Whatever Happened to Six Sigma?

I worked for a company that went all in on six sigma. They didn’t manufacture a single thing, only services. It made absolutely no sense but was something someone high in the company decided on so everyone below them (especially mid level managers and ladder climbers) were preaching the gospel of six sigma. It became a game in which managers could get the most of their team with the higher belts through carrot or stick.

Millions were wasted on six sigma training and who knows how many hours.

I’m old enough now to have seen this game many times at large companies. Someone adopts a methodology or if they’re really savvy they invent their own and then managers work to try to get their team to shoehorn something exciting they’re working on (or a big sales win) into the process so the process gets credit and the managers get recognition