Six Sigma Implemented in SMEs. The effects of a disciplined "data-driven approach" on HR management in SMEs

Six-Sigma, a disciplined data-driven approach generally applied to big size highly-structured enterprises, is presented in this work as an opportunity for SMEs to give impulse to their performances through the abandonment of their old and not always effective methods and working practices. It is a change that essentially requires the redesign of the work activities according to scientific methodologies that generate greater productivity, less anomalies and a higher gratification of the worker. In this sense, the use of some selected data obtained by the production processes gives rise to a new way of working and thinking (data culture) and a new mind-set. Inevitably this change generates the need to train and develop new skills at every level of the production process: from the most operative to the most strategic one. This paper, whose ambition is to analyze this possibility for SMEs and collect data to generate new managerial attitudes, put in evidence the effects of the introduction of Six-Sigma in SMEs, the main changes in HRM it requires, the obstacles and the critical role of the consultant in the various implementation phases. In order to develop a rich understanding of these Six-Sigma effects, two corporations have been selected: one in manufacturing and the other in service, operating in two different industries and in different phases of the implementation.