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May 2003
Volume 2 • Number 3
GUEST EDITORIAL
Six Sigma Goes to College
By Barbara Flynn, editor, Quality Management Journal, and professor of operations management, Wake Forest University
Barb.Flynn@mba.wfu.edu
As a professor, I’ve found it a challenge at times to motivate students to learn about topics such as statistical analysis, process flow analysis and project management. Though I recognize the importance of these subjects, students tend to find them less than exciting. Making matters worse is that we teach the topics to all master of business administration (MBA) students, not just those in operations management. So the material is labeled irrelevant by students in finance, marketing, IT and other areas.
A colleague starts his course by having the students go to www.monster.com and do a search for “Black Belt.” He says the students come to class the next day highly motivated and ready to tackle Six Sigma and other challenging topics.
I did my own search and found job openings for Black Belts (BBs) and Master Black Belts in such organizations as Armstrong World Industries Inc., Eaton Corp., Bankers Life and Casualty, General Electric Commercial Finance, R.R. Donnelley, Owens Corning, Seagate Technology LLC and Xerox Corp.
What was interesting about these job postings was that the descriptions moved way beyond the scope of operations management. In addition, most indicated the sorts of salaries recent MBA graduates would find very appealing.
We are starting to use Six Sigma as a framework for the material we teach to our students. It is attractive to professors for several reasons.
First, though our students already study project management, business process management, statistics and many other topics included in the Six Sigma body of knowledge, the students often come away with a tool kit they do not know how to use. Six Sigma provides a roadmap.
Second, Six Sigma cuts across disciplines. We are suddenly seeing interest in our elective courses from students who probably would never have considered an operations management course in the past. In this tough job market, BB certification can give our graduates an advantage that differentiates them from the myriad other MBA graduates. This is particularly true for majors not traditionally associated with Six Sigma.
Third, students find Six Sigma exciting. They are motivated to master the information required for the BB certification exam and to get involved with Six Sigma projects.
There are several ways in which BBs in industry can help students pursuing the certification.
- Consider volunteering as a guest speaker at a nearby university. Students enjoy hearing about how Six Sigma has been used in solving real problems. They will benefit from hearing your experiences and having a chance to interact with you.
- Invite students to get involved with Six Sigma projects in your organization. Most MBA programs already have courses and summer internships that require students to work on projects within organizations. With our students’ Six Sigma training, you can be assured they will use a proven, effective problem solving approach.
- Volunteer to serve as a project supervisor for a group of students. To fulfill the experience requirement for BB certification, students must do two supervised Six Sigma projects. Being able to work with an industry supervisor offers a different perspective from working with a faculty supervisor.
Having the opportunity to sit for the BB certification exam after they graduate provides our students a competitive edge in a tough job market while giving us added confidence in their skills.
