Motivation and Communication in Six Sigma Teams

Overview/Description
Six Sigma teams must possess specific qualities to succeed throughout the development stages of their life cycles. Leaders who know how to facilitate teams will greatly enhance their chances for project success, which in turn will benefit their organizations. Motivation is one essential component that can optimize a team's focus on accomplishing its assigned goals. By making the teamwork enriching and satisfying to members, leaders can motivate a Six Sigma team with dramatic effects on overall success. Modern motivational theory informs today's motivational techniques, and this course explores both the theoretical origins and the practical application of research on motivation. Besides motivating individual team members, Black Belts need to proactively promote cohesion through all the challenging stages of a Six Sigma team's tenure. As team leaders, Six Sigma Black Belts need to recognize the stages of team development and choose targeted approaches for optimizing performance at each stage. Throughout all the stages, effective communication is vital for project success. Team communication is often overlooked, and the result can be missed deadlines, confusion, and team frustration if information is not supplied to all intended parties in a timely fashion. In any Six Sigma deployment, a communication plan will be indispensable, outlining the why, what, who, where, and how of project communication. The communication toolkit is extensive, and team leaders need to know how to use the right tool for the job. This course offers strategies for effective team facilitation and communication, exploring basic skills, strategic plans, and useful tools for communication. This course is aligned with the ASQ Certified Six Sigma Black Belt certification exam and is designed to assist learners as part of their exam preparation. It builds on foundational knowledge that is taught in SkillSoftâs ASQ-aligned Green Belt curriculum.

Target Audience
Candidates seeking Six Sigma Black Belt certification, quality professionals, engineers, production managers, frontline supervisors, and all individuals charged with responsibility for improving quality and processes at the organizational or departmental level, including process owners and champions

Prerequisites
Proficiency at the Green Belt level with the Six Sigma philosophy and approach, as well as concepts of team evolution, dynamics, and communication as scoped in the ASQ - Six Sigma Green Belt body of knowledge (BOK)

Expected Duration (hours)
2.0

Lesson Objectives

Motivation and Communication in Six Sigma Teams

recognize which motivation theory is guiding a team leader's assumptions in a given scenario

distinguish between modern motivation theories

recognize examples of job characteristics that satisfy and enrich employees

recognize the practical application of Vroom's Expectancy Theory

recognize recommended approaches for empowering through management

sequence the stages of organizational empowerment

match team members' feelings at each stage with stage-appropriate facilitation approaches

recognize examples of good communication practices for team facilitation

sort communications information into sections of a communications plan

identify the scope of key types of information in a communication plan

choose communication tools that will meet team leaders' objectives in a given scenario