Developing ::
Leading ::
Being Part of ::
Effective
6 Sigma Teams
www.create‐learning.com

Should you be here?
•We are going to have discussions.
•We are going to end with action steps, hand outs, checklists, and real-
time + theoretical application that you can use.
•We are going to cover team based practices and pragmatic steps that
are needed for project success and completions.
•We are going to ask each other questions.
•We are going to challenge dogmatic views and ideas you already have
about leadership and time span.
•We are going to ask you to reflect on your personal values and
commitments; to your organization; team; and self.
•We are going to learn from experiential activities (meaning we will play
games).
•We are going to have fun & laugh.
•We are going to make the greatest effort possible to remain collegial
and continue to learn from each other. Even after our “set time” is done.
•We are NOT going to read off a power point.
Do you want to stay?
www.create‐learning.com

Listen
Instill,
Internalize, Experience
Institutionalize
Analyze
Reflect the
Action
www.create‐learning.com

Detailed Data Discovery
Within the next 15 minutes your objective
is to;
o Introduce your-self to the team
o Accumulate team data you may choose any area or multiple
areas to tabulate and illustrate team data
o Compile and translate data into information
your team will present to others
o Develop a consensus of 1 team goal for our
time together
o Add 1 more ground rule, if necessary
www.create‐learning.com

When the going gets tough.
The tough get going!
Default to their
highest level of
Learning or is it training?
www.create‐learning.com

Hard Skill Soft Skill
Write down 5 soft skills
necessary for 6 Sigma Teams,
and 5 hard skills necessary for
6 Sigma Teams, do it fast and
don’t let anyone else see what
you are writing.
www.create‐learning.com

www.create‐learning.com

Customer Requirements;
Goal defined as a what by when…in reference to a problem that must be solved.
Quality – The structure must built with the following quality
specifications;
Each knife blade rests on only one other knife
Marshmallows are at a greater distance apart, on all sides, than one
knife length
Completed structure be able to hold a weight of 5 pounds for 30 seconds
All knife blades must be facing out, towards the outside of the circle
The structure must be circular
Quantity – Requirements are 1 completed structure per/team
Time Frame – 30 minutes
Resources – The following are available for project completion
18 knives
18 marshmallows
Project Consultant
Other organizational teams working on the same project
Image of completed project
www.create‐learning.com

Information
For people
who attend
the
workshop.
www.create‐learning.com

Great
team dynamics
include ?
www.create‐learning.com

Team dynamics defined as the motivating and driving forces that propel a team toward its goal
and mission
Great team dynamics include – which if any apply to your team
effort;
oIdentify a leader
oEstablish roles & responsibilities + discuss what each person ‘brings to the table’
oEstablish a set of goals & objectives
oEstablish an agenda for managing time to complete the task/meeting
oEstablish a method to determine how they will reach agreement
oEstablish ground rules for their meetings
oProper & timely use of quality tools
oMaladaptive behaviors are properly dealt with immediately and have
consequences
oAbility to get started on task/project quickly
www.create‐learning.com

Commitment Goal
Clarification
High Performance www.create‐learning.com

www.create‐learning.com

Champions Role Prior to formation of
Project team;
•Select team members/ possibly with team leader
•Create the business case for the project
•Formulate the preliminary problem statement
•Identify the preliminary scope of the project
•Identify the preliminary goals of the project
•Allocate the resources for the team to complete its work
•Identify team leaders; either black or green belt
•Communicate the business case to each team member
•Establish a timeline for the project team to complete it’s
work
•Establish the milestones along the way for input from the
Champion
•Distinguish decisions requiring Champion input from
independent team decisions
www.create‐learning.com

Team Leaders Role Prior to initial team
meeting;
•Clear & Distinct understanding and support from Champion
•Works in correspondence to with Champion to select team
members
•Contact and welcome members to the team
•Draft initial agenda for first team meeting
•Send preliminary charter and initial agenda for comment;
incorporates suggestions prior to meeting
•Establish team meeting logistics
•Establish a relationship and expectations with the process
owner
•Do a stakeholder analysis on those you’ve selected as team
members
•Begin to create a list of people from outside the team whose
support you’ll need
www.create‐learning.com

Team Leader Guidelines:
How to select the Right Project Team Members
Key Principle
Team leaders ensure that the work gets done, it is not their responsibility to actually do all the project work.
The main reason for having a project team is that each member brings something important to the project, so
the work can be divided among contributing members.
Guidelines
< > Consider including a combination of people who:
•have detailed knowledge of the target process
•have the technical skills requires to complete the project.
•can build commitment and buy-in to the project and its outcomes by virtue of being involved from the start.
< > Identify the main activities of the project and ensure that you have the right people to handle them
< > Look in the workgroup of the target process and ensure those closest to the work are represented.
< > Consider support groups (HR, IT, Marketing, etc…) whose buy-in you will eventually need.
< > Ensure finance is involved, even if not on the core team.
< > Include member who can represent internal and external customers and suppliers.
From Rath & Strong’s Six Sigma Team Pocket Guide.
www.create‐learning.com

Project Team Members Role Prior to initial team meeting;
•If you hear about a project in your area, and want to get involved;
Volunteer.
•If you’ve been selected for the project team and you don’t know why, ask
prior to the first meeting.
•If you haven't met the team leader, try and establish contact prior to the
first meeting.
•If you haven’t seen a draft agenda or team charter, ask the team leader if
they have one
•If you have ideas for the agenda and comments on the draft, send them
to the team leader prior to the first meeting
•Discuss with your boss the project time commitments and potential
conflicts with your “regular job.”
•Prior to the meeting, make notes on what you might be able to contribute
to the team, the role you might play, your goals and expectations relative
to this project, and any concerns you may have. Be ready to share this
with the team
•Come with an open mind and positive attitude. This will help the team get
off to a good start and make it a better experience for you and everyone
else.
www.create‐learning.com

Handouts /
Sample forms /
Checklists / How
to / discussions
for people in the
room…
Must be present
to get the key
www.create‐learning.com

Method=“how” Content=the
the work “what” of
gets done. the work.
Facilitative DMAIC is
Leadership the “what” of
6S teams’
work.
www.create‐learning.com

When we talk about the “how” of work (method)
we are talking about the language of facilitative
leadership which has two components;
1. Facilitative Prevention
2. Facilitative Intervention
www.create‐learning.com

Facilitative Preventions;
Creating and utilizing clear & distinct agendas
Determining the desired outcomes for each
Six Sigma meeting
Agreement on team ground rules for each Six
Sigma meeting
Agreement on Decision-Making methods for
Six Sigma team
Obtaining agreement on specific Six Sigma
team roles and responsibilities
Agreement on an evaluation method for each
meeting
www.create‐learning.com

Information
For people
who attend
the workshop.
www.create‐learning.com

www.create‐learning.com

Facilitative Interventions;
10 Mortal Sins of Facilitation
Common types of behaviors of teams
Levels of intervention & when to increase a
level
Interventions with specific maladaptive
behaviors
Some other ideas
www.create‐learning.com

10 Mortal Sins of Facilitation
www.create‐learning.com

www.create‐learning.com

Complete the following challenge
-Place the PVC cap on the table and place one nail into the hole
in the PVC cap.
- The task is to balance all the other nails on the head of the one
nail stuck in the PVC cap.
-When balanced the nails must be completely self-supporting
(i.e., the nails may not be touching or resting on any
object, besides the one nail in the PVC cap).
- The group may not use any other props or materials – Besides
the one PVC cap with the hole and the nails (no tape, glue,
rubber bands, etc.)
- Turning the PVC cap upside down and on its side is not allowed.
The nail must remain upright at all times.
www.create‐learning.com

www.create‐learning.com

Most common types of behaviors
people on teams display;
Whisperer
Story teller
Dominant Personality
Dropout
Naysayer
Verbal attacker
Politician
Team Clown
www.create‐learning.com

www.create‐learning.com

How do I utilize It is in the
facilitative handout packet.
leadership w/ Plus we are about
these behavior to discuss
types? specifics.
Did I miss lunch?
www.create‐learning.com

Test under stress
www.create‐learning.com

www.create‐learning.com

Reduce Variations to Improve Cycle time
Constraints:
The over-all goal is to complete the assembly of the pieces so that
is matches the diagram supplied.
There are two goals to accomplish in within one hour:
•Solve the puzzle within the time (assemble the boards so they match the
diagram).
•Be able to assemble the product in less then 60 seconds under the stated
guidelines.
1. As you start to assemble the puzzle for the 1st time, working with
various configurations is encouraged.
2. During the hour, you may attempt as many assembly iterations as
possible.
3. When beginning each assembly iteration, the boards must always start
laid out, longest boards on the left to the shortest boards on the right.
4. The boards may not be marked and written on in any manner. No
marking the floor/assembly area is allowed.
5. In the finished design, the boards fit together without any significant
bending or force fit.
www.create‐learning.com

Got to be here to
get this juicy
nugget of
knowledge.
www.create‐learning.com

5 Ways to Influence People to Cooperate
with Your Six Sigma Project
Telling Persuading Negotiating Involving Appealing
www.create‐learning.com

Is Your Data Persuasive?
Relevant: You’re presenting data that the person cares about
and can do something about.
User-Friendly: You’re presenting data in multiple forms, with
pictures where possible, in language that is familiar to the person.
Easily Verifiable: You’re letting the person know where the data
came from, and how/by whom it was collected. (Still better: the
person was involved in the collection process.)
Selective: So that the person will not be overwhelmed, you’ve
resisted the urge to include every bit of data you have, and you’ve
prepared backup in case it’s necessary.
In Context: You’ve made it clear to the person how this data fits
in what he/she already knows, and have provided points of
comparison where available and appropriate.
From Rath & Strong’s Six Sigma Team Pocket Guide.
www.create‐learning.com

Matching your communication
to the person
whose help you need.
If you know the You should…
person …
Tells stories Speak at their pace.
Engages in Make small talk first;
pleasantries. include pleasantries in
e-mail and voice mail.
Exhibits interest in
people involved in Ensure you have
situation details on people
involved, including
Tolerates Digressions effects on the team
Has positions that Schedule enough time
involves people issues. to allow for off-agenda
items
www.create‐learning.com

Pitfalls of
and how
to avoid
them
www.create‐learning.com

Pitfall How to avoid
Not knowing when Consider alternate ways of responding, and be
to use / not use certain that email is appropriate.
email Don’t email to avoid the recipient and their
reaction to your message.
Follow the other persons lead: if they usually
call and are expecting a call, call them.
Don’t “cc” people (such as someone's boss) to
punish the recipient.
Don’t introduce an idea that might cause the
recipient to resist (such as a request for resources
that you know they will find disturbing.)
Don’t escalate an ongoing email war.
If something has upset you, take time to calm
down and (if appropriate) request clarification
rather than assuming the offense was intentional;
refrain from firing off an email in anger.
If in doubt about the appropriateness of what
you are sending, ask a colleague for an objective
opinion on how the recipient might interpret your
message.
www.create‐learning.com

Six Sigma Team Development
Nutrition, Heaping up healthy
servings in the workshop.
www.create‐learning.com

www.create‐learning.com

What to do
when you
are not
getting
cooperation
www.create‐learning.com

DO Don’t
Start by giving the “resistor” the Force and manipulate people
benefit of the doubt. Consider whether into compliance
he/she is truly resisting your good idea, Use persuasion when it is not
or just reacting sensibly to a bad idea. appropriate
Perform a project stake holder analysis Continue as if everything is fine
Create a plan for addressing this Assume you can’t do anything
person’s specific reason for resistance and just give up
and gaining their cooperation. Lie
Be sensitive and tactful when
presenting data that might threaten this
person (such as root cause and
performance data).
Exhibit patience, respect, empathy.
Stay connected. Don’t be put off by the
person’s emotion.
Maintain focus and perspective, and
relax. Work your way through this
problem methodically one step at a time,
just as you do when you apply the
DMAIC approach.
www.create‐learning.com

Sudden Survey
www.create‐learning.com

Pluses & Deltas
Breakfast of Champions
www.create‐learning.com

Developing ::
Leading ::
Being Part of ::
Effective
6 Sigma Teams
Please take the information
packet plus one of my cards
and stay in touch.
I am at your service.

Photo Attributions
Bark
Ansik
epSos.de
Jronaldlee
CarbonNYC
Kevindooley
Subcircle
House Of Sims
OliBac
Dewitahs
BugGuide
Gjofili
Fabian Bromann
Michaelcardus
Tama Leaver
zanthrax-dot-nl
Kodomut
terren in Virginia
Content Attributions:
Six Sigma Team Dynamics; The Elusive Key to Project Success; Eckes, George;
Wiley: 2003
Six Sigma Team Pocket Guide; Rath & Stong’s;
McGraw-Hill: 2003
www.create‐learning.com