| It is not surprising that some people may perceive Six | | | | of excess cash to earmark for the massive training |
| Sigma as being only for large corporations. Major | | | | programs employed by the large corporations in |
| corporations such as Allied Signal, Black & Decker, | | | | implementing their Six Sigma programs. Small |
| Dow Chemical, Dupont, Federal Express, General | | | | businesses generally can't afford to have full-time |
| Electric, Johnson and Johnson, Kodak, Motorola, Sony, | | | | Master Black Belts on staff and may not have the |
| and Toshiba have all rolled out Six Sigma efforts and | | | | personnel with the skills and expertise to step into the |
| achieved outstanding results. Yet, it is incorrect to think | | | | role of Black Belts without extensive training. A |
| that Six Sigma process improvement results can only | | | | certified Six Sigma consultant can act as your Black |
| be achieved by huge organizations. Small businesses | | | | Belt for the initial projects until you have generated |
| can also succeed in implementing Six Sigma and reap | | | | sufficient savings to be able to provide some of those |
| the process improvement benefits that Six Sigma | | | | savings for training your own people. Training happens |
| provides. | | | | at a slower scale for smaller companies but it still |
| Certainly, there are factors that can be | | | | happens. Financially, savings realized from the first set |
| disadvantageous for implementing Six Sigma in a small | | | | of projects usually justifies the entire cost of the Six |
| business rather than a large business, such as lack of | | | | Sigma training. |
| resources and expertise in change initiatives. However, | | | | Once some members of the organization have been |
| there are also characteristics inherent in small | | | | trained as Green Belts, Six Sigma projects proceed |
| businesses that can speed up the effective | | | | with Green Belts executing Six Sigma processes. |
| implementation of Six Sigma more than in large | | | | Incrementally, Green Belts are developed into Black |
| businesses, such as flexible process flows, a shorter | | | | Belts and new Green Belts are trained. Using a more |
| decision-making chain, and higher visibility of senior | | | | gradual training approach addresses many of the |
| management. | | | | constraints of smaller companies and allows them to |
| Six Sigma can work in any size business because the | | | | implement Six Sigma at a pace a small business can |
| nature of Six Sigma is dependent upon characteristics | | | | more easily manage. |
| inherent to any business, not on the size of a business. | | | | There is a benefit to implementing Six Sigma in a |
| Six Sigma MAIC (measure, analyze, improve, and | | | | smaller business. Because of the size of a small |
| control) disciplines work no matter the size of the | | | | business, the financial results and cultural |
| organization or even the size of the Six Sigma project. | | | | transformation that stem from Six Sigma will |
| Small businesses do have constraints that limit their | | | | propagate more quickly through a smaller organization. |
| ability to initiate a large scale Six Sigma implementation. | | | | Focusing the Six Sigma tools at virtually any properly |
| However, there are ways to overcome these | | | | scoped project will drive savings to your bottom line |
| limitations. Small businesses don't have large reserves | | | | and achieve breakthrough change in your organization. |