I will never say that the content of Six Sigma is bad. I cannot say that because the content is built on the fundamental quality concepts that I am passionate about. .
What I can say, though, is that Six Sigma is another repackaged quality trend that will come and go, and I’ll pass on this trend, thank you. While I believe in Six Sigma’s content, I will also add that as a trend, it has been harmful to our profession.
Quality trends du juor are part of American business culture. Quality circles, total quality management (TQM), ISO, QS, Baldrige and now Six Sigma, have all had their day as the quality solution. Employees are tired of this year’s solution. When quality programs constantly change, it is difficult to develop a quality system that can show significant results—and without significant results, management loses support from employees. This is the case with Six Sigma, as with all previous repackaged quality programs.