Change Leadership

What is Change Leadership?

  • It is the “human side” of process improvement
  • Focussed on individuals, teams and the whole organisation
  • It is used to create acceptance of process improvement (Lean Six Sigma and DFSS) projects
  • It will establish faster success
  • Everyone is involved and participate in the improvement successes
  • Only in this way a change in organisations will be sustainable
  • Customers will feel the positive change and get excited


Why is it important?

  • People develop, implement and control improvements (changes)
  • The culture of the organisation supports or undermine changes through :
    -values
    - social norms
    - assumptions
  • Organisation systems demonstrate what is really important by who they select, reward, and marginalize
  • Obviously, this has a strong impact on process improvement projects.

The method: Kotters’s model

The eight-stage process for successful change implementation:
1. Create a sense of urgency
2. Build commitment: form a leading coalition
3. Develop a vision and strategy
4. Communicate the change vision
5. Develop an organisation to effect change
6. Deliver short term successes
7. Consolidate wins and produce more wins
8. Institutionalize change

- John Kotter, leading Change. Harvard Business School Press. 1996.-

The model of Kotter can be applied in the different phases of a Lean Six Sigma project. Approach of Sigma Quality Consultancy:

  • Training and consultancy in change management for employees, including management
  • Change management is incorporated in the Six Sigma and DFSS training
  • Employees are using the change management tools in their project and are coached on this
  • Management is coached in project reviews, project selection, deployment of resources
  • A few (Master) Black Belts will be trained to take over the responsibilities of the external consultants
  • After 12 – 18 months the organisation is “self-running” in change management.
  • Approach is to focus to train own employees “on the job”