When problems arise, it's generally the employees on the ground who can give the best insights into how to fix them. However, many companies do not empower their employees in this way, relying instead on managers (who may be more disconnected from those problems) to come up with best practices. This method of problem solving is not only inefficient, but has the potential to disengage a company's day-to-day workforce. When it comes to problem solving, no one has better insight into how to smoothly run a process—and more importantly, where the process breaks down—than the employee who runs the process every day. Managers and executives who realize this and capitalize on the information gleaned from workers consistently outperform others in meeting and sustaining project goals, according to Samantha Kaplan, director of quality and continuous improvement at the Corporate College division of Cuyahoga Community College. "Involvement of people at every level is an integral part of any organizational change," Kaplan said. A practical way managers can involve their employees in these decisions is by following the principles of Lean Six Sigma, a streamlined version of Six Sigma, a management practice focused specifically on eliminating waste and boosting efficiency.
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