With respect to maximum effectiveness and efficiency in the implementation of these programs, the company needs look into its advantage relating to lean manufacturing tools towards the support of the same initiatives. At this point, it is crucial to keep in mind that lean manufacturing tools are able to provide the necessary proactive alerts in identifying anomalies and exceptions in cases where time is included in taking corrective actions to avoid unacceptable situations. These tools seek to ensure that all front-line strategic decisions (for instance, response to changes and setting order policies) are suitably aligned with executive-level commitments and goals. In the end, this helps them avoid potentially wasteful and costly expenses.
Both Motorola and Suzuki embrace firsthand benefits in indulging in the implementation of Lean Six Sigma practices. However, there are obstacles that inhibit the successful implementation of lean six sigma practices. Culture as well as existing mindsets not to mention the employee behavior is usually not expressly oriented to the application of facts as well as data in arriving at concrete decisions which remains a foundational deliberation of Lean Six Sigma initiatives. Successful and progressive Lean Six Sigma programs seek to implement processes that continuously deliver sustained improvements in working methodologies as well as emphasizing on rapid deployment and speed of actions in the relentless pursuit of practices, which mitigate waste. As a way of achieving this, most manufacturers require strong and executive leadership as well as an equally determined company-wide commitment for continuous improvement (Hino, 27).
The infrastructure in Toyota enables it to sufficiently support as well as cater for most of the specific requirements in relation to the new methodology. This continues to ensure it accrues as much benefits in all areas of production that this new methodology is applied. This goes a long way in involving policy and procedural development as well as key production areas like communication, human resources, project management, and finance. The fact that this is likely to be a new approach to most employees, it is important not to forget about changing the leadership therein. To Toyota, the act of comprehending the dynamics of the six sigma methodology narrows down to proving that difficult things can be understood and be accompanied by traumas and frictions down the chain of command. Having this as a fundamental change project, it necessary requires it to be in the accompaniment of a change leadership that is of high degree.
It also becomes rather important to measure the new systems’ developments (Iyer, Seshadri & Vasher, 54). This way, there are numerous mechanisms of performance measurement including lean measurements as well as the induction of desktop lean applications. Clearly, the latter is considerably easier to apply and remains readily available making the analysis of activities a much easy task. As the system transforms through the Six Sigma Methodology, it is important to ensure that there exists a thorough understanding of the organization’s environment. This way, there exists a great percentage of timing that is needed in ensuring that any project succeeds as initially planned. In such a case, this aspect is a very important dimension with respect to Six Sigma implementation. Toyota went on to consider all the variables, which could lead to the failure or success of any project prior its adoption.
Motorola and Suzuki business executives have the possibility of losing touch with various modern methods, equipment, or technologies, which would necessarily make thorough improvements on their services and products. With reference to Toyota’s operation principles, quality could suffer for a wide range of reasons. It is for this reason that most company owners as well as executives need to be continuously willing to adhere to some crucial operational adjustments in the way of conducting their business. Further, the Six Sigma professionals insist on pointing to areas that concern their previous mismanagement. This way, they need to be in a capable position of maintaining an open mind as well as inducing a willingness of making the proper improvements as a way of heightening the quality control measures obtained.
It also needs to be in a unilateral common goal in that all executives as well as professionals continue making things better and more successful with respect to the company’s overall performance (Hino, 30). Through constant implementation of these strategies as agreed upon (in meetings that involve both professionals and executives) the business needs to see marked improvements on the level of quality in relation to their products and services. The Six Sigma professionals in the Black Belt category help the company keep monitoring on the progress plans, which will enable an examination, follow up in making sure their quality is essentially improved and controlled in ways that are more productive. In the event that they spot production issues along the implementation lane, they discuss them with the respective executives and the Six Sigma team members.
In this case, the team at Motorola will consist of professionals in the Green and Yellow belt category who are help in providing guidance of the way. With the inclusion of these resources all working towards a similar goal, the probability of success is even greater. Each team member irrespective of the level of expertise is required to be to date on the company’s endeavors and progress. All suggestions and ideas are necessary as the company’s success is at stake. This becomes the main reason as to why most business ideals call for Six Sigma professionals. The main reason why this is the case is that they have the necessary qualifications and skills to both find viable solutions to recurrent problems as well as present an understandable and viable way to each individual involved in the company’s functioning with special concern to areas of quality embracement (Hino, 25).
It is crucial that everyone realizes that for the business’s success, various forms of quality improvement need to be maintained as a continuous process which should happen at all levels throughout the firm. Consequently, each employee needs to give access to help in order to ensure that sustainable quality is achieved at all times. This simply means that the process needs to happen in the entire company and a profound level of training and explanation needs to be issued to each employee as a way of ensuring that they are always on the same page. This also facilitates them in the realization of what needs to be achieved through working in the stipulated manner. This necessarily leads to excellent finished products or services that endlessly meet customers' standards.
As a way of managing this goal, it is rather important that each employee feel involved and that each of them remains particularly motivated across their input (Rother, 23). In the event that a worker skips any of the steps in the production process, it is crucial to not that it could lead to the defectiveness of a product’s part or even have it missing and therefore of inferior quality in one aspect or another. Hence, it follows then that proper quality control and assurance procedures need to be implemented as part of the operations of the company just as Toyota did. It is said that the process can be ultimately seek to maintain good standards as well as always aim for fundamental improvements.
It is crucial for both Motorola and Suzuki to shift plenty of focus on the real demands of the customers. It becomes essentially useless for it to market products that are of low standards. This is mainly because clients will feel frustrated and disappointed. It is certainly important to have it in mind that most of the costs incurred will not be justified on any grounds. Customer satisfaction, according to Toyota, continues to prove to be important for the success of any business. Most customers who are sufficiently happy with true quality of products and services keep returning for repeat business. This is because they are considerably anxious to sample the new offering from the subject company and will significantly tell a number of their friends to sample them also. Most customers seek to buy products that are good and satisfactory (Monden, 19).
Some do not even consider twice when it comes to paying higher priced in ensuring that they derive suitable standards and satisfaction from any purchase they make which also applies to the trade of most services. Here, satisfactory services necessarily include value for money and good customer care. This makes it fundamentally important for the company in hand to focus on its customers' point of view since the business’s existence is majorly about offering customers most of what they want and need. The variables that affect the sustainability of a process can be properly analyzed to enable the determination of other possible cheaper alternatives. The process of simulation is important in fundamentally designing Motorola new products and services. All design details need proper implementation by ensuring that there is express verification and optimization.
The six-sigma team must not leave any aspect out as they consistently assist in the determination of process capability. Most quality management tools and methods including scatter diagrams, trees, and charts among others become very important in the realization of desired results. It is on these grounds that Motorola is facing issues with its cash flow that require numerous modifications in the budgeting of activities of Motorola (Taghizadegan, 12). Relevantly, marketing research has a high probability of failing to give notice in good time of sustainable developments in competitors’ behaviors and consumer tastes. The sales personnel could also fail to deliver the agreed targets. Subsequent adjustments can also occur, as new products are continually introduced requiring different methods in accounting, marketing and production.
Therefore, organizational managers need to learn how best to respond to forces that are both external and internal with respect to change. Change pressures come in so a number of different variables through which managers are compelled to spend most of their time reacting or planning on the possible changes. The requirement for having the adjustments needs to be communicated to employees properly. This goes on to enable individuals to understand in detail the reasons as to why changes are necessary. In the event that employees are included in the decision making process, they appear to be more willing to sufficiently support modifications which they passed and approved in the meeting. The fact that the Six Sigma Methodology becomes deeply rooted in various forms of organizational change, there is need to have the facilitation of specific professionals in dealing with the process.
The Six Sigma Black Belts, who are the change agents in such cases, assume project manager roles. It makes them take up the responsibility of getting each employee on board with all organizational changes, which need to be put in place. The management of Six Sigma change is rather a structured criterion, which seeks to transform the organization from its current state to a future state that is even better. Change will generally imply innovation that is a basic way of introducing new things into the organizational environment. All organizational changes at Suzuki are often the activities that are aimed at developing and strengthening the organizational performance as well as ensuring sustainability of its existence (Mishra, 65). Various activities are altered as a way of facilitating better results as well as reduce costs, which are an entire premise methodology of the Six Sigma.
The activity alteration involves changes in the organizational structure, modification of general tasks, introduction of new technology and products and a wide spread change in employee attitude. Reactive changes can be largely introduced as a way of responding to pressure expressed from external environments. Proactive changes can be introduced due to their usefulness as well because of various organizational feelings that make the adjustments necessary. Profound changes in work commitment and attitude seek to improve in techniques relationship and recruitment. This will include changes that occur in workers’ levels of motivation, values and attitudes.
Having ineffective or inappropriate people in top managerial posts, employees who are unwilling to embrace introduced changes and individuals using power against the interest of the company are some of the major reasons that could result to such inefficiencies at Suzuki. The existing organizational structure is not meeting implementation pressure due to its strategy, which therefore calls for certain changes (Lewis 15-24). There are too many layers in the organization, which lead to the stifling of most managerial initiatives as well as slowing down decision-making processes.
Everyone within the organization at Toyota ranging from top executives all the way down to the shop-floor workers is particularly challenged to make use of their initiatives and creativity in experimenting and learning. It is often heard that labor advocates continuously criticize work at the assembly line to be oppressive claiming that the mental faculties of workers are robbed by menial labor. However, with respect to lean, this remains further from the truth. As Toyota integrates assembly lines, it continues to select only the brightest and best employees. It also challenges them into growing in their respective job positions through constantly solving problems. These areas of the organization will include sales, human resources, engineering, service and accounting and are severely staffed with individuals that are carefully selected.
The company significantly provides them with directives that seek to increase customer satisfaction and improve their processes (Lowson 15). Toyota heavily invests money and time into its employees and continues to be model for a learning organization. The relevance of teamwork and teams is a trend of life in which team building and training is necessary and put to practice on a daily basis. Such an investment in the employees far surpasses that of typical organizations that solely focus on counting quarterly dollars and making parts. Therefore, there are lessons that both Motorola and Suzuki can learn from Toyota. One of the most important lessons is the need to develop a culture of continuous improvement and stick to its stipulations.
Clearly, the two organizations have had a tendency of jump from one program to another based on the most recent ‘buzzword’. It becomes rather difficult for them to build on a learning culture in their respective organizations as the programs keep changing from month to month. These companies need to start a lean culture transformation through a continuous improvement philosophy. The change in store needs to start from the top as well as keep in mind that this requires a shakeup in the executive leadership (Carreira & Trudell, 14). All employees, from top management all the way down, needs to be involved in the transformation. This will include fundamental training on lean principles, problem solving and team building.
It is also crucial that middle level managers are used as agents of organizational change in driving the transformation. The principles of ‘The Toyota Way’ can be categorized into four sections including long-term philosophy, the right process to yield the right results, adding value to the organization through the development of your people and continuously root problem solutions to drive organizational learning. There are elements that both Motorola and Suzuki need to consider in the Successful Implementation of Lean Six Sigma Practices. Customer benefits are the first category that has much influence of the sustainability of the system. The benefits to customers are normally taken to be in the form of improved service aspects such as better delivery and quality.
They manage to achieve an amazing level of self-confidence as the training puts them in a better position to speak with accurate data. This enables them to effectively challenge norms as well as suggest great ideas as well as solve arising problems. The outcomes of such confidence will usually means that the experts want to see changes in their organizations and therefore become agents of change in the business. In the event that they have influence to Motorola in any way, they begin to influence those that live around them towards similar change. This will result into an organization, which is able to implement change, grow and develop.
Works Cited:
Carreira B., Trudell B., Lean Six Sigma That Works: A Powerful Action Plan for Dramatically Improving Quality, Increasing Speed, And Reducing Waste. New York: AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn. 2006. Pp 9-14. Print
George M., Lean Six Sigma. New York: McGraw-Hill Prof Med/Tech. 2002. Pp 71-85. Print
Hino S., Inside the Mind of Toyota: Management Principles for Enduring Growth. New York: Productivity Press. 2005. Pp 27-30. Print
Iyer A., Seshadri S., Vasher R., Toyota Supply Chain Management: A Strategic Approach to Toyota's Renowned System. New York: McGraw-Hill Prof Med/Tech. 2009. Pp 54-95. Print
Lewis M., Operations Management: Critical Perspectives on Business and Management. New York: Routledge. 2003. Pp 15-24. Print
Lowson R., Strategic Operations Management: The New Competitive Advantage. New York: Routledge. 2002. Pp 15-56. Print
Mishra D., Operations Management: Critical Perspectives. New York: Global India Publications on Business. 2009. Pp 9-80. Print
Monden Y., Toyota production system: practical approach to production management. Michigan: Industrial Engineering and Management Press, Institute of Industrial Engineers. 2007. Pp 19-83. Print
Naoum S., People and Organizational Management in Construction. New York: Thomas Telford. 2001. Pp 7-27. Print
Rother M., Toyota Kata: Managing People for Improvement, Adaptiveness and Superior Results. New York: McGraw-Hill Prof Med/Tech. 2009. Pp 3-23. Print
Taghizadegan S., Essentials of Lean Six Sigma. New York: Butterworth-Heinemann. 2006. Pp 12-37. Print
