Challenges and Benefits for the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation
The emphasis on quality has always been strong in the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation. However, the idea of meeting the corresponding demands has never gone beyond the company’s environment. In their paper, Kukreja, Ricks, and Meyer (2009) suggest that the attitudes toward meeting the increasingly demanding quality standards should be shaped in the employees at the earliest stages of their professional development. As a result, the staff members will be able to develop the necessary independence in decision-making and maintain the repeatability rates of the QA-related processes high.
The incorporation of a continuous improvement program that the authors suggest can be viewed as a significant step in the right direction for the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation. Although the organization members understand the significance of being consistent with the contemporary quality standards, they seem to focus on keeping pace with the current hallmarks as opposed to being one step ahead of the customers’ demands.
The application of the ideas voiced by Kukreja et al. (2009), in its turn, will serve as the foundation for building a more sensible framework. Particularly, the members of the entrepreneurship will be able to not only uphold the current standards but, instead, define them and become the beacon of quality and security in the aircraft industry (Kubiak & Benbow, 2009d).
By incorporating the principles of Six Sigma in the educational process, one will be able to create premises for developing specific character traits in the soon-to-be members of the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation members. As a result, the people working for the company will feel obligated to improve their competencies regularly, thus, contributing to the rise in the product quality, as well as the customer satisfaction rates (Kubiak & Benbow, 2009a).
However, it would be wrong to claim that the promotion of the Six Sigma approach will cause only positive effects. Unfortunately, the framework also has several negative sides. Much to their credit, the authors do not shy away from discussing them; according to Kukreja, Ricks, and Meyer (2009), the strategy application requires designing a company-specific failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) rankings. The efficacy of the later, in their turn, will have to be tested accurately so that the prerequisites for the students’ further success, as well as the acquisition of the required knowledge and skills, could be built (Kubiak & Benbow, 2009c).
Nevertheless, the adoption of the concept of lifelong learning, in general, and an unceasing update of the staff’s skills before they start working at Sikorsky can be viewed as a perfect tool for minimizing the number of defects and increasing the overall quality rates of the QA team’s performance. Therefore, the framework should be incorporated into the firm’s design. Furthermore, the training program to be implemented in the context of the organization should be based on the concepts mentioned above. As a result, a team of competent and independent employees can be built (Kubiak & Benbow, 2009b).
Focusing on the importance of a consistent upgrade of the firm’s quality standards is essential as it helps improve the overall performance rates. Therefore, the idea of unceasing improvement of competencies and acquisition of information must become a part and parcel of the employees’ mind frame. Consequently, the process of staff training should include the tools that will help shape the employees’ attitude toward the idea of improving their competencies and keeping their eyes on the changes in the quality standards.
Reference List
Kubiak, T. M., & Benbow, D. W. (2009a). Chapter 24. Measuring and modeling relationships between variables. The Certified Six Sigma Black Belt handbook (2nd ed.) (pp. 183-229). Milwaukee, WI: ASQ Press.
Kubiak, T. M., & Benbow, D. W. (2009b). Chapter 25. Hypothesis testing. In The Certified Six Sigma Black Belt handbook (2nd ed.) (pp. 230-277). Milwaukee, WI: ASQ Press.
Kubiak, T. M., & Benbow, D. W. (2009c). Chapter 26. Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA). In The Certified Six Sigma Black Belt handbook (2nd ed.) (pp. 278-282). Milwaukee, WI: ASQ Press.
Kubiak, T. M., & Benbow, D. W. (2009d). Chapter 27. Additional analysis tools. In The Certified Six Sigma Black Belt handbook (2nd ed.) (pp. 283-292). Milwaukee, WI: ASQ Press.
Kukreja, A., Ricks, J. M., & Meyer, J. A. (2009). Using Six Sigma for performance improvement in business curriculum: A case study. Performance Improvement, 48(2), 9-25. Web.