Where HR and quality improvement meet (Web sight)

HR's role in Six Sigma, lean and Kaizen

Businesses of all types continue to look to continuous improvement methods to achieve greater quality. Methods commonly used include International Standards Organization, total quality management, kaizen, Six Sigma and lean, all of which can help improve a business’s capabilities and add value to the bottom line. Unfortunately, many firms using these methods don’t ensure the involvement of HR professionals, who have the potential to play a major role in helping their organization deliver on this promise of excellence. Below are several methods of continuous improvement, as well as advice on how HR can play a role in their implementation.

HR and Six Sigma

www.isixsigma.com/library/content/c030414a.asp?action=print

The Six Sigma site contains this article, “The role of human resources (HR) in Six Sigma,” which gives an excellent overview of Six Sigma and how HR professionals can contribute at the strategic and tactical levels. The authors claim Six Sigma initiatives are unlikely to succeed without HR’s help and they outline how HR professionals can increase their chances of being included in Six Sigma decision-making and implementation. “Just because HR professionals can play a role in the success of Six Sigma, it doesn’t automatically follow that they will be asked to participate. Unless you are in an organization that views HR as a partner in all business initiatives, you may have to push to be included in Six Sigma.” Under the subhead “Marketing HR’s potential contribution,” the authors explain how HR professionals can become part of the team. If executives don’t believe the people issues are as important as the technical side, “HR will need to sell the importance of the people side. Second, executives must perceive HR as being able to make a significant contribution on the people side of Six Sigma.” The authors go on to explain how HR professionals can meet these challenges.

Lean 101

www.asq.org/pub/qualityprogress/past/0403/qp0403alukal.pdf

This PDF, “Create a lean, mean machine,” offers a good overview of lean and describes its basic concepts and history. The author describes it as “a manufacturing philosophy that shortens the lead time between a customer order and the shipment of the products or parts through the elimination of all forms of waste.” He outlines the core concepts of lean as well as the causes of variation and waste and says lean and Six Sigma “are not mutually exclusive — rather they are complementary.”

Six Sigma and recruiting

www.shrm.org/hrmagazine/articles/0304/0304Heuring.asp

“Six Sigma was invented at Motorola in 1987. Since that time, it has evolved from a measurement scale to a far-reaching methodology that drives business improvement,” according to this HR Magazine article, “Six Sigma in sight: With Six Sigma techniques, managers improve processes and quality based on hard data.” This article gives a comprehensive explanation of the role of Six Sigma in business, and delves into its HR applications. In one example, a manufacturer had difficulty recruiting and applied Six Sigma quality tools to the process. “The internal hiring process required candidates to return week after week — apply one week, test the next, interview the next, undergo a blood test, then receive an offer. Motivated applicants found jobs elsewhere. By mapping the process and removing barriers, the company reduced hiring time from six weeks to one. Today an applicant is tested, interviewed and gets an offer, contingent on the blood test. The company saves the money it would have paid in higher salaries and overtime.”

Making Kaizen work

www.moldmakingtechnology.com/articles/0805lean.html

“We often say that ‘people are our most important asset,’ but in reality we scarcely encourage people to grow and use their creative problem-solving skills,” says Norman Bodek in this article entitled, “Making quick and easy kaizen work for your shop.” Bodek discusses the basics of the kaizen system, describing it as “an idea ripe for consideration by American industry. It is aimed at increasing quality, productivity and worker satisfaction, all from a very grassroots level.” He goes on to say that the Japan Human Relations Association (JHRA) in Tokyo has led kaizen efforts in Japan with its training programs, workshops, books and magazines and only promotes quick and easy kaizen. “They dropped all of the other HR functions for they believed that quick and easy kaizen was the best way to develop human resources within a company.” The author also outlines the three objectives of kaizen and the seven steps necessary to make it work.

Ann Macaulay is a freelance editor and regular contributor to Canadian HR Reporter. Her Web Sight column appears regularly in the CloseUp section.

To read the full story, login below.

Not a subscriber?

Start your subscription today!