subject: 4 Steps to Implement Six Sigma and Change Management [print this page] 4 Steps to Implement Six Sigma and Change Management
If you find yourself experiencing employee resistance or a lack of support from the management while in the middle of a Six Sigma project, you are not alone. One of the common obstacles, which impede all Six Sigma project initiatives, is resistance to change. The Six Sigma and Change Management processes can provide the guidelines for change, but single handedly they cannot assure your success. This is because, most often these professionals lack Six Sigma and Change Management competency, which is the ability to manage the change involving people.
If the role of change agent is such an integral part of the Black Belt profile, why is it that most enterprises spend just a few months training the Black Belt aspirants with just a few hours of training in Six Sigma and Change Management? Perhaps it is a two-pronged issue. Firstly the process of change has invariably been labelled as difficult. The second reason being that there is a high level of ambiguity revolving around dealing with change. People are the real issue however, as they are not data, which can be amended by conducting an analysis and hitting, a couple keystrokes. Unlike data you cannot delete people and pretend it never happened. People are obviously more complex than a data set.
So what does this imply for Six Sigma professionals? It means that a Six Sigma and Change Management certification is not the be all and end all in terms of learning and certification. A Six Sigma and Change Management certification is simply your stepping stone for bigger things to come. The next hurdle to overcome would be mastering Six Sigma and Change Management along with the people side of change.
Steps to initiate the process
Create awareness and fuel the desire for Six Sigma and Change Management competency within your team By now you have already invested a lot of time in attaining your Six Sigma and Change Management certification. Hence further training should be not your first priority. Instead take the time to list the reasons why Six Sigma and Change Management competency is vital for your success.
Here is a couple to get you started:
A greater probability of projects staying on time and maintaining their budget.
Managers would be more forthcoming in extending sponsorships and resources to facilitate the necessary changes.
A marked decrease in the overall resistance from employees.
The change would have less impact on the productivity of the organization.
You would build a credible reputation as a change agent and business leader.
Enhance your knowledge of Six Sigma and Change Management Once you have established the desire to create Six Sigma and Change Management skills, your next step would be to commence the learning process.
Increase your proficiency in the practical application of processes and tools to initiate change You should be able to apply and put into practice your knowledge of tools and processes to manage change.
Strengthen change management competency within your team To ensure the change is enduring you should strengthen and reward change leadership behavior and skills in your team. This would ensure that the valuable contribution made by your team members gets acknowledged.
