Can anyone simply explain this management program to me.
I went to Borders to get a book but they are all huge texbook like things (In the $5.99 or less bin no less).
Can anyone point out some points to the plan? And has it worked? If so what kind of companies?
Our company just started this and already we have lost a lot of middle management, cut out bonuses, incentives and overtime and chopped hours.
Is this a sign of things to come?
It doesn’t seem from what little I know this is Six Sigma.
But on the other hand each office now has a new General Manger and two blackbelts (at $175,000 a year no less - and YES they get incentives and bonus plans).
cache may help. It is a cache of the original page, but the original wasn’t accessable. Interesting.
I’m a green belt six sigma guy. Just what do you want to know about it? Basically, it’s a regime of applying hard statistics to process improvements. The six sigma name comes because the eventual goal is to bring a process to within six sigmas of process capability. That means that unwanted events (defects, failures, etc) are six standard deviations from the norm.
The methodology of Six Sigma is very exacting. There are precise spreadsheets and tools to use to determing the starting sigma of a process, identifying CTQ’s (Critical to Quality), doing Chi-Square tests, linear regressions, etc.
Six Sigma has been wildly effective when applied to measurable processes like assembly lines and manufacturing steps. We are now trying to apply it to software development, which is a bit more problematic.
Just looked it up:
Six sigma basically means only one defective unit per 3.4 million units.
“Six sigma” is a catch phrase that’s been around for a while. It basically means keeping your process under control, with the help of special tools, standards, and procedures (SPC,TQM/TQS, ISO, Guide 25, etc.)
Overall, these systems have improved quality and productivity or have been a complete failure, depending on who you ask.
We are ISO-9001 registered, and I’m the quality manager for our lab. (I was very instrumental in developing the procedures and controls for implementing it.) It’s been two years since we got registered, and the verdict is in: it has been a complete waste of time and money. But you won’t hear me saying that around here. ISO is a religion, and I would be better off telling my boss, “Your mom wears Army boots,” than say anything bad about ISO, whether it works or not; it’s simply not politically correct.
Would it be valid in a service industry? Such as hotel?
It just seems what I’ve read seems to indicate if you had managers both middle and upper doing their jobs you wouldn’t need the Six Sigma people.
At least where I am, and to be fair it is a new program, they have promoted mid managers to this Six Sigma causing their salaries to go way up. This means upper management had to get raises and they have got rid of the supervisory lower end managers who control the line.
Now we have no managers with “people” experience who just cut hours and dictate orders to people who are no longer their to enforce them.
I mean while the economy is sliding it still is incredibly easy to get a job in the hotel industry.
In fact we are opening two new hotels and they banned transfers of all lower end managers and hourly employees as the Six Sigmas are driving people nuts.
So now the people quit two days later they have a new job at a new hotel and we’re out as the hourly openings have dropped thier wages and the mid mangers (those who left) their jobs are such any new candiates will have to make more.
The whole thing seems weird. Is this part of Six Sigma or could it have been a coincidence.
The reason it looks odd to me is I do the incentives for the entire hotel and already the sales and convention services department are unable to get bonuses. If business doesn’t pick up by 75% by March end neither accounting or front office will be able to either.
The P&L also shows housekeeping and catering accrual for bonuses has been sliced in half. Indicating the hotel believes they won’t get anything either.
BUT the Six Sigman and Department heads have been reorganzied so they aren’t dependent on production so they get bonuses regradless.