Using Strategic Six Sigma to Improve the Innovation Process

About this Publication

The term ‘Six Sigma’ tends to conjure images of statistics such as ‘3.4 defects per million opportunities’ or it brings to mind esoteric debates about ‘the 1.5 sigma shift.’ With a focus on mathematics, Six Sigma is associated with statisticians, process engineers, consultants and trainers. Moreover, Six Sigma often is applied to production processes – linear and repetitive activities where it is deployed to reduce variation and trim waste. Innovation, on the other hand, is a non-linear, chaotic process, so much so that it has been said that luck is among the most prolific inventors in world history.

The difference between the production process and the innovation process may be likened to the distinction between the left and right hemispheres of the brain. The left-brain governs systematic, rules-based activities. It is the domain of mathematics, accounting and logical deduction. The right-brain controls our capacity to dream, to imagine, to think outside the box. Can a left-brain methodology like Six Sigma be applied to the right-brain realm of innovation?

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