[Ailist] Re: Six Sigma

[Lionel Boxer]

This supports my concern that the six sigma cult has distorted ideas of 6-sigma in the same way as the scientific management cult distored ideas of Fredrick Taylor.

The core ideas of Fredrick Taylor - that compose industrial engineering, which forms in part the foundation of both lean and six sigma - are quite congruent with AI.  If you read Fredrick Taylor's original book (Taylor, F.W. 1967 (reprint of 1920s original), Principles of Scientific Management. WM Norton & Co Ltd, New York) that spawned scientific management, you will realise that he was quite a appreciative sort of fellow.  However, the scientific management movement ended up being branded stop watch time thugs by human resource profession.  However, the human resource profession is largely ignorant of the operations management profession.  So, this is to be expected.

If you read Michael Naisbitt's Global Paradox (he also wrote Megatrends), you will begin to understand the way that the modern world is becoming increasingly compartmentalised and that people join a group and become very warey of all other groups.  This is especially true of six-sigma and perhaps also true of AI.

So yes, a six sigma master black belt will see AI as uncompatable with six sigma in the same way as any other fundamentalist will find it difficult to leave the confines of their particular dogma for another perspective.  In response to your original question,  I would introduce AI to six-sigma cult followers very carefully and without enthusiasm for the movement behind AI.

If you are upset about having AI (or six sigma) being referred to as a cult then that is an indication that it is in fact a cult.  However, if you see wisdom in the analogy then perhaps it is not.

Lionel Boxer CD PhD MBA BTech(IndEng) - 0411267256
Supervisor/Lecturer - lionel.boxer at rmit.edu.au
Graduate School of Business
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>>> David Shaked <mail at david-shaked.com> 27/10/07 4:09 AM >>>
Joan,

I have been in the area of Six Sigma and Lean for the past 6 years (I am a master black belt if that tells you anything). I am now in transition to AI and have delivered a few AI activities with my company (a large multinational corporation).

My observation is that AI is very different than both lean and six sigma in particular. In six sigma you are specifically looking for what is NOT working in a given process or what is defective and trying to solve it. Lean has a similar thought process, but instead of looking for defects, you are looking for where waste is generated and then try to eliminate it. As you can appreciate this isn't quite AI...

Kaizen (='make better' in Japanese) is one of the lean tools/approaches. The original process of Kaizen is simply doing a quick process analysis and fixing the 'non-lean' parts of it within 2-5 days of concentrated effort. Kaizens can potentially be adapted to an AI approach and I am currently in the process if doing it and would be happy to brainstorm with others who may be interested in the topic.

My suggestions about your case are to focus on the success of the program rather than the program itself. You can ask questions about previous successful experiences with corporate initiatives or business improvement activities and perhaps gain insights on how to best introduce Six Sigma into your organization. Another idea would be to ask questions around previous successful initiatives by the leadership of the company.

If you'd like to talk more about this, e-mail me at: mail at david-shaked.com.

Good luck!
David.


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