Six Sigma and change management for long-term organizational benefits

An organization is made up of teams from various departments working in different ways to achieve the same goal. This is the simple reason why the proper management of modifications affects everyone in an enterprise. If the designing team needs an application that they find is easy to use, the IT department who would support it might have to undergo a training session if they are not aware of the working of this app. Hence, Change Management and Six Sigma are very essential for any enterprise.

Six Sigma Black Belts have to be careful while handling the resistance to changes that might hamper the smooth execution of projects. It is not possible to eliminate resistances completely, but following the methodology in managing changes can help assuage the resistance to a considerable extent. In most of the cases, employees and managers do not readily accept changes. This non-acceptance is usually shown by ignoring new rules and not conforming to certain improvement steps brought in through system automation or the use of new software.

It is the responsibility of the trained and certified leaders to alleviate the resistance in a professional manner by communicating openly with the employees and understanding the cause of their dissatisfaction. This involves an effective Six Sigma and Change Management Process.

An effective plan in properly managing changes involves a great communication strategy. This comprises arranging meetings and discussions to talk about the associated issues of the process changes that had been planned. Good communication also involves sending emails, notifications, and news related to the project. This helps in creating awareness and interest among the employees regarding the project and also helps generate a cooperative sensibility among them. In this way, the employees feel that their opinion is counted in the process and they begin to respond in a more positive way by showing less resistance, fostering an atmosphere of acceptance in the enterprise.

All the employees in an organization must be trained on Six Sigma concepts. This eases their apprehension of the forthcoming changes and also brings down the intensity of the pervasive resistance. Employees must be trained to understand their scope of improvement with the methodology practised in the organization. As employees will be made aware of the Six Sigma concepts and principals, they can relate to the utility of such an initiative for their own improvement. It will then be easier to achieve their support in bringing about changes.

A definite set of feasible goals should be kept in mind while planning the entire process of Change Management. Six Sigma and Change Management effectively work as a strong couple only when there is a clear development plan, along with timelines that are set even during the initiation phase. It is important for the leaders to know exactly what they desire to achieve by implementing the changes. Only then will the entire process bring out conspicuous results within the enterprise and reap long-term organizational benefits.