Career progression is a part of an organization’s infrastructure that is often overlooked or simply dismissed. As a result, employees may feel that the organization is not rewarding their willingness to take a risk by stepping up and getting a Lean Six Sigma certification.
During my career, I saw a mixture of organizations that readily promoted star performers and others where career opportunities frankly didn’t exist, and employees got frustrated and left the company.
For those organizations that have decided to put career paths in place, two different paths typically exist. The first is to limit Black Belt and Master Black Belt tenure to between two and three years. When their time in the role expires, they generally move to another, generally higher, position in the company. The supporting logic is that these folks will use their Lean Six Sigma skills in their new jobs. When organizations do this, it further ingrains Lean Six Sigma into the company culture.
The second path allows individuals to continue to serve as belts in the organization or seek a position somewhere else in the company. This allows those individuals who love working and coaching projects to continue to enjoy what they are doing. The drawback to this approach is that it may limit the ability of other individuals to become certified as well as limit the further driving of Lean Six Sigma into the company culture.
Some positions I’ve experienced that were filled with Lean Six Sigma belts include:
- Senior Project Manager
- Quality Manager
- Plant Manager
- Press Room Manager
- Technical Leader
- Operations Director
- Department Manager
- VP of Engineering