Empirical Study for Six Sigma Success: Mapping Organizational Hierarchy with Barriers

Six Sigma has become a popular approach in many organizations today to sustain competitive advantage. Though the benefits of Six Sigma method to organizations are great, challenges and realities in successful implementing are immense. Many Six Sigma literatures have been published in which success stories were discussed primarily. Few literatures have addressed the challenges of Six Sigma practice based on the lessons learned during implementation. This paper attempts to fortify the common Six Sigma approach by mapping the organizational hierarchy with implementation process. The challenges associated with each level of the organizational hierarchy are revealed and key factors to success are recommended for Six Sigma excellence in dynamic 21^st century.