Verified Document

Management Comparison A Comparison Of Six Sigma Essay

Management Comparison A Comparison of Six Sigma to Lean Manufacturing, Strategic Quality Management, and Total Quality Management

There are a plethora of management strategies and perspectives that are being employed in operations and supply chain management in the modern business environment. Among the various theories being implemented, Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing, Strategic Quality Management, and Total Quality Management are among the most popular. This paper will compare and contrast some of the different points associated with these models to provide an introduction into the different strategies as well as look at some of the research that has been conducted in these areas.

Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing, Strategic Quality Management and Total Quality Management Discussion

Six Sigma has gained a significant amount of attention in industry however comparatively little research has been conducted on the conceptual definition and underlying theory associated with this model (Schroeder, Linderman, Liedtke, & Choo, 2008). In fact, in the beginning of Six Sigma's development, many business professional felt that it was just another fad that was that was built upon a model that was basically Total Quality Management (Basu & Wright, 2012). Even hybrid models were developed that mixed Six Sigma with other models such as FIT Sigma which incorporated Lean Manufacturing ideas into it. However, today Six Sigma has stood the proverbial test of time and is a theory that has stood on its own two feet.

The central idea to the Six Sigma model is that statistical modeling of production processes can help reduce defects down to the sixth sigma in a normal...

This is a rather aggressive feat that requires intense dedication from the organization to constantly work to improve quality. Though this is similar to the approach used in Total Quality Management, there are major differences between the two theories. For example, the Six Sigma approach is heavily dependent upon structure and statistical analysis to drive quality improvements while TQM is more focus on teamwork and the underlying philosophy of quality management. Yet the two theories are still similar enough that researchers have been studying the organizational cultures involved with both models to try to tease out the subtleties involved with each.
Figure 1 - Example of Organizational Culture Research Examining TQM/Six Sigma (Zu, Robbins, & Fredendall, 2010)

Lean Manufacturing by contrast to Six Sigma, is more of a philosophy than a structured approach to improving defect rates. Lean Manufacturing replaced the Just-in-Time (JIT) manufacturing fad that focused on decreasing inventories and the risk of obsolescence. In fact, the concepts of JIT and TQM mirror those of Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma that some researchers have actually applied the product lifecycle model to the trend in management models. Research has indicated that Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma are repackaged versions of their former models and given that they are ending their lifecycles, it is estimated that new management trends are expected to emerge shortly (Naslund, 2008).

However likely that is to be the case, Lean Manufacturing is an approach that focuses primarily on reducing waste. Anything that does…

Sources used in this document:
Works Cited

Basu, R., & Wright, N. (2012). Quality Beyond Six Sigma. New York: Routledge.

Deming, W. (2011, September 22). The Deming System of Profound Knowledge. Retrieved from The W. Edwards Deming Institute: http://deming.org/index.cfm?content=66

Naslund, D. (2008). Lean, six sigma and lean sigma: rads or real process improvement methods? Business Process Management Journal, 269-287.

Schroeder, R., Linderman, K., Liedtke, C., & Choo, A. (2008). SixSigma: Definition and underlying theory. Journal of Operations Management, 536-554.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Sigma 'Lean Six Sigma Systems' Is a
Words: 1700 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

Sigma 'Lean Six Sigma Systems' is a strategy that was employed by big industries like Motorola because of the exorbitant costs involved in the black belt strategies and the large organizations were able to afford it rather than in small industries. However now all the sections of the industry is leaning to 'Six Sigma' and there are developments both for the big and the medium industries that can be used

Six Sigma Concept in Relation
Words: 2276 Length: 6 Document Type: Term Paper

It was thought that the Six Sigma concept was simply "too powerful to fail," a misconception on which the whole misfortune of the Six Sigma programs is based. The human factor is often not taken into consideration. Elements such as empowerment, communication and recognition play an important role in determining the success of the Six Sigma methodology, according to the result of the study. Implementation in sectors like finance and

Management Control Systems As a Catalyst of
Words: 1565 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

Management Control Systems as a Catalyst of Strategic Agility and Organizational Performance The continual evolution of Management Control Systems as a Package (MCSP) today encompasses accounting, finance, human resources, market-based data, management control and information systems, and the entire culture of an organization, yet defies a precise typology (Merchant, Van der Stede, 2006) (Malmi, Brown, 2008) or a consistent global definition (Cruz, Scapens, Major, 2011). The intent of this analysis is

Quality Management Approaches Six Sigma
Words: 569 Length: 2 Document Type: Research Paper

It is a comprehensive approach that certainly includes the optimization of operational processes emphasized in the Six Sigma framework, but operational processes represent only one small component part of the much broader focus of TQM. If there is a disadvantage to TQM, it would be in connection with the types of businesses or industries in which the standardization and optimization of operational processes is extremely important. In principle, those

Wipro Technologies and Six Sigma Wipro Technologies
Words: 2982 Length: 11 Document Type: Essay

Wipro Technologies and Six Sigma Wipro Technologies is a successful global services provider that primarily delivers the technology and relative mechanism to those companies that are IT-oriented and use IT as the primary mode for satisfying their clientele. Wipro has 40 'Centres of Excellence' that induce solutions around specified requirements of the producers and manufacturers. Wipro provides unmatched business value to clients through a mix of development excellence, quality structures and

Lean Six Sigma Vs. Six Sigma Vs. Bpr
Words: 2008 Length: 6 Document Type: Essay

Movements There has been much debate and consideration extended towards the major quality and process movements of the last several generations. This is true both in the United States and around the world. Some of the more common ones, and indeed the ones that will be covered in this report, include Six Sigma, Lean Six Sigma and Business Process Reengineering (BPR). There are also other movements and methods such as

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now