Does Lean Six Sigma transform employees to Valuable Assets?

It is a known fact that not all employees are an asset for an organization. Among the employees you might come across some who may act busy however they may not add any or little value to the organization. Moreover any employer / company would want to invest in real employees who will add value to the company and its growth.

According to Six Sigma Green Belt study, only 3% of workplace activity yields a quantifiable value to an employer.

To identify valuable employees in an organization and to indulge them in valuable work, Lean Six Sigma has few suggestions. These suggestions should be adopted by the Human Resources department, the employer and the organization at a larger level.

Few questions to be evaluated

• Is the organizational structure designed to deliver results?
• Are there focused goals for every employee?
• Are teams working towards the same objective that defines the company’s larger objective?
• Are roles and responsibilities defined based on skills, capabilities and interest?
• Are ideas, innovation and ownership encouraged and recognized?
• Is the rewarding structure at par with performance scale?
• Do employees have enough access to information and resources?
• Is the company paving growth route for employees?

One needs to make sure that the above pointers are in place. This will keep all the employees on the same page along with company’s growth map. This will not just encourage employees to work efficiently but also give them a clearer picture of their individual as well as the company’s growth. Besides, this structure will help organizations to identify employees who can add real value to the company.

While implementing this structure, there are many obstacles that companies face such as; lack of communication, structural goals and defined strategies. Ensuring the following will help you avoid these pitfalls.

1)      Clear Communication across Teams: There should be a culture of transparent communication. Employees should be updated regularly about the company’s future goals and plans. Important strategies and larger goals should be communicated to the employees, so that they can have a broader picture of the happenings in the organization and to be on the same page.

2)      Team Goals Aligned with Company Goals: Different teams work together towards the same goal in a company. However, most of the times, this is not achieved. Teams are focused towards team goals and if these goals are not structurally aligned with company goals, the larger objective is lost. Each team should have defined goals and strategies that add value towards the larger goal.

Implementation Structure as per Lean Six Sigma

•  Employee Assessment at Regular Intervals: Employees should be assessed against their performance at regular intervals. There should be recognition of performance at place so that employees stay focused and motivated at work.
• Strategy Education Sessions: There should be sessions delivered by higher management giving everyone a clear view of the larger strategy and what is expected of them.
• Encourage towards Adding Real Value: Be it through rise in pay, promotion, incentive or knowledge up scaling opportunities, employees should be encouraged to add real value to the company.
• Scope for Improvement: For employees, who are not aligned with company’s goal, there should be adequate guidance and scope for improvement.

If these standards are in place, your organization is ready to operate lean towards the right direction. Now align your employees towards adding quantifiable value in organization through ‘Lean Six Sigma’.

To know more about Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Training and its implementation, click here.

• Reference: http://www.hcamag.com/
• Image Source:www.isixsigma.com