Lean Six Sigma in Public Sector and Non-profit Organizations

Lean Six Sigma in Public Sector and Non-profit Organizations

Top 5 Success Factors

1. Leadership buy-in

As with any successful organizational change, the senior leadership has to really believe that change is critical for the continued existence of the organization. If the leadership merely talks about change but doesn’t really change how they communicate and interact with the organization, people will see it for what it is…the next fad.

Leadership buy-in can take many forms but visible and sustained involvement in the change is essential. Leaders cannot delegate change. Neither can they send out some emails about why change is important but do nothing more. They must talk about the need for change, relate this need to the personal well being of their employees and the organization, and measure and enthusiastically promote even the smallest wins. This sends a clear message to the troops that the change is not only important but that leadership believes in it.

The important point for leaders, especially in public sector or non-profit entities, is to clarify their mission and tie the LSS effort directly to executing more effectively and efficiently against that mission. For example, the Federal Aviation Administration’s mission is to protect the flying public. There are several strategic objectives that derive from this mission including the quality, consistency, and frequency of airline inspections; the training of inspectors; knowledge management among inspectors; training and development of air traffic controllers as well as many others. Defining metrics tied to these objectives are the basis for LSS improvement projects.

2. Communication

Convincing people of the importance of Lean Six Sigma is easier said than done. Many leaders understand its importance intellectually but getting people to change is emotional. Leaders must therefore communicate with passion:

P – P is for Positive. It’s important to accentuate the benefits of past efforts while recognizing the need for new approaches. Organizations – whether non-profits or in public sector – cannot remain static while operating in a dynamic, turbulent world.

A – A is for Appropriate. Tailor the delivery medium, while keeping the core message the same. Successful political campaigners do this well. The same core message is driven home, whether in stump speeches, radio and TV ads, or internet ads. 

S – S is for Sincere. Employees know when their supervisors are blowing smoke. If you’re not sincere in your communications, your message will fall on deaf years.

S – S is for Short. High-impact messages are usually short and memorable.

I – I is for Individualize. Communiqués that are standardized for all audiences just don’t have the impact that’s need to move people emotionally. If change were simply about giving people cold facts, resistance to it would be far more isolated. The message must be constantly tailored to meet the audience’s emotional need.

O – O is for Often – You can never communicate too much. Many leaders think an email and perhaps a video suffice. But you can’t affect people emotionally with formulaic emails.

N – N is for Natural. Use simple language, simple examples, and simple imagery to get the point across.

3. Engaged Employees

Employees get energized when they know they’re being listened to. They get involved when they know that the leadership is committed to serious culture change implicit in any Lean Six Sigma effort. To keep them engaged, do more than listen. Take their ideas and put them into practice. Form small teams to tackle nagging problems. These problems are known to everyone and the fix does not require deep analysis but only a green light from management. There’s lots of talk about human capital yet employees still operate within the fairly restrictive boundaries established by their supervisors. If you really employ human capital, you have to invest it to get a real return. And that means giving them the freedom to think and act beyond the confines of “the job”.

4. Capacity Building 

In building a Lean Six Sigma capability, the focus should be on developing skilled practitioners. All too often, the focus is on certifications and belts, rather than on building an organizational capability to strategically identify projects, to effectively lead teams, and to close high-impact projects that realize real benefits for the organization. Building Lean Six Sigma knowledge capacity is more important than acquiring certifications. Applied learning and successfully executed projects should be the measure of how well your training efforts are paying off.

5. Project Coaching

Lean and Six Sigma are structured methodologies for improving process performance in any organization. While very logical, they are not necessarily intuitive. Each requires not just new ways of thinking but new ways of working. Even the most talented practitioners will flounder in their attempts to apply the methodologies to their problems. And some problems are more complex than others and therefore require more complex analytical techniques, further confounding newly trained practitioners. It is critical, therefore, to have experienced Lean Six Sigma experts coaching practitioners in their first few projects to ensure timely benefits capture. Timely benefits capture of all projects will build momentum for deeper, lasting change in the organization. Furthermore, when done well, coaching gives practitioners the confidence to apply their knowledge to improve any process; the ability to correctly apply the right methodology (i.e. Lean, DMAIC, DFSS); the knowledge to apply the right tools; the discipline to close projects in a timely manner; and the expertise to skillfully lead a team through an LSS project.