Professor Elam

Thursday October 11 2012

In
the 1970s, A Japanese firm took over the Motorola Corporation (at that time they
made TVs) and increased production while decreasing defects and errors,
resulting in little to no rework. In
1981 a new CEO was named for Motorola, Bob Galvin, he challenged his company to
improve on what they knew and produce tenfold in all areas of the business.  A later addition to the team was Mikel Harry,
he is regarded as the authority on theory and practice of Six Sigma. Mikel Harry
developed a four stage quality program called MAIC which meant Manage, Analyze,
Improve, and Control. This process would be later known as Six Sigma. In 1987
Galvin launched the program at Motorola. In 1988, Mikel collaborated his idea
with plant manager, Cliff Ames, they both loved the martial arts and recognized
that if a company could achieve then Six Sigma, they would be known as a Black
Belt. In 1989, Bob Galvin introduced the Six Sigma Research Institute under
Mikel Harry. In 1993, Mikel Harry partnered with Richard Schroeder and together
created the Six Sigma Academy. Graduates of this academy were known as Champion,
Master Black Belt, Black Belt and Green Belt. These different levels represented
the levels of success a company could measure themselves up against. Harry and Schroeder took their show on the road and landed with
Allied Signal, once they turned that company around, Jack Welch, CEO of GE,
teamed up with the Academy and it was this major move that made everyone notice
what SIX SIGMA could do for their company.

Thanks to Emiliano Baiza for this succinct history of Six Sigma!