1. 1. Six SigmaWIIFE...Whats in It forEmployees?Contributor: Bryan Camoens View Linked In ProfilePosted: 05/23/2011 12:00:00 AM EDTDumidu Ranaweera, Process Excellence & Lean Six Sigma Manager, for SriLankan telecommunications service provider Dialog Axiata, spoke to PEXNetworks Bryan Camoens on the importance of. the methodology He alsodebunks the idea that Lean Six Sigma cannot be applied in an environment oflow mix models and that it requires continuous flow for its application.Bryan Camoens: Could you please explain how thedeployment of lean Six Sigma can keep you ahead ofcompetition? Dumidu Ranaweera: As Jack Welch use to cite, just implementing Lean SixSigma does not assure you great market share nor number one position in themarket, but it can help in the strategy of assuring the desired, sustainablecompetitive advantage of an organization. Lean Six Sigma in simple terms isa powerful problem solving methodology that act as a catalyst in the journeyof organizational excellence.In other words Lean Six Sigma thinking itself can help organizational leadersin taking vital market/customer related decisions with more confidence thanthe competition. As its application provides the decision makers to take morecustomer focused decisions justified by data and forecasting whereapplicable, Lean Six Sigma has become a vital element in marketingdecisions.Especially in the time of recession that was passed, many companies fell theimportance of Lean Six Sigma more than ever and used it to gain moreassurance in the decisions that they had to take in the shrinking marketspace.Outsourcing becoming more popular in the agenda of managementdiscussions, Lean Six Sigma application and practices also emerged as a keydifferentiator for outsourcing companies as it was essential to show case theirability in value creation post outsourcing a function/operation for its clientsBryan Camoens: Creating a corporate culture to motivateemployees comes from the top, but how can you get effectivebuy-in on the benefits of Six Sigma from employees?
2. 2. Dumidu Ranaweera: Its clear that Lean Six Sigmadeployment needs to be a Top down approach for it to leapand generate accelerated results, but its sustenance is heavilydependent on the commitment of its talent pool.Employees desire intrinsic and extrinsic benefits to be attached to a conceptor a long term deployment strategy, hence the first thing to define is WIIFE-Whats in it for employees? and identify change leaders who can drive,communicate, WIIFE towards employees. Change leaders should be theemployees that have the highest influencing power in the organization whoare convinced first, that Lean Six Sigma is a Win-Win solution.It is important that the leadership always highlight that lean six sigma isnothing but a problem solving methodology that entails great value to self &organization and not another management fad. Employees should always seerecognition by generating results from its application.Most of the time innovative competitions on Lean Six Sigma can create hype(e.g. most helpful Black Belt, Poster competitions etc.) and continuedattention. Lean Six Sigma application to new areas is also used by manyorganizations to create continued interest (e.g. Green Lean Six Sigma).At a maturity level when most of the employees perceive value over Lean SixSigma application and when believes its a part of their DNA, generatingresults from Lean Six Sigma can be made part of their day to day deliverables(e.g. including in performance appraisal).It is also essential that Lean SixSigma gradually becomes a key element in employee wow sessions i.e.Induction programmes, to inculcate interest from the inception.Bryan Camoens: When it comes to implementing low mixmodels with Six Sigma to maximize output quality, what aresome of the common challenges faced?Dumidu Ranaweera: Its a common misconception that Lean Six Sigmacannot be applied in an environment of low mix models and it requirescontinuous flow for its application.The common challenges faced in this regard in terms of defining value streamfor low mix products and determining the ideal quantities to produce the timingof the inventory and load leveling. Take time for a shared product family withvarying demand is also considered as a challenge for low mix model products.Bryan Camoens: What are some of the yet to be exploreduntapped opportunities in Six Sigma that have yet to beexplored?
3. 3. Dumidu Ranaweera: Lean Six Sigma has been applied andtested in many areas of late and still keeps proving itspotential. Green Lean Six Sigma (application of Lean SixSigma towards reducing environmental impacts), Lean Six Sigma inMarketing, Lean Six Sigma Accounting, and Lean Six Sigma for SME aresome new emerging areas of Lean Six Sigma application.For the future there can be also grown interest on how Lean Six Sigma toolscan be used in Socialnomics i.e. mainly to enhance leverage of companiesoperating based out of Social media. There are many blue oceans in theAsian and African terrain that still needs to be explored even by the promotersof traditional methods of application. Lot of interest has also generatedtowards applying the concept in College education and making Lean part ofthe standard student curriculum.Its an area that many organisations can think of venturing out from theirnormal operations. There is also huge potential and growing demand onacademic programmes (i.e. specialized degrees) on Lean Six Sigma andonline education and open source training material.Bryan Camoens: Going forward how do you see Six Sigmaevolving over the next decade?Dumidu Ranaweera: I believe Lean Six Sigma will evolve further by addingon more tools and concepts & linking itself with other tools/standards (e.g.COPC, CMMi etc) like in the past. Lean Six Sigma has great potential inbecoming a part of children education and a mandatory topic in allmanagement education.There is a great chance that Lean Six Sigma application in the Green (e.g tosupport carbon trading) and Social context becoming more popular than everas the world itself placing more effort and importance on Environmentalprotection and Social responsibility.About Process Excellence NetworkProcess Excellence Network is a free to join online community, providingcritical knowledge on the development of Process Excellence includingBusiness Process Management (BPM), Lean, Change Management,Operational Excellence, Six Sigma, Risk Management, Customer Experienceand more. We provide the forum where key industry experts andorganizations share their experience, knowledge and tools, and yourpractitioner peers connect with one another all over the world, both face-to-face and online. Membership is free, the content is priceless.Join the Process Excellence Network Linked In Group today! LinkedInProcess Excellence Network (PEXN)