En studie av en misslyckad implementering av förbättringsmetodiken Six Sigma
Tre avgörande faktorer
The improvement programme Six Sigma has often been surrounded by an air of success since it was introduced in the 1980s. Yet there are cases in which introduction of the Six Sigma improvement programme show far from successful results, even complete implementation failures with no traces of the Six Sigma methodology or any improvements after completion of the introduction. These failures can cause severe damage to organizations through direct monetary loss caused by a negative result of the investment. Indirectly the failure can cause confusion in the organization and loss of employee motivation. The conclusions have been derived based on a qualitative case study at a Swedish telecommunications company. Thirteen interviews have been conducted. The results of the study show that there are pitfalls that from an internal perspective can be difficult to identify and address. If these signals are not addressed in time they can lead to an implementation failure. Though the pitfalls can be numerous, this case study shows three factors are decisive for a implementation failure. The first factor is lack of top management support. The second factor concerns adaptation; not adapting the Six Sigma programme to the organization or not adapting the organization to Six Sigma. The third factors is decoupling of the training programme from the daily activities in the organization. These three factors are the main driving forces behind an implementation failure of Six Sigma.