How to Foster the Adoption of Lean and Six Sigma in the Sharing Economy?


The sharing economy has been pretty successful, and the best examples are Uber and Airbnb. While the industry is growing rapidly and people are enjoying an extensive range of services at an affordable rate, there’s always a concern for the quality of these offerings. That’s where Six Sigma comes into the picture. Today, people get an opportunity to book affordable ride−sharing services to enjoy a hassle−free trip. It’s possible for you to communicate with your family, friends, colleagues, and people in any part of the world using messenger apps. A few years ago, we would have never imagined books would be available online, but that has become a reality today. All these businesses focus on sharing resources and making a wide variety of services available and affordable for people.

No matter how rapidly technology progresses and makes people independent, we always feel the need for face−to−face connection and human contact. Millennials and gen−z people want everything tailor−made. They don’t need the standard products. Instead, they are willing to pay a high price just to get a customized product that meets their needs and standards. For instance, people favor guest lodges more than 5−star hotels simply because they want homemade pancakes or people who are there to assist them 24 hours. They don’t get this from a 5−star hotel. That’s how the customers’ buying pattern is changing, and they are looking for more reliable and customized solutions within their budget.

What is Six Sigma?

Six Sigma is a solution−based approach that focuses on improving organizational efficiency by transforming the way business is conducted. It involves a series of steps that identify the risks and defects in each process, minimize them, and help businesses come up with a robust strategy to improve their product quality.

Six Sigma can be taught and learned. For people looking to advance their career in the management industry, a Six Sigma course consisting of different levels is your best bet. Most businesses follow these standards to ensure the best product quality with minimal expense and maximum efficiency. Below we have listed a few ways you can foster the adoption of Six Sigma in a sharing economy. Let’s take a look.

Think Long-term

First things first, every business needs to think long−term. Your long−term growth strategy shouldn’t only be about the organizational objectives or its growth but also your employees’ personal development. So, how can you achieve that? For starters, you need to communicate these goals with your workforce. Explain to them what you plan on achieving and which strategies can lead you toward these goals.

Once the objectives are clarified, the next step is to provide training to your employees and allow them time off so that they can grow on a personal and professional level. If you know about Six Sigma, this happens to be the first stage of the DMAIC process. You can’t proceed until you identify your goals based on your long−term objectives and communicate them to your team.

Work in Teams

A business can’t achieve its short−term or long−term objectives if they adopt an “I” instead of a “we” strategy. Rewarding individual employees might sound like a great way to ensure your business’ growth, but is it really that effective? Doing it occasionally is a good idea to motivate your employees, but your focus should be more on teamwork.

Six Sigma works only when everyone in the team or people participating in a project are entitled to share their opinion. Experts believe no one can propose better improvements or solutions than someone working on the project. They know the ins and outs of the project and can hence suggest the most viable way to bring efficiency in operations − whether you want to cut costs or improve the quality of the product.

Reward Everyone

Remember, your employees must work in a team for your company to achieve its ultimate goals. So, they must be rewarded in teams only. Instead of rewarding your employees on an individual level, you should adopt a profit−sharing model where the team, as a whole, should be rewarded when they hit a milestone. This will encourage your employees to work together. Teamwork has always been shown to bring the best results, which is why your focus must be on rewarding employees as a team instead of giving incentives to selected employees.

Motivate People

Just paying your employees won’t motivate them to work for your company. If you want to maximize their productivity, you need to respect their time, opinions, and hard work. Setting goals for your team and dividing complex tasks into smaller and achievable projects is one easy way to motivate people.

You can also try other strategies, like offering incentives when they perform beyond their abilities or giving them tasks based on their skills or what they are comfortable doing. It’s important that your employees know where you want to see your company in the future, what plans you have for your business, and how you’d like each employee to contribute to your business’ growth. Once they know what to expect from them, they will align their objectives with your organizational goals. They are highly likely to perform well.

Leave the Rest to Them

Your employees specialize in different areas. Some handle the management work effectively, while others oversee the finances pretty well. Your job is to communicate your goals to them and delegate the work responsibilities based on their expertise. That’s it. Leave the rest to them. Let them share their ideas and provide them with the tools and resources needed to conduct those. They know how to do their job well, so it’s best if you leave everything to your employees. You should also organize monthly meetings to ensure your goals are met. You can also conduct brainstorming in the meeting so that everyone knows their jobs.

Conclusion

These few steps go a long way in ensuring that your employees work together to take your company to success. That's what Six Sigma is all about.

Updated on: 16-Nov-2022

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