Lean Manufacturing Dmaic

The Power of Positive
Improve productivity by accentuating the human dimension of lean Six Sigma
by Frank C. Johnston and Duane P. Beck
In 50 Words Or Less
* Positive psychology suggests a qualitative human dimension within lean Six Sigma.
* A cornerstone of positive psychology is the fostering of excellence in work through creativity and optimal productivity.
* This psychologymodel provides the framework leaders can use to optimize the productivity of a culturally diverse workforce.
In his 2006 book, The World is Flat,1 Thomas Freidman cites the many challenges globalization puts on corporate life: changing political realities, social entrepreneurship and the effects of the internet.
Because workers no longer need to be connected in the same physical office,competitive pressures on employees have dramatically increased. To keep their jobs, workers from the industrialized world must demonstrate their ability to be as productive as those from developing nations. Given the emphasis on lower cost structures in the developing world, employee productivity must continually improve for workers to retain employment.
Lean Six Sigma is a rigorous, statisticallydriven, results and outcome-oriented method geared to improving productivity. The goal is faster learning cycles with fewer errors. An analysis of business processes through the lens of lean Six Sigma and the define, measure, analyze, improve and control (DMAIC) approach offers the opportunity to create a different and more productive business environment.
Although lean Six Sigma has arguablytransformed today’s business environment, introducing previously unheard of levels of productivity, the worker in a culturally diverse environment still needs relief. The human dimension is one area that remains to be addressed and is in need of major progress.
In Advanced Safety Management,2 Fred A. Manuele contends the American approach to management is to blame or punish, rather than to look forimprovements. He argues that 85% of inefficiency is in the manufacturing process, and the other 15% is caused by workers.
Similarly, the four authors of a book about Six Sigma state that current lean Six Sigma practices often address practical problem-solving attempts instead of contributing to new technologies, cultural trends or the need for customization.3
These authors argue that improvementsin the areas of technical delivery, error avoidance, teamwork and customer satisfaction are doomed because of the organization’s larger perspective. These authors also write that lean Six Sigma must embrace a commitment to self-learning, qualitative aspects, creative work and self-renewal to fulfill its promise.
Positive psychology can help add a human element to lean Six Sigma and can make thebusiness processes more successful by addressing individual worker anxiety and stress.
Looking at the positives
Positive psychology is a psychological theory that looks at the positive side of human behavior. Viewed as an alternative to psychopathology, this categorization of behavior and personality is aimed at highlighting what is best and most desirable in behaviors.
In a 2000 article inAmerican Psychologist,4 Mihaly Czikszentmihalyi and Martin E.P. Seligman propose a view of positive psychology that embraces the best of human potential. Instead of the traditional model of psychology that focuses on diagnosis, pathology and deficits, Czikszentmihalyi and Seligman argue for a new empirically based discipline to build on inherent strengths, assets and positive experiences.Positive psychology has been extensively researched in educational programs, such as the Penn Resiliency program; in healthcare initiatives, such as those in cardiology and obesity prevention; psychotherapy; neuroscience topics from altruism to social intelligence; sports performance; and the military’s Comprehensive Soldier Fitness training program.5-10
Preliminary research findings from the...