Street Smarts for Change Management Posts
There are many ways to roll out a change. Which way works best for you? This month, columnist Jeff Cole takes us on a quick tour down several paths to faster change.
What is the best strategy for actually rolling out a proces...
How ready is your organization for change? How ready are you personally? This month, columnist Jeff Cole dives in - quite literally - to the topic of change readiness and how it can impact the success of your next project.
Re...
There are goals, there are stretch goals and then there are BHAGs – Big Hairy Audacious Goals! This month, columnist Jeff Cole looks into the BHAG phenomenon and how it can help in driving change.
How long do you think...
Much of our attention is spent on driving effective change in our organizations. However, we are sometimes on the receiving end of a change – for better or worse. This month, columnist Jeff Cole explores tips for dealing with change...
Six Sigma is about much more than p-values, residuals, and improved processes. From the start it was intended to drive organizational transformation. This month columnist Jeff Cole speaks with Ed Bales, Program Manager at Motorola Universi...
Change is all about execution. If you are trying to successfully implement a Lean Six Sigma project, you may have to alter the behavior of dozens or hundreds of people who don’t report to you. Bottom line: process users need to stop doing...
In 1990, US telecommunications giant AT&T launched an all-in-one credit and long distance telephone calling card, the Universal Card Services (UCS), as a way to build new revenue streams and expand its relationship with customers. Within two yea...
We’re always interested in little tricks to make our Six Sigma process changes either go faster, or ensure the changes "stick." This month I highlight something I have seen to be very effective time and again — simulation-based train...
How is Six Sigma organized in your business? What are the reporting structures? Many firms struggle with the varied choices:
Centralized: All Master Black Belts (MBBs) and Black Belts (BBs) directly report into...
Have you ever experienced a Six Sigma project failure? If not, you’re really missing out on one of life’s more vivid learning experiences. There’s something to be said for having at least one (hopefully minor) failure during yo...
Last month we made you aware of a vital change management aid called the Ladder of Inference. Did you do your homework and find examples o...
In an earlier article, I mentioned being able to employ the ladder of inference in your change efforts. The ladder was developed by Chris Argyris in Overcoming Organizational Defenses and later referenced by Peter Senge in The Fif...
The unfortunate truth in these brutal economic times is that quite a lot of very talented Six Sigma professionals are out of work. Sometimes, regardless of one’s track record you end up in the wrong place at the wrong time and fate gi...
What difference does being in control make to our behaviour?
Meet Bob and Charlie. The past few years have been rough on us all, but especially so for old Bob. His company closed, he defaulted on his subprime mortgage, his 401k was lost in the crash, he caught swine flu, his wife left him and on his way o...
Whether we realize it or not, we are all agents of change in our organizations. If you happen to be a Six Sigma Sponsor, Champion, Master Black Belt, Black Belt or Green Belt, you have a responsibility to do all that is within your power to make your...
Jeff Summers, Director, Quality and Six Sigma Learning of Motorola University discusses how Six Sigma at Motorola has evolved to integrate change management.
Change can be a messy, chaotic, disruptive, unwanted and demoralizing affair. Change can also be surgically precise, extremely swift and a long-awaited organization morale booster. The slippery nature of change is that one change can trigger bot...
Occasionally, it’s good to step aside from the whitewater of activity inside your Six Sigma projects and take a larger look at change in general. Change has a nasty habit of happening, whether you want it to or not. Recently, my father-in-...
The other day I drove by a local company and it brought up some sad memories. In their heyday they had implemented Six Sigma, broke even on their investment in record time and had a 4x ROI the first year with just a handful of projects. They too...
Jerry is a process owner in the rollout stage of a Six Sigma project. He's just completed a meeting that seemed to go very well. Everyone agreed with his presentation and indicated they would follow the new process. But did they really agree, or were...
Last month we went tactical and looked at how FMEA could be applied to your process change efforts. Keeping on that same path, this month we’ll...
Periodically in this column we get down to an individual tool level to look at new and unique applications for what is already resting comfortably in your Six Sigma toolbox. This month we explore FMEA. Wander through the world of Six Sigma for more t...
Leaders are naturally busy, so I’ll get straight to the point: In the two and a half minutes it will take you to skim this article, I’ll share some tactical pointers for Six Sigma sponsors and champions, which will allow you to more effec...
July 6, 1988. North Sea. 21:56 B.S.T. At 110 miles northeast of Aberdeen, Scotland, the oil rig Piper Alpha stands with a crew of over 200 aboard. For this crew, it’s been another normal day. Some are winding down by watching Caddyshack...
