MBA Journal Six Sigma Education Resources

Understanding Why Six Sigma Works

There are so many people out there who are Six Sigma skeptics. These people see, hear, and read articles and testimonials all the time about the 6 Sigma methodology and the ways in which it benefits all businesses large and small. The reasons they are skeptical usually lie in the few bad stories that are out there about Six Sigma failures, like those that surround the Home Depot.

Now, just because 6 Sigma doesn't work for every company doesn't mean that there is an inherient flaw with the system. After all, the training across the board is the same and therefore as long as the training and certification programs are consistent then the results should be the same. The differences in the programs lie usually ways in which the program is implemented within the companies themselves.

One of the biggest consistency problems with Six Sigma lies in the ways in which the variety of different companies tend to implement Six Sigma and this is one of the biggest problems that plagued the Home Depot with Six Sigma. Former CEO Robert Nardelli became so focused on Six Sigma that he allowed it to cloud and over-take the good common sense that is needed in business management.

And the same was true with 3M and the problems that they encountered with Six Sigma as well. In 3M, profits began to soar but then plummeted because once again this company was so focused on Six Sigma that they forgot the essential principles of business in general.

While these are some examples of Six Sigma failures, they are also examples of companies that took 6 Sigma too far and allowed it to overcome their business. It should also be noted that while both companies did away with their CEO's in the end, they both did hang onto Six Sigma and found that with a few changes that they were able to attain Six Sigma success without a problem. After all, sometimes it is not the management system that is the problem but the ways in which those in charge try to use it exclusively and without good judgment that tends to cause the problems.