Tips On Keeping Six Sigma Teams Motivated

There are no excuses for slack and lack of excellence. Corporate life has become a race and all companies must aspire to win. Applying Six Sigma principles and practices is indispensable in order to optimize individual and team performance.

The following tips will prove valuable in keeping Six Sigma teams motivated:

Psychological Tools

-Help every team member to feel he/she is part of related programs, and projects as a significant contributor.

-Involve everyone in the decision making process.

-Acknowledge all achievements and reward them for the noteworthy contribution to the organization.

-Make sure they feel their pay and perks are an appropriate exchange for the efforts they put in.

Social Tools

-Allow them judicious amount of social interaction with others at the workplace.

-Take steps to create a safe congenial working environment with positive vibes and energy that is conducive to maximizing one's output.

-Organize occasional outings, dinners and accolades within the whole group.

-Incentives, including monetary rewards, have been found to be a great motivating factor.

-Commemorate historic events in a group with fun, excitement and enthusiasm.

-Social gatherings and celebrations are effective tools to bring people together. It helps to unwind and relax after a hectic schedule of stressful work.

This also gives the team an occasion to celebrate what has been accomplished and reinforce the bonds with each other as fellow humans working towards a common goal.

Professional Tools
-Organize regular job-related training sessions and skills enhancement programs to boost self-esteem and confidence of each team member.
-Once in a while, invite a professional motivator to conduct workshops for team members. Such sessions function not only as a welcome change and pace from an otherwise busy work schedule, but also instill verve and vitality in team members.
-In consideration of their expertise and experience, give each employee suitable job duties, roles, a title, and/or some authority over their assigned work.
-While setting team goals, make sure they are practically achievable. Setting unrealistically lofty goals will only daunt the spirit and dampen the morale of team members.
-Occasionally, hand out tasks that challenge their expertise and creativity, so they are able to keep professionally awake rather than falling into a rut.
-Establish team level personnel performance metrics to reflect corporate or higher-level objectives.
Take Care of Group Dynamics
As far as possible, use consensus to arrive at all crucial decisions. It allows everyone in the team to equally play an active role in determining the group's final decision.

Use consensus to choose a line of action from a list of possible options. Brainstorm all issues vital to the success of your sigma team. While brainstorming, follow the rules of the game to ensure that team creativity isn't limited.