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This chapter is from the book

This chapter is from the book

Six Sigma--The First 90 DaysSix Sigma--The First 90 Days

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This chapter is from the book

This chapter is from the book

Six Sigma--The First 90 DaysSix Sigma--The First 90 Days

Learn More Buy

Six Sigma—The Alignment

Six Sigma allows an organization to align its processes, people, and strategy with the economic market (voice of the customer). This alignment is not easy to attain, but is imperative for success in today’s marketplace. In Stephen Covey’s recent book, The 8th Habit, he reports the results of a Harris Interactive poll addressing an organization’s ability to focus and execute their highest priorities. Some 23,000 employees were polled, with some surprising results:

  • Only 37% said they have a clear understanding of what their organizations are trying to achieve and why.
  • Only 1 in 5 are enthusiastic about organizational goals.
  • Only 1 in 5 said they had a clear line of sight between their tasks and their organizational goals.
  • Only 15% felt their organization fully enables them to execute their goals.
  • Only 10% felt their organization holds people accountable for results.

My consulting practice has worked with over 50 corporations in launching Six Sigma. I would say the preceding results were typical of most companies before Six Sigma was launched. I will show in Chapter 5, "Strategy: The Alignment of External Realities, Setting Measurable Goals, and Internal Actions," how to use Six Sigma to align your organizational activities to your strategies, people, and processes with your company’s external realities and financial targets. A sound Six Sigma launch will be the first step to improving the connection between your people, their actions, and their impact on your company’s performance.

Six Sigma will establish a clear link among the Six Sigma projects you identify each year with the external realities of your business, your strategic objectives, and metrics. Your organization’s population will view with clarity how their actions impact their organization’s performance, from the lowest level to the executive office. Six Sigma will be the tool with which you bring your strategy to reality—one Six Sigma project at a time.

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