The Hidden Key to Lean Six Sigma Success: Integrating Culture and Risk Evaluation (CARE)

The concept of Culture and Risk Evaluation (CARE) is pivotal to supporting the integration of Lean and Six Sigma methodologies. Both methodologies aim to improve process efficiency, but CARE brings a necessary layer of understanding organizational culture and risk management that can prevent blind spots in safety, quality, and overall operational excellence. Let’s explore how CARE supports Lean and Six Sigma through several lenses: cultural alignment, proactive risk assessment, and resilience in process improvements.

1. Cultural Alignment with Continuous Improvement

Lean and Six Sigma depend on a strong organizational culture that fosters continuous improvement and employee empowerment. Without this foundation, efforts to eliminate waste (Lean) or reduce variation (Six Sigma) can fail to gain traction. CARE’s approach to assessing the organization's cultural maturity and alignment with operational goals ensures that leaders understand the attitudes, behaviors, and values driving day-to-day activities.

For instance, in the offshore wind industry, studies show that operational pressures and rapid growth can lead to cultural misalignments, such as increased reliance on subcontractors with varying safety practices. In such cases, CARE can help identify areas where safety culture and operational risk diverge, enabling corrective actions before process improvements are undermined.

2. Proactive Risk Assessment in Lean and Six Sigma

Lean identifies waste, and Six Sigma targets process variation, but both must account for the broader context of operational risk. CARE, as practiced in industries like transportation and energy, emphasizes risk visibility across all levels of an organization. For instance, Trimac Transportation used a CARE process to uncover hidden risks in its safety data, recognizing that seemingly strong safety metrics masked deeper systemic risks. Similarly, in Lean Six Sigma projects, risk evaluations ensure that process changes don’t inadvertently introduce new hazards.

Incorporating CARE into Lean and Six Sigma frameworks supports DMAIC's "Analyze" and "Control" phases by ensuring that identified improvements do not exacerbate risks elsewhere in the system. For example, automating processes to enhance Lean efficiency can increase human-machine interface risks. CARE ensures these are caught early in the process, fostering a holistic approach to process improvement.

3. Resilience and Long-Term Sustainability

Lean Six Sigma thrives on continuous improvement, but this improvement can only be sustained if the organization is resilient. CARE plays a critical role by fostering an adaptive safety culture that supports operational resilience. This is particularly relevant in industries with high-risk profiles, where even small operational failures can lead to catastrophic outcomes. For example, in high-hazard industries, like Shell’s operations, the integration of hazard and risk management plans identified a need for a more resilient safety culture to prevent serious incidents.

Resilient organizations proactively manage both safety and operational risks, understanding that leading and lagging indicators in performance metrics may not always align. CARE helps to bridge this gap by providing a more nuanced view of risk and safety culture, ensuring that organizations do not rely solely on historical data, but instead develop forward-looking strategies for risk management.

4. Performance Monitoring and Improvement

The CARE methodology enhances Six Sigma’s Control phase by providing tools to monitor performance in a way that accounts for both human and operational risks. For example, after experiencing a high-consequence incident, Trimac Transportation realized that its existing safety performance indicators were insufficient for capturing deeper risks. By integrating CARE into their Lean Six Sigma initiatives, they gained insights into the true nature of their operational risks, enabling them to refine their control measures and build a more robust system for continuous improvement.

Key Takeaway

CARE complements Lean and Six Sigma by ensuring that cultural factors and risk evaluations are deeply integrated into process improvement efforts. It fosters a culture of resilience, ensures proactive risk assessment, and provides a long-term view of sustainability in operational improvements.

This integration helps organizations not only streamline their processes and reduce defects but also build a safety-first culture that aligns with Lean Six Sigma’s goal of operational excellence.