The world waited in eager anticipation as a platform with two clear plastic boxes descended into an aquarium tank in Oberhausen, Germany. Both boxes contained an unremarkable mussel that would serve an unremarkable purpose – dinner. Each container was labeled with a flag. On this day one flag was Germany’s and one was Argentina’s.
Cameras clicked and whirred and the media broadcast the event live as the tank’s sole occupant moved toward the two containers. The press, the nation and the world waited to see if the creature in the tank could do today what it had done so accurately in the past; pick the winner in an upcoming World Cup match.
This worldwide media attention was focused on a common octopus named Paul who, with the help of his aquarium handlers, had been predicting the winners of football matches for the last two years.
Two containers were lowered into Paul’s tank, and each container was marked with a flag of the team in the upcoming match. Each container also held a mussel for Paul to consume. He forecast the match’s winner by picking a mussel from one of the containers. The country whose flag was on the container that Paul ate from was predicted to win the match.
No one quite understood how a hungry octopus could pick the winner of a World Cup match, but then no one could argue with the accuracy of Paul’s predictions. He was 8-0 in his forecast of how Germany would perform in football matches.
Paul even predicted that Spain would win the 2010 World Cup final.
Communication and Six Sigma
Leaders who want to improve the way they manage Six Sigma projects can learn something from Paul the psychic octopus. Unfortunately, Paul passed away in October of 2010 and is unavailable to identify a Project Y, calculate a process sigma, or perform a cost/benefit analysis. However, one thing that we can learn from Paul is the importance of communication at all stages of a Six Sigma project.
The ability to communicate with humans was crucial to Paul’s success. Without an effective method of communication, the octopus’ uncanny psychic ability would have gone unnoticed and untapped. Likewise, Six Sigma practitioners have the ability to improve processes that must be communicated to others. A strong Six Sigma leader will be adept in different types of communication to make sure that this talent is shared with the organization:
Face-to-face – There’s no substitute for being there. Direct communication is an effective way to understand others and be understood by them.
Formal Presentations – PowerPoint presentations can go terribly wrong, but in the hands of a skilled communicator they can inform, educate and persuade. This is a skill that, once created, can be used repeatedly to convey a message.
Improvised Presentations – Performing “on the fly” can put a leader’s Six Sigma knowledge to the test. Being able to convey what you know on white boards and flip charts on a moment’s notice can sometimes save the day.
Memos and letters – Although these may seem old-hat, they are important for official communication. They can be used for things like formal announcements and policy directives.
A psychic octopus that can predict the winner of the World Cup finals is just another octopus if he can’t communicate what he knows. Likewise, a talented and dedicated Six Sigma professional who lacks the communication skills necessary to promote process improvement throughout an organization is just another employee.
