send an e-mail with the subject line “HUMAN SIGMA”to kairoshq@info.com.ph with the participant’s information:

1. Name you want to appear in the registration and certificate
2. Nickname (for the name tag)
3. Job title
4. Company
5. Address
6. Industry class
7. Contact person
8. Telephone
9. Fax number
10. Mobile phone of contact person in case of emergency announcements

As soon as we receive your registration, a billing statement will be sent to the contact person. All payments should be made via bank deposit in favor of Kairos Management Technologies, Union Bank C/A 00126-000339-8.

For an on-the-spot decision, group discount, or further details, please call/send SMS to:

REYLITO A. H. ELBO, FPM, CESO
Chief Strategist and Convenor
Kairos Management Technologies
5/F Builders Center, 170 Salcedo Street, Legaspi Village, Makati City 1223
Tel. 822-6660, 751-6730 Fax. 823-3532 Mobile 0919-808-7023 or 0915-406-3039

Filed under: Human Resource, Events/Announcements, Human Sigma

2 Comments |

Using Six Sigma for Employee Promotion

I have written quite a number of posts about the use of Six Sigma in human resource. Some of the posts touched on fast-tracking recruitment process, others on providing training for employees. Not one touched on promotion.

If Six Sigma can improve recruitment and training processes, I believe it can also be used for evaluating employees for leveling up.

Cummins is actually doing it. An article on Information Week narrates how the company will be using Six Sigma to determine of IT employees can be managers.

CIO Gail Farnsley shares how she will apply process improvement method, particularly Six Sigma, to identify and develop the manufacturer’s IT management talent. Right now, she’s looking into the following:

• starting with the VOC survey, asking business-unit heads about the strengths and weaknesses of the IT division
• ranking and prioritizing the qualities of a future IT leader
• looking into IT management candidates’ experience in non-IT roles
• tracking how many of them actually make it to leadership positions

Read more…Source:
InformationWeek.com, a Six Sigma Zone featured link

*Photo from MorgueFile

Filed under: Human Resource, Software/Technology, Deployment, CIO, IT

No Comments » |

Empowering Employees Through Lean Six Sigma Training

Lean Six Sigma is not only used to remove barriers to smooth operations, or to reduce processes, but it can also be used to involve employees and empower them.

Fort Leavenworth did exactly this. When they started their Lean Six Sigma training, they used Lean Six Sigma to encourage their employees to share their ideas on how to improve processes.

This is because Leavenworth management believes that it is the employees who are the frontliners of a business, and thus know better as to how to serve customers or clients.

At first, Garrison employees were hesitant to put out their ideas for fear that they could be fired for them or that their suggestions would be ignored. They were wrong. In fact, many of them got rewards for good ideas, which were actually put into use.

Here are some of the brilliant ideas from employees:

• getting a trainer to Fort Leavenworth instead of taking employees to train somewhere
• streamline passport approval
• express check-in at the lodging facility
• use fewer hours to light the airfield
• improve the profitability of the Havana Beach Club
• streamline the process for getting safety glasses
• reduce overtime worked by civil servant officers

Read more…

Source:
The Fort Leavenworth Lamp Online, an iSixSigma featured link

Filed under: Benefits and Savings, Services, Lean Six Sigma, Six Sigma Organizations, Human Resource, Military, US Army

No Comments » |

National Aviation Services Introduces Six Sigma to Selected Kuwait University Students

The initial project of National Aviation Services Kuwai (NAS) and Kuwait University was to have some students study the high turnaround of employees at NAS.

With the right guidance, the students went down to work. Using the Cause and Effect Approach method the students presented a number of solutions to improve human resource functions and also gave the management a SWOT Analysis with a process map on the way forward.

NAS was so impressed with the work of the students that it decided to sponsor the selected students to a Six Sigma training course.

As a reward NAS will also be sponsoring the students in attending the world renowned Six Sigma Development program. The program that has been developed by Motorola university has been designed to improve business performance and companies all over the world use the program to enhance customer satisfaction, maximize process efficiencies, increase competitive advantage & market share and make savings on operating expenses.

“As a local company that is expanding at a rapid pace, we lay a huge emphasis on corporate social responsibility and this includes encouraging the local youth to pursue exciting careers in the fields of aviation, medicine, IT, engineering and business,” commented Eng. Naji Al-Ajmi, CEO of NAS who was present at the ceremony at which the students were presented with certificates in addition to the Six Sigma Sponsorships to commemorate the completion of their training. “It was a pleasure for us to have these young people in our midst and we are glad they got to learn a little about our business. We will definitely look into their finding and recommendations and we wish them the very best in their endeavors in the future,” he concluded.

Read more…

To me the gesture of NAS is commendable. It’s good to start them young so that when these students get out of university, they bring with them the concept of quality and continuous improvement.

Source:
AME Info, a Six Sigma Zone featured link

*Photo from Stock.Xchng

Filed under: Benefits and Savings, Six Sigma Organizations, Human Resource, Training, Team Dynamics

No Comments » |