Six Sigma Implementation and Challenges

This assignment delves into the complexities of implementing Six Sigma within organizations, particularly focusing on 3M's experience. It examines the potential conflicts between Six Sigma's emphasis on process control and innovation, highlighting how the approach can impact employee morale and organizational culture. The discussion analyzes the benefits of Six Sigma in improving operational efficiency and explores strategies for balancing structured processes with a culture that fosters creativity and innovation.

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Operations Management
By (Name)
Course
Professor
University
Date

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Section One
Executive Summary
Six Sigma is an approach used in ensuring continuous quality improvement and lowering
inherent variability. 3M’s, Inc. Six Sigma journey began after James Mcnerney was named the
company’s chairman and executive officer in January 2001. Before his arrival in the company,
some Six Sigma activities were taking place in some sections of the company. However, it was
not as much as it would be with McNerney's corporate-driven approach. After four years, the
progress is remarkable, and the organization has continuously developed new products including
new business processes.
The company’s growth strategy includes the following corporate initiatives: Six Sigma,
Sourcing Globally, 3M Acceleration, eProductivity, and Indirect Cost Control. Under the new
executive officer, the firm began the task of implementing initiatives that aim at improving
customer service. The actions are according to the organization’s strategies. The strategies make
the customers think of the 3M organization as an agile firm that they are and willing to provide
the best goods and services. The improvement processes are usually approved by the
management, savings are tracked and defects reduced, and the team leaders are held accountable
for the activities. The top agenda at 3M, Inc. was headlong and companywide implementation of
the six sigma. The aim was to improve the business by increasing sales, saving costs, satisfying
the customers and strengthening management development (Yüksel, 2012, pp. 75). The approach
was used in two improvement models: existing processes used DMAIC model and development
of new products used DFSS model. The daily operations in implementing the plan include:

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tracing down the savings from the project and designing new products and reducing risks in the
designing process. These activities are aligned with 3M, Inc. whose strategy is leading in
products and products’ quality.
Action Plan
Time Objective Action
One month To select the
appropriate projects.
Senior executives are
trained and tasked with
developing the 100 main
sigma projects.
One month To train the middle
managers.
The senior executives
were to lead the training.
Two months To develop and
implement improvement
plans.
Using the two
improvement models: for the
existing product, DMAIC
model and developing new
products, DFSS model.
One month To manage for
excellence in operations.
Management of the
daily operations of 3M to
ensure that they are at per
with the firm’s strategy.
One month To sustain the gains. Continuously tracking

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down the Six Sigma approach
for quality development and
product leadership.
An action plan is a plan that is detailed, outlining the actions required to reach a goal.
3M’s goal is to improve on product quality through innovation. The first month involves
identifying and developing appropriate projects. Senior executives were exposed to an intensive
training program. This gave them several ideas and projects that they could use to improve
products’ quality. Appropriate plans that would be put into practice came from these senior
managers. The following one month was used in training the middle managers. The middle
managers would ensure that the departments applied the Six Sigma model in their daily
activities. This would ensure that the approach was successful. The senior executives were
tasked with leading training efforts for the middle managers.
The following two months involved developing and implementing improvement plans.
3M used two models in developing and improving their product and services. The first model
was DMAIC model for improving existing services, while the DFSS model was used in
developing new products. The next month would be used in managing the Six Sigma approach
for excellent operations. Managing involves ensuring that the company’s daily activities are at
per with the firm’s strategy. The entire process is managed to ensure that it achieves the
legitimate goal which is improving quality through innovation. The last one month would be
used in sustaining the gains. The Six Sigma is continuously tracked down for quality
development and product leadership. Any mistakes made within the process are identified and

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corrected on time. The errors may be detected before they occur to cut down on cots that come
along with them.
Section Two
Question One
The Six Sigma approach is customer and quality driven. The program can be defined by
its benefits, costs, and risks. The primary advantage of this approach is controlling quality. This
method is characterized by having 3.4 defects per one million products. The benefits of the Six
Sigma include analysing data for assessment purpose, low-cost savings, improving product and
service’s quality. Also, it ensures effective supply chain management, increases stabilization,
saving on process time and vocational training of staff. The real success of the Six Sigma can be
seen at 3M. It resulted in a positive impact on the firm. The success has benefited the customers,
workers, and shareholders. Anything that is not acceptable to the customer is considered an error.
Six Sigma model determines product improvement before defects can occur.
The process costs involve many people during Six Sigma implementation. In
implementing the project appropriately, there should be a skilled team. However, existing
employees’ abilities can be improved to meet the specifications (Swink and Jacobs, 2012, pp.
443). The selection of the team members that impact on employing and capacity building is
crucial. These costs include investing in training, company’s infrastructure and culture evolution.
The risks involved with the approach are: choosing inappropriate projects, not having the right
staff, tools, and the support to obtain the results, and high costs before payback are seen. Some
steps of tracking and avoiding risks include; selecting the right project, objectives, and Six
Sigma’s standard utilization method.

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Question Two
For the Six Sigma to be successful, all areas have to be involved. Since the Six Sigma is a
model, it can be implemented in all departments. Hence, every department may have the
opportunity to practice the model. The sales and marketing department is involved with the
customers’ needs and their satisfaction. The manufacturing and operations department will be
needed to meet manufacturing deadlines, producing required capacities, and supply chain
management. The operations along with the finance department need to monitor the cash flows
and all accounts payable and accounts receivables.
The managers are tasked with the responsibility of encouraging employees’ during the
changing initiative. Managers’ encouragement gives motivation to the employees, helping
succeed cultural change during organization’s restructuring. The senior management has the
responsibility of leading the change initiative (Furterer, 2016, pp. 127). Also, they are required to
be the first in Six Sigma’s Black Belts. The middle management is entitled to engage the front
line workers in making the change successful and long-lasting. Additionally, they need to model
the new processes to include everyone and encourage the workers during the shift. The senior
managers can be used as the evaluating body. This means that they judge if the Six Sigma
approach has been fully implemented. The middle managers are accountable for the
implementation of the Six Sigma by the departments.
Question Three

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It is known that the Six Sigma approach creates proper procedure aimed at improving an
organization’s production and process. The primary principles of the system are a careful
examination of customers’ needs and business requirement, measurement of the performance
gap, analysis of essential source and implementation of required correction along with
modification. Thus, the approach is involved in corporate strategy such as connecting targets to
critical quality factors and addressing the lack of capability with an opportunity to enhance
project initiative. Thus, the model covers essential techniques that are used to execute the
corporate strategy.
At times, changing or improving a company’s primary procedures is necessary for
accurate procedure and management. The 3M organization had taken two central management
actions in the level of procedure improvement (Jirasukprasert, et al. 2014, pp. 17). For the
Strategic Project Selection (SPS), the approach improved structure positioning procedures,
customer requirement, and prioritization. This was done according to the strategic objectives of
the firm. For the Project Management Infrastructure (PMI), the model ensures procedure
improvement as per the standard method.
When Six Sigma approach is employed, corporate strategy becomes a concern from the
bottom up to the top level management. This is because it develops organizational goals
throughout the organization and its departments. This may result in a shift in the firm’s culture.
Implementing the approach set objectives that are linked to specific business processes. The
processes are prioritized for specific reasons which include the company’s value and required
resources. The Six Sigma shapes the strategy of the organization.
Question Four

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The Six Sigma model is highly structured. Hence, it requires that crucial leaders are
designated as team leaders. This means that the Human Resource department is faced with the
duty of matching every employee to the roles and functions required in attaining success. Hence,
the selection of the workers would involve measurement of their ability to work within a
structure and follow a protocol. The company’s structure would also be affected when the Six
Sigma is employed in the firm. The reason is that the organization would be performing duties as
units specializing in a process (Evans and Lindsay, 2014, pp. 234). This may either flatten the
structure or make it more diversified. The employees reward would as well be changed because
their performance would be measured by efficiency in improving their final output. However, if
the employees fail to reach the standards, no reward would be allocated to them. Basing the
reward on individual performance would result in redesigning the organization’s rewards system.
As with any firm’s initiative, many factors contribute to success. These responsibilities
fall within the Human Resource as discussed. First, the success of the Six Sigma depends on
selecting the right people for the Black Belt role (Pyzdek and Keller, 2014, pp. 72). Investing in
training is vital for the position. The Human resource is helpful in identifying the right people for
these Black Belt roles. Second, the Black Belts join the initiative from different departments in
the company where they receive differing compensation. Thus, it is difficult to make adjustments
in the level and compensation to the team as they play the same role. The Human Resource can
help in tackling the challenge by establishing right rewards or recognition.
Question Five

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3M’s history has been dotted with innovations and is seen as the most reliable point of
the organization bringing about sales, growth and market share. 3M is a diversified firm that has
depended on R&D department’s ability to develop new products. This made the company to
secure the first position in its field. The Six Sigma approach was heavily criticized for stifling
creativity, meaning reduced innovation opportunities. Since the approach focuses on
systematizing procedures and lowering costs and risks, innovation has no room in such a set-up.
Six Sigma is about consistency, control, and uniformity. However, innovation is about
mutation, difference, failure, and chance. The Six Sigma made the morale at the 3M to sink from
being the number one in the most innovative countries’ list in 2004 to number seven in 2007.
Nicholson commented that the Six Sigma approach killed innovation in the company. Hence, the
ambassadors at the firm pointed out that the approach was not ideal for the creative process. The
approach may work by improving 3M’s approaches mainly in production and marketing. Since
Six Sigma is not enough, it can be excellent for improving the organization's performance.
However, there are instances where this is not applicable. Arguments on if the approach enough
takes two sides (Pulakanam, 2012, pp. 49). The first argument is that innovation and
improvement cannot exist in the same company. Second, it is argued that an ambitious company
has to attain innovation and improvement by creating a balance. The Six Sigma model should be
applied in tandem with culture and the organizational structure that can support structure and
procedures. At the same time, it should leave room for creativity and innovation (Pyzdek and
Keller, 2014, pp. 73).

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Bibliography
Evans, J.R. and Lindsay, W.M., 2014. An introduction to Six Sigma and process improvement.
Cengage Learning.
Swink, M. and Jacobs, B.W., 2012. Six Sigma adoption: Operating performance impacts and
contextual drivers of success. Journal of Operations Management, 30(6), pp.437-453.
Pulakanam, V., 2012. Costs and savings of Six Sigma programs: An empirical study. Quality
Management Journal, 19(4), pp.39-54.
Jirasukprasert, P., Arturo Garza-Reyes, J., Kumar, V. and K. Lim, M., 2014. A Six Sigma and
DMAIC application for the reduction of defects in a rubber gloves manufacturing
process. International Journal of Lean Six Sigma, 5(1), pp.2-21.
Pyzdek, T. and Keller, P.A., 2014. The six sigma handbook(Vol. 4). New York: McGraw-Hill
Education.
Yüksel, H., 2012. Evaluation of the success of six sigma projects by data envelopment
analysis. International Journal of Business and Management, 7(13), p.75.
Furterer, S.L. ed., 2016. Lean Six Sigma in service: applications and case studies. CRC Press.