Six Sigma & the Human Element - Part I

I recently ran across the following quotes regarding the Six Sigma business paradigm:

• "Six Sigma has spread like wildfire across the company and its transforming everything we do."
  Jack Welch, CEO, GE Business Week special report
• "Six Sigma is arguably the most important business and industry initiative that has involved statistical thinking and methods."
  Ronald D. Snee, Impact of Six Sigma on Quality Engineering

In my experience, many businesspeople shy away from what they view as a rigid, mathematical approach to doing business. Six Sigma is certainly based in part on statistics, but there is also a very human element in it as well. Using an Ishikawa diagram (otherwise known as a fishbone diagram), participants in a Six Sigma initiative can sort out the contributing factors (e.g. systems, equipment, human resources, etc), that are leading to deviations from desired results.

The human element is a vital part of Six Sigma.