Determining the essential characetristics of Six Sigma Black Belts

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to evaluate essential characteristics of Six Sigma Black Belts (SSBBs) in UK manufacturing organisations. Six Sigma Black Belt(s) are considered as high potential employees who work full‐time as a leader of process and quality improvement projects after extensive training.Design/methodology/approach – A pilot survey was undertaken to assess the key attributes of SSBBs. The results of this study are primarily based on descriptive statistics.Findings – The key attributes of SSBBs identified from this pilot study include: effective communicators, change agents, customer advocators, team builders, results‐driven mindset personnel, positive thinkers, etc. The findings of this study will be extremely beneficial in designing the curriculum of SSBBs citing the key attributes required for a typical SSBB to be successful.Research limitations/implications – The study was primarily focused on manufacturing companies in the UK. The next phase of the study will be to compare th...