Leading Six Sigma: A Step-by-Step Guide Based on Experience with GE and Other Six Sigma Companies

The Keys to Successful Six Sigma Deployment

By comparing the successful case studies to the unsuccessful ones, the keys to successful deployment are readily apparent. While we have only discussed four companies' experiences here, these conclusions are corroborated by many other companies' experiences, not to mention current research in organizational change. (See for example Harry and Schroeder [2000], and Weisbord [1989]).

The keys to success can be grouped into the three broad, overlapping categories:

• Committed leadership

• Top talent

• Supporting infrastructure

Let's take a closer look at each of these categories.

Committed Leadership

By committed leadership we mean leaders who have the conviction to make a difficult decision, and then personally ...