Six Sigma Roadblocks

Resistance to change is one of the common Six Sigma roadblocks companies experience. Many employees resist to new processes for many reasons. Employees might be resistant because they feel like their job is being threatened. They might be resistant because they are used to doing the exact same thing every day and they don't want to learn something new. Employees often resist when they feel like they have lost ownership of a process as well. The best way to overcome resistance is to involve every employee in the change, even if they have a very small job to do. When employees are involved in making positive changes, they will be more likely to jump on board than if they have no part of the improvement. Make employees feel like they can help make improvements and resistance won't be one of the Six Sigma roadblocks you need to worry about.

Team selection is another common Six Sigma roadblock that occurs. Team selection can be a problem when the wrong team members are put on a project. You must carefully place people in a team and consider the different skill sets of each individual, as well as their personality and experience. If everyone in the group has the exact same skill and similar personalities, the team won't get far. Try to vary skill sets and choose people in a team who will be the most successful with a certain project. Don't base teams on seniority but on capabilities, willingness, creativity, and ability to work in a team.

Six Sigma roadblocks also occur when a business does not spend money on training people for different projects. Training is a cost a company must pay for when employees really need it. You should never expect staff to just figure a new system out. This isn't fair to the employees and it can create a difficult atmosphere to work in. Providing proper training enables employees to do their jobs to the best of their abilities and gives them the tools and resources to do so.

Change management is one of the Six Sigma roadblocks that can be an issue if it is not planned before a project even begins. A change management team should be in place at the beginning of any change or implementation within a company - especially a Six Sigma implementation. The change management team will determine the people involved and affected from a change, the steps needed to make the change, the positive results of the change, requirements, and more. This provides structure and allows a project to be more successful.