Sigma In Organizations Research Articles

The influence of financial logic on the evolution of six sigma.

The ascension of financialization brought implications on the organizations, because they need to deal with the demands of the financial markets and its shareholders. Parallel to this movement, quality management has been gaining ground in organizations, from different approaches and the latest called Six Sigma. The objective of this article is to investigate the influence of the financial logic in the Six Sigma, using a detailed investigation of how Six Sigma has been addressed in the events promoted by the International Quality & Productivity Center (IQPC), by the analysis of events in Brazil and the United States in the period 2003-2010. The main results of this study proved and demonstrated the different ways of the influence of financial logic in the evolution of Six Sigma in organizations.

Critical analysis of Six Sigma implementation

The Six Sigma programme has recently gained popularity throughout the world. There are a number of claims of its successes as well as failures. Successful claims are mostly supported in the literature with the popular case studies of Motorola, GE, and some other American companies. Based on the popularity of these success stories, many companies started implementation of this programme. Some did it successfully while many failed to achieve the desired results. This paper explores and analyses the critical success and failure factors of implementing Six Sigma in organisations based on lessons drawn from real life practices and case studies, as well as available literature. The paper also draws useful conclusions and recommendations for strategists, CEO’s and quality managers on how to effectively implement Six Sigma.

Seis sigma: fatores críticos de sucesso para sua implantação

Este artigo descreve uma investigação dos fatores críticos de sucesso para a implantação do programa Seis Sigma em empresas que atuam no ambiente empresarial brasileiro. Além disso, este estudo teve por objetivo secundário investigar relações entre fatores como os seguintes: a percepção de sucesso alcançado pelas empresas que implantaram o Seis Sigma; tamanho e nacionalidade das empresas; tempo de implantação do Seis Sigma e de treinamento continuado; nível de comunicação entre os profissionais; regime de dedicação de tempo dos Black Belts; taxa de conclusão de projetos, sua duração e economia gerada. Os dados foram coletados por meio de questionário postado na Internet e distribuído por correio eletrônico e em fóruns de discussão que envolveram profissionais do Seis Sigma. O desenvolvimento do questionário abrangeu pesquisa bibliográfica e entrevistas com profissionais experientes em Seis Sigma. Os resultados indicaram oito fatores considerados críticos para o sucesso na implantação do Seis Sigma: (a) Liderança, (b) Projetos, (c) Treinamento, (d) Comunicação e Revisão, (e) Processo Gerencial, (f) Perfil dos Black Belts, (g) Equipe de Projetos e (h) Iniciativas Prévias de Qualidade.

Enhancing Six Sigma Implementation Through Human Resource Management

While many companies have implemented Six Sigma and claim that they have achieved remarkable benefits from their investment, not all Six Sigma implementations yield the positive results promoted by its advocates. Human resource management (HRM) is recognized as a critical factor that influences the adoption of Six Sigma in organizations. Using data collected from 95 manufacturing plants that practice Six Sigma, this study investigates the role of three quality-oriented HRM practices—employee involvement, employee training, and employee performance and recognition—in Six Sigma implementation. Results of this study indicate that the three HRM practices significantly affect the use of Six Sigma methodology. In addition, it is found that Six Sigma role structure (that is, the human infrastructure for Six Sigma using the Six Sigma Green and Black Belt system) integrates with the traditional quality-oriented HRM practices in supporting the use of Six Sigma methodology.