Another transformation initiative has been announced in your organization and you think to yourself, “How much change are we expected to undertake?” In a lean Six Sigma engagement, it is imperative to take into consideration the number of ongoing and past change initiatives. This article explains one approach to evaluating an organization’s ability to take on more change.

Why must we evaluate an organization’s ability to take on more change?

The simple answer is that if the organization has limited internal capacity to undertake change, one of two outcomes will be realized: The process improvements from the lean Six Sigma project that are planned to be put in place will not be sustainable, or the organization’s ability to meet its day-to-day requirements could suffer at the expense of carrying out the lean Six Sigma project. Neither scenario offers a desirable outcome. Through an assessment of the organization’s ability to undertake change, a tailored plan can be put in place to ensure that process improvement initiatives are sustainable and that the current day-to-day requirements do not suffer.

 …