The Power of Six Sigma

Meet the Six Shooters

Soon after General Electric CEO Jack Welch starting waxing warmly on the advantages of Six Sigma, Fortune 500 companies began adopting the program.

Unfortunately, they often did so without realizing the commitment they were making. Some of them assumed they already knew what Six Sigma was designed to do; others failed to pay enough attention to how to get Welch’s lauded results.

Not surprisingly, some of those companies were disappointed at the results. Six Sigma worked for GE, it worked for Allied Signal - but it didn’t work as well for those who embarked upon it without understanding it in the first place.

This is particularly regrettable because some of these executives made promises to their shareholders that they weren’t always able to keep. Managers and CEOs are encouraged to understand Six Sigma before they try to present it as the next great cure-all to lagging profits.

The Real Power Of Six Sigma

The real power of Six Sigma is straightforward: it is a system that combines "people power" with "process power." What exactly does that mean?

Well, take football, for example. You can win by making the extraordinary...