The process of learning has evolved over the years. Learning is not confined to just schoolkids; adults and working individuals also have to go through certain levels of learning as time passes by. Education is helpful in the long run.

Employees are constantly being taught new ways of operating and functioning. Companies use various forms of teaching to compliment this. For example, in recent years, the principle of Six Sigma has helped companies teach their employees how to make their organizations better and more efficient.

Six Sigma

Over the years, Six Sigma has tasted success and is has become the most widely used method of learning. Pioneered by Bill Smith in 1986 when he was with Motorola, Six Sigma was originally defined as the metric for measuring defects and enhancing quality. Six Sigma’s main objective is to deliver high performance, reliable service and value to the customer. 

E-Learning

E-learning covers a wide set of applications right from computer-based learning, virtual classrooms, web-based learning to digital collaboration. Emerging as the most viable method of training opted by various countries worldwide, e-learning provides both cost saving and flexibility to the executive team.

E-Learning in Six Sigma

For initial success, classroom training of Green belts and Black belts is undertaken during the preliminary launch of a Lean Six Sigma initiative. Courses like Lean Sigma Overview, Yellow and Black Belt training can help change the company culture and make Green Belts and Black Belts more effective. It is commonly observed that when a company completes a considerable amount of classes in Black belt, the infrastructure generated is enough to support E-Learning for Green Belts.

Benefits Of E-Learning

Since E-Learning is done at a place of the student’s choice, the company saves on traveling expenses.  Once the company gets its own Master Black Belts, classroom time is cut down so that they can concentrate on the big projects. In addition, new recruits can be trained immediately without waiting for course availability. Besides, black belt meetings run more efficiently since the members of the team are conversant with the processes.

Importance Of E-Learning And Six Sigma

• Being a flexible learning method, employees only need a minimal amount of equipment such as a computer, CD player and an Internet connection.
• Increasingly tough economic conditions are forcing companies to concentrate on their financial status. Living and traveling expenses of employees are reduced through E-Learning.
• The cost to develop a web-based training course is approximately $ 60,000 and that of a training system is $ 500,000 - that includes software, hardware and consulting fees. Therefore, training is comparatively cheaper.

Drawbacks of E-learning

• There is little or no interaction among employees and company officials.
• In other forms of teaching, employees network and clarify doubts with their colleagues, making it easy to obtain different views on the same query. This is absent in e-Learning, as the employee depends only on the given subject materials for clarification.

When used effectively any learning method can benefit companies, but if the same method proves to be a detrimental factor for progress, companies should discard it. In the case of E-learning and Six Sigma, there should be new features added which would make the process more effective and reliable.  Six- Sigma should also add in-person discussions to the teaching method in order for employees to get a better perspective.