Six Sigma is basically a philosophy and a methodology which aims at improving processes for the betterment of business results. This approach aims at achieving the least number of errors, leaving a chance for precisely only three customers among a million to complain.
Six Sigma has the capacity to refurbish the existing processes of a company. So, it can’t be denied that the line and staff should be well-coordinated if the company wants to meet the Six Sigma objectives. When talking about the HR department, below, we are mentioning the prime deliverable for meeting six sigma requirements.
- Selection and retention: Six Sigma black belts are the strength of a company and they are responsible for implementing the Six Sigma initiative at every level of an organization. HR professionals can help the company management to find the right people for Black Belt roles and ensure that they remain in those positions even after some years. For this, an HR professional needs to create a competency model that will help them to identify the right candidates who have the required skills and knowledge. Not only that, an HR should create a strong retention policy so that the Black belts can stay with the company.
- Rewards and recognition: Rewarding and recognizing Black Belts and other Six Sigma team members is a very complicated job. This is because the people selected for the six sigma are of every rank and order of the organization. So, an HR should handle this issue very carefully and strategically. An efficient HR should design the compensation and rewards in such a way that every team members will get motivated to take on further six sigma projects. Along with the monetary rewards, the HR should develop a non-monetary programme for the team members.
- Knowledge management: When you are planning to implement Six Sigma on various projects, at that time, business processes are examined on a microscopic level, and their productivity is analysed on a numerical basis. If there is no data management, then the valuable and relevant information about the company will lose. The learning process needs to be collated and disseminated within the organization. The Hr team can become the prime knowledge resource centre which can enhance business capabilities.
- Can create a Six Sigma culture: Many top-level managers and leaders think that Six Sigma is a way which can change an organization’s culture and can make it more data-driven, proactive, and customer-oriented. HR professionals can help the executives for culture change in such a way that addresses the underlying business goals without creating organizational resistance. They can identify how Six Sigma can go well with the present culture rather than against the current trend.
- Change management: When a company plans to implement Six Sigma in their process, then many management procedures need to be overhauled. This can lead to a change in management thinking, working pattern and attitudes. It is true that a change can bring a lot of organizational resistance. In this context, the HR should play the role of a change agent and become the catalyst for change from old to new business trends.
These are some core roles of an HR in Six Sigma initiative. But the person should be deft and knowledgeable so that he can show Six Sigma executives the value that he can add to an organization.