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Thursday, August 21, 2003
Spiritual Six Sigma
Brian Miller wonders if Six Sigma can be used in a non-traditional setting, like a church. I'm not any kind of expert here, but it was a fun exercise to see how flexible the concepts could be. The reason I think they're so relevant to marketing is that the underlying concepts are pretty simple.
Now remember, I'm not a Six Sigma expert, but here's what I remember off the top of my head.
Using the DMAIC process, we can go through the basic steps:
DEFINE: Start with really defining a problem (attendance, spirituality, contributions, obedience, engagement with scriptures, etc.). Is it a real problem? What would success look like? What's critical to the customer about what you're trying to improve?
MEASURE: Could you put it into a goal that's attainable but challenging? Make it something that can be measured, very exactly. Number of members attending 3x a month, or donation per member, or number of pages of scripture read by member per month?
ANALYZE: Why is the problem occurring? Use "5 why's" to get to the real root of the problem. Again, what's critical to the customer? If it's attendance, why are people staying home? Because they have better things to do on a Sunday? Why? Because watching baseball is more exciting than sitting in a sermon? Why? Because baseball provides social stimulation? It's exciting? Folks don't have to dress up? Etc. Get to the root of the customer expectations.
IMPROVE: The easy part, once you've really found the problem. Map out the process to find out every relevant step taken in the existing process. What one thing could you do to solve the underlying problem?
CONTROL: Continue to measure, to see if the steps you've taken are working. Stay in tune with the customer to see if they percieve the problem improving. Control the improvements, and continue tweaking. Now, move on to the next problem.
Sounds pretty simple, and in some ways, it is. Biggest "aha!" for me was taking the time to really break apart the problem into bite-size chunks.
Posted at 04:38 PM in Best Of, Business Process, Management | Permalink
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Comments
Thanks John! This is good stuff. I have a vision team and we're not always sure where to start. I like this as a starting point. "What is the problem?"
I asked Jim to be on the vision team, but the Six Sigma stuff was monopolizing his time. Maybe that was why he was going?
Posted by: Brian Miller at Aug 22, 2003 6:51:05 AM
what oes the term mean in the pshyciatric world
Posted by: sleighd at May 14, 2004 4:41:27 PM
I enjoy seeing how six sigma can be extended to other applications. However in this case (and dont think I'm missing the point!) I think you have made an error in the problem definition of your spiritual six sigma.
As the famous saying goes 'a problem well stated is a problem half solved'. Although Church leadership is, in many ways like running a business (cashflow, staff issues etc.) The problem definition you suggested was a relatively quantifiable process issue.
I suggest that a spiriual six sigma might begin with a problem definition truer to that faced by many churches that is;
A - Relevance
B - Authenticity
So I would say that it has application for improving the measurable aspects of spirituality but does not help with the broader objectives of a church...comments?
Posted by: Ben at May 25, 2004 11:10:41 PM
I work with churches on visioning projects. What you suggest is very similar to what traditionally has been done in churches. And in those cases where you have a very able pastor, a problem focused planning process can produce satisfactory results. But my experience is that this is the exception not the rule.
Why? If there is not a clear vision of the church’s mission to begin with, and this is true of any organization, then the problem or problems are not seen in a whole context. It is easy to fixate on the problem as the essential issue with the church. The organization invest time, money, energy and attention on the problem, but nothing really ends of changing. This is because it is a system. Of course, anyone who knows Six Sigma understands this. This is true for a church just as it is for a technology company. In reality, the problem may be nothing more than nuisance or diversion, not really the critical issue facing the congregation.
So what do you do? Get people off thinking about the past, and focus them on the future. How do you do this? Easy. Bring the whole church together in small groups where they discuss a set of questions designed to find out what they want and desire, rather than what they don’t like. It doesn't matter if it is a 200 member or 2000 member congregation, it works for both. As they talk, their imaginations are touched, and they begin to see potential. You have to make sure you capture their comments, and then a group of interpreters crafts a vision plan that reflects where the congregation wants to go. With a clear, compelling vision of their future impact, current problems seem less critical. The essential rule is "You can't sell a vision."
I think the Six Sigma process, just like Goldratt’s Theory of Constraint’s system, has a place in every organization. But like any tool, it is important you use it appropriately.
Posted by: Ed Brenegar at Aug 12, 2004 6:54:39 PM
its really good to know that six sigma can be applied to a non-traditional setting like the church. What
what happens when the root cause is more
spiritual than physical e.g demonic
oppression.
what about the anointing and faith factor.
?
Posted by: Pastor T.Harry at Oct 28, 2004 6:00:14 PM
