Ask Dr. Dan
Dear Doctor Dan,
My organization is pushing to have everyone trained and certified in 6-Sigma. Although I believe this training is of little value to my mission, my objections are dismissed and the perception is I am just trying to "get out of it". Should I just suck it up and take the training (80 hours plus completion of a project to get certified) or is there an alternative?
- Sick Of Sigma
Dear Sick,
I'm not a huge fan of the 6-Sigma / Process Enterprise / ISO 9001 / etc school of thought. There is some value to those approaches for particular industries and activities, but in general, it doesn't seem to help me do the type of stuff I need to do... and it sounds like it's not all that relevant to what you do either.
Having said that, there is something cool & useful about having certifications. They establish credibility with people who have a hard time recognizing innovative talent otherwise.
These people may not understand when you say "I did this cool thing..." and they're skeptical about your ability to deliver a repeat performance. But when you say "I got my Level 42 Certification in [insert trendy program here]" that gets their attention. Of course, your ability to deliver isn't based on your credentials - it's based on your ABILITY. For some reason, some people have a hard time seeing that.
My recommendation? Go ahead and do the training, unless the 80 hours will get in the way of Getting The Job Done. Participating will show your boss you're "a team player," you have an open mind (and who knows - maybe something in those 80 hours will be helpful?).
At the very least, you'll be able to say "Hey, I took the training and got the t-shirt, so when I say it's stupid and irrelevant, I know what I'm talking about." Plus, it gives you the opportunity to completely subvert the class…
It's sort of the old "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, then beat 'em." So, I've got a few certifications of my own and am working on getting a few more. Did I do it because I believe the required training courses really teach me stuff I didn't already know? Well, maybe a little here and there... but mostly because it makes me look like I know what I'm talking about when dealing with those who wouldn't be able to tell otherwise.