Exploring critical success factors for the reintegration of Lean Six Sigma Black Belts into line function roles in the technology environment

The success that Lean and Six Sigma deployment has brought to organisations such as General Electric, Toyota, Motorola and AlliedSignal has generated great interest in the business and process improvement circles in recent years. Organisations are training Black Belts with the intention to reintegrate them into line function roles. These Black Belts are expected to be change agents in their organisations to transform the business culture to one that embraces continuous improvement. However, certain success factors govern the reintegration of trained Black Belts. The goal of this study is to guide organisations that will be reintegrating Black Belts on which critical factors to prioritise for successful reintegration. The body of knowledge relating to these success factors was identified and evaluated. Analysis was conducted to rank the success factors in order of importance. It was found that the highest ranking factors were the importance of the credibility of Black Belts; the amount of time spent by Black Belts in training to build solid skills; and management training and buy in.