It’s hard to ignore the fact that Lean Six Sigma has become a subject of controversy in recent years. “Experts” claim that LSS is nothing more than a hoax. Just another marketing trick to fool people. However, all the evidence provided to support that vision has been purely theoretical. Practical reference has been religiously ignored.

Is this frustration justified? Or is it another controversy created to get people’s attention?

I like to call it a paradox of practice.

Lean Six Sigma can support organisational change, reduce cost and improve customer satisfaction if applied correctly.

Every tool and technique will fail if not used properly. What is so special about Lean Six Sigma that makes people take on social media to express their frustration?

Today I want to explore 3 factors that in my mind fuel the bad press (unnecessarily!).

1. Unrealistic expectations

“Number of Black Belts and Green Belts hired is proportional to the success of the business.” This right here is the road that leads towards failure!

Understanding of what LSS is and how it should be applied is paramount to the successful implementation. There are no miracles, magic tricks or spells that LSS practitioners can cast to change the business for better. Sometimes it is better to start with simple problem solving and team building before taking on a six sigma project.

2. Confusion

Lean and Six Sigma complement each other well. You must remember though, that these two concepts have fundamental differences. Lean is focused on waste reduction (in a broad sense) while Six Sigma looks into process variation and capability. Improvement projects fail when wrong tools are used in the process. It is tempting to produce normal distribution graphs and garnish them with some statistical data every time someone mentions “improvement”. Be reasonable though. “Don’t use a cannon to kill a fly.”

3. Poor people management

Last but not least no change can be successful without excellent interpersonal skills of the leader. LSS tools and techniques become irrelevant if the project head is unable to work with the team. Effective and efficient work can be quite complex. Some the elements may include communication, education & training, conflict management, decision making etc.

Unfortunately, these skills are often overestimated when a new initiative is assigned. Like it or not but none of the existing LSS training provided by the largest organisations is addressing this issue. None! Course graduates complete the LSS training not knowing how to apply new knowledge in the environment full of resistance to change, different skill level and some extreme attitudes.

What is your experience with Lean Six Sigma implementation? Please share your thoughts in the comments below or drop me a line via the contact form.

Have a great day everyone!