14Learning and Development – The HR Perspective
SPOTTED IN THE office of an HR professional, a sign saying, ‘Have you hugged an HR professional today?’1
Lean Six Sigma has the potential to impact on all aspects of an organisation – it's not just about making ad hoc improvements to processes in isolation. Therefore, joining up with the organisation's HR team is necessary – though hugging is optional and clearly depends on what is written into the organisation's policy handbook!
The Belt System
There are several aspects of Lean Six Sigma that are relevant to the HR sphere. First of all, let's tackle this business of ‘belts’, certification and training, and what this means from an HR perspective.
The use of belts to describe the hierarchy within Six Sigma originated in Motorola, and it was Mikel Harry who originally described practitioners using the ‘belt’ convention applied in martial arts. If you're not particularly fond of it, you may wish to know that Harry initially described Six Sigma trained people as ‘process characterisation experts’ which you must admit is less appealing!
As in martial arts, different coloured belts are used to represent different levels of experience and achievement, from white up to black.
Whilst the system is subject to some variation, and some organisations use additional colours, an overview is presented below. It is perfectly normal to upgrade from one level to the next. Indeed we recommend this, particularly from Green Belt to Black Belt.
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