For nearly three decades, the quality management philosophy known as Six Sigma has brought competitive advantage to organizations implementing it. The typical approach, however, has been to have leaders from operations, engineering, quality, and marketing manage this strategic initiative. Human resource’s role has been to default to the administrative tasks of organizing the required training, keeping records, and assisting in the selection of candidates for the program. Yet for the past two decades human resources has also been struggling to gain a seat at the executive table (Fazzari & Levitt, 2008, p.171).
HR is a service department with various services to provide, customers to satisfy, government regulations to comply with, production schedules to keep, budgets to meet, and a bottom line to protect and enhance. With these issues in mind, Six Sigma can be just as appropriate in HR as it would be in any other organizational department. These functions were the very reasons that Six Sigma was developed Application of Six Sigma to the HR functions could help improve quality of hire including training, reduce time and cost to hire, develop job description, reduce turn over and have faster response time to internal documentation (HR Focus, 2007. p.5-6). Demands for greater efficiency and competitiveness continue to force companies to improve levels of-quality in everything they do. As a result, human resources professionals are finding new and rewarding responsibilities. The value of the new HR function is increasing particularly in organizations that are committed to the advanced form of a revolutionary quality concept called Six Sigma (Defeo, 2000. p. 1). Committing to a Six Sigma initiative can be an expensive and complex action on the part of management, but its record of success makes exploring the option worthwhile (HR Focus, 2007. p.8)
Given that the HR department can set the tone for success by both the employees and the company, it is essential that HR managers understand their role in attaining the company’s quality objectives with regard to both products and all forms of customer Services. Six sigma increases HR participation in employee, company, and customer development by integrating its function into management decisions, company strategy, as well as employee development. For employees, the quality concept opens up career options never before possible and the satisfaction of being part of a winning team. The HR function is in a position to help everyone understand the potential in Six Sigma and to find the right people to build and maintain the critical mass of talent needed to implement the methodology and ensure the company is successful. In addition, the HR function’s traditional responsibilities of recruitment, skill development, career growth, rewards, and retention can be met and significantly improved by Six Sigma((Defeo, 2000. p. 1-3).
In conclusion, it would be beneficial to the organization if HR personnel seek to improve themselves in Six Sigma and then use the methodology learned to improve the HR process of the organization. It could help improve any bureaucracies that may be in the internal system. The experience is worthwhile and so is the overall financial payoff. As at 2012, the average salary of a holder of the Lean Six Sigma Black Belts was $83,107 per year, not including bonuses. This amount is also a factor of experience, the number of projects undertaken and the success level.
References
DeFeo, J. A. (2000). SIX SIGMA: NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR HR, NEW CAREER GROWTH FOR EMPLOYEES. Employment Relations Today (Wiley), 27(2), 1-3.
Fazzari, A. J., & Levitt, K. (2008). Human resources as a strategic partner: Sitting at the table with Six Sigma. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 19(2), 171
How Six Sigma May Help HR to Improve Processes and Services. (2007). HR Focus, 84(12), 5-7