The Effect of Six Sigma on Employees – A Case Study

Irrespective of the fact that Six Sigma has been generally considered a success formula for ensuring better performance of companies, there has been little appreciation and understanding that the core of the success of Six Sigma is through a dedicated workforce. Most of the studies which highlight Critical Success Factors validate that the involvement of the entire work force contributes significantly to Six Sigma. However, in reality very few efforts have been made to look into the implications of Six Sigma on the overall welfare of the employees which is termed as People's Equity in this paper. We hold that the reverse causation has to also take place; that is, Six Sigma should improve People's Equity. This would ensure that the process is mutually reinforcing. This paper investigates the implications of Six Sigma implementation on People's Equity in a chosen automobile company. The findings suggest that both managers and employees consider that Peoples' Equity has not improved significantly after implementation of Six Sigma.