| Health care costs and quality problems continue to emerge. These are significant problems that negatively impact the quality of life for thousands. In response, health care organizations have invested in disciplined methodologies, including Six Sigma; yet many of these deployments have failed. Failures may partially rest with the ineffective sharing of knowledge. Despite this critical link, there is almost no academic research coupling knowledge sharing with the deployment of disciplined methodologies.; Using a case study of a health care company, the research question addressed whether key knowledge management concepts had a positive or negative effect on the Six Sigma deployment. The research included interviews with key participants, review of historical documents, and evaluation of selected Six Sigma projects representing high, medium, and low returns-on-investments.; The results showed high return-on-investment projects were more likely to effectively use knowledge management concepts including mentoring, location of experts, communities of practice, and networking, whereas low return projects did not. Information technology played a lesser role. Four general themes emerged: knowledge management can positively leverage the outcome of Six Sigma, individuals will develop their own methods for sharing knowledge in the absence of a structured system, disciplined knowledge management approaches yield improved results, and there are critical protocols that must be followed to ensure a successful Six Sigma deployment.; An additional outcome of the research was the development of a model for coupling Six Sigma and knowledge management. Based on three pillars, the model proposes organizations follow well-established Six Sigma protocols (e.g. project contracts), use key processes (e.g. just-in-time training), and deploy a supportive knowledge management system.; From a social change perspective, the case study demonstrated the positive value of combining Six Sigma with knowledge management. The company experienced significant cost savings and improvements in product quality. Beyond these immediate benefits, the research offers a model that other organizations can use to facilitate higher quality products and lower costs. The positive impact to the health of thousands of patients is significant. |
