---

---

---

---

Science Current Events and Science News RSS Feeds

---

---

Email a Friend Printer Friendly

U of Minnesota professor provides in-depth analysis of Six Sigma phenomenon

June 19, 2008

Six Sigma has become known for its effectiveness in cutting costs and improving profitability for businesses. With numerous other quality management processes including Baldrige, ISO 9000 and TMQ, what makes Six Sigma different? Roger Schroeder, the Frank Donaldson Chair in Operations Management at the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management examines this issue in the June/July 2008 issue of the Journal of Operations Management. Schroeder finds that while the tools and techniques of Six Sigma are strikingly similar to prior approaches of quality management, they provide a unique organizational structure not previously seen.this issue in the June/July 2008 issue of the Journal of Operations Management. Schroeder finds that while the tools and techniques of Six Sigma are strikingly similar to prior approaches of quality management, they provide a unique organizational structure not previously seen.

The paper looks at two companies, one that was newly involved in implementing Six Sigma and one that had a longer history with the quality management strategy.

Schroeder explains, "While there are many books and articles on Six Sigma, this is the first academic article that attempts to carefully define Six Sigma based on field data. This is a necessary step for future research on the effectiveness of Six Sigma and even for examining if all organizations apply Six Sigma in the same way. We need to define the phenomenon we are studying before we can move ahead with research."

The paper, titled "Six Sigma: Definition and Underlying Theory," identifies the Six Sigma methodology and builds an academic framework that takes it out of the hands of consulting gurus and lends legitimacy to its value as a quality management process.

Schroeder and his co-researchers established several consistent elements that were agreed to be essential for successful Six Sigma engagement. These elements included:

Parallel-meso structures: Six Sigma operates as a parallel organization, which is the organizational structure dedicated to improving the organization, but incorporates both micro and macro level decision making authority that allows multilevel integration of strategic projects.

Strategic Project Selection: Six Sigma organizations develop formal mechanisms to select Six Sigma projects. These mechanisms, sometimes called project hoppers, involve senior management to filter out Six Sigma projects that do not have financial or strategic implications.

Leadership Engagement: Leaders are also involved in the ongoing execution of Six Sigma projects.

Improvement Specialists: Study participants used full-time improvement specialists, called Black Belts. These specialists were trained in the Six Sigma structured method by typically receiving four weeks of training with hands-on experience in improving one or more processes. Many organizations also train most of their employees who are assigned to projects in Six Sigma basics.

Structured Methodology: Six Sigma uses a structured method for process improvement. Improvement method used by study participants was the familiar DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control) method. The study found a strong emphasis on finding the root cause of the problem through systematic use of the method. The Six Sigma methodology employs standard quality tools like Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA), cause-effect charts and Statistical Process Control.

University of Minnesota