tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16711894.post7050494086395002459..comments2023-08-03T11:16:11.202-04:00Comments on Got Boondoggle?: Suffering from Sick Sigma?Mike Wroblewskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03451872136821100772noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16711894.post-4205885536575645312012-05-04T11:22:41.118-04:002012-05-04T11:22:41.118-04:00Mike, some great comments here.
Sadly it is an a...Mike, some great comments here. <br /><br />Sadly it is an all too common and sometimes an embarrassing truth that many companies and management put into the classic 'denial bucket' touting that they have "many black belts" and "six sigma improvement projects"... "nothing wrong here..."<br /><br />The use of the common consultant "Dr's of sickness" and little sharing of projects can cause this sickness to perpetuate until it kills enthusiasm and disappears... leaving behind little hope and a distaste for Six Sigma. Indeed a true sickness.<br /><br />John's comments are right on. Having a lack of true understanding of the problem and the tools available led to the wrong prognosis. Throwing six sigma at miss-understood problems as a rush to get the patient better became a trend.<br /><br />Someone more famous than I once said, "a problem well stated is a problem half solved...", perhaps six sigma fads were a reflection of this that was not recognized...<br />"A problem half solved is ...a result of six sigma problems..." <br /><br />To all the six sigma teams and belts out there... This is not true for all, so be sure you pass your skills to others, align your projects with real problems and metrics for your businesses, and most of all, enthusiastically share what you do so others become addicted to a new kind of sickness... "Fix Sigma"<br /><br />Enjoy!<br /><br />.Jonathan Sandshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18122333773608518034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16711894.post-48322519941923120772012-05-04T11:21:48.166-04:002012-05-04T11:21:48.166-04:00Mike, some great comments here.
Sadly it is an a...Mike, some great comments here. <br /><br />Sadly it is an all too common and sometimes an embarrassing truth that many companies and management put into the classic 'denial bucket' touting that they have "many black belts" and "six sigma improvement projects"... "nothing wrong here..."<br /><br />The use of the common consultant "Dr's of sickness" and little sharing of projects can cause this sickness to perpetuate until it kills enthusiasm and disappears... leaving behind little hope and a distaste for Six Sigma. Indeed a true sickness.<br /><br />John's comments are right on. Having a lack of true understanding of the problem and the tools available led to the wrong prognosis. Throwing six sigma at miss-understood problems as a rush to get the patient better became a trend.<br /><br />Someone more famous than I once said, "a problem well stated is a problem half solved...", perhaps six sigma fads were a reflection of this that was not recognized...<br />"A problem half solved is ...a result of six sigma problems..." <br /><br />To all the six sigma teams and belts out there... This is not true for all, so be sure you pass your skills to others, align your projects with real problems and metrics for your businesses, and most of all, enthusiastically share what you do so others become addicted to a new kind of sickness... "Fix Sigma"<br /><br />Enjoy!<br /><br />.Jonathan Sandshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18122333773608518034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16711894.post-74376005780511199162012-04-11T23:44:10.310-04:002012-04-11T23:44:10.310-04:00Unfortunately it's an all to common problem. W...Unfortunately it's an all to common problem. Winning the badges (well belts) is the goal and not improving the business and ensuring long term success.<br /><br />I agree with your answer to Rob that it is a failure of the management system. Although the leaders can contribute to the failure.Chrishttp://www.leanmanufacturingsupport.net/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16711894.post-37231703805571152742012-04-09T10:46:19.960-04:002012-04-09T10:46:19.960-04:00Well said Rob. I would express it more as a failu...Well said Rob. I would express it more as a failure of our management systems rather blaming leaders themselves, although we do have some great examples of poor leaders.Mike Wroblewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03451872136821100772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16711894.post-32547846271093284882012-04-09T10:41:56.371-04:002012-04-09T10:41:56.371-04:00Thanks John, Exactly, old managememt systems (thi...Thanks John, Exactly, old managememt systems (thinking) do not work well with the problem solving approaches in Six Sigma or lean philosophy.Mike Wroblewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03451872136821100772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16711894.post-45456459730981694482012-04-09T10:15:39.099-04:002012-04-09T10:15:39.099-04:00Great thoughts Thomas. Focus on process improvemen...Great thoughts Thomas. Focus on process improvement and developing people instead of results only. This takes time. Also, leaders need to live the lean philosophy and not hand improvement off to others.Mike Wroblewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03451872136821100772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16711894.post-725899376538056102012-04-08T13:57:46.493-04:002012-04-08T13:57:46.493-04:00I completed my Black Belt many years ago I’ve sadl...I completed my Black Belt many years ago I’ve sadly seen the process you describe in this post many, many time. I was recently reading about management fads and believe it or not they have definite life cycles and characteristics. Six Sigma is often thought of as a management fad by some (http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505183_162-28552307-10391735/the-8-stupidest-management-fads-of-all-time/):<br /><br />"It creates a hierarchy of "belted" experts who run around the company pretending that they know how to do other people's work better than the people who do the work. Endless meetings ensue, with little or no effect. The consulting firm who's implementing the Six Sigma walks away with a fat pay check."<br /><br />The failure of six sigma typically rests with the leader and we need to look no further than Dr. Deming for the answer: "Create constancy of purpose for the improvement of product and service." Companies usually have to contend with the problems of today, and those of tomorrow. Here in the West we have an excessive focus on the problems of now usually because most leaders only stick around for a few years.Robhttp://www.learnsigma.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16711894.post-51948259794409818842012-04-05T20:44:53.638-04:002012-04-05T20:44:53.638-04:00Right. This situation is very common. To me it s...Right. This situation is very common. To me it seems to be noticeably more common in six sigma than lean but that is just what it seems like to me. I think there are some bureaucracy reasons - six sigma tends to get focus on what amount to arbitrary numbers (goals...). Six sigma doesn't have to do that, it just seems to happen more often.<br /><br />The biggest problem is that the vast majority of all management improvement efforts suffer this fate. If management doesn't actually improve their thinking and the management system the old management system kills off whatever the change it.John Hunterhttp://johnhunter.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16711894.post-46208867824226712582012-04-04T10:01:46.530-04:002012-04-04T10:01:46.530-04:00I think there is no real medicine against "Si...I think there is no real medicine against "Sick Sigma" but to educate people to live the "lean" philosophy. The heavier task might be to educate the management, as they just look at the $$$ and Lean focuses on the (really) long term and can't be done overnight.<br />People expect too much to be done in a too short time. And if there is only "little" success, enthusiasm and motivation go down. We can't let that happen, so we have to work hard to find ways to motivate!Thomashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03873939475045664792noreply@blogger.com