Motorola famously started using Six Sigma in the 1980s, bringing a data-driven approach to reducing process variations that lead to errors and defects. The concepts of Lean grew from the systems used by Toyota to build a global automotive powerhouse. In the years since, both have proven successful when applied to business operations beyond the factory floor.
But what about the baseball diamond, football gridiron or soccer pitch? Can it work there?
In a way, it already does. Individual athletes such as golfers or tennis players practice endlessly to eliminate variations in their movements, as well as find the weakest part of their athletic performance and work to strengthen it.
They may not use fishbone diagrams or process mapping to hone their performance, but they could. Certainly, they are already following one of the main concepts in Lean Six Sigma: Use data to identify problem areas and then address them.
Lean Six Sigma and Team Sports
Team sports present a different kind of challenge. The complexity of many people working together is more difficult to assess using Lean Six Sigma methodology. However, it’s possible – even helpful – to break a team down to its component parts and determine what issues need addressing.
It’s certainly something people have considered. A decade ago, two researchers at the University of Pitesti in Romania and the Energy and Propulsion Technologies at GE Global Research in New York concluded that there is “significant potential to successfully introduce the Six Sigma methodology of measurement, analysis and improvement in athletic performance.”
They focused particularly on the ability of Six Sigma, in combination with traditional coaching methods, to identify “root cause of athletic performance level, making it easier for the coach to make decisions and design a successful development plan.”
However, few teams seem to have taken their advice, at least not publicly.
Other Researchers Support Lean Six Sigma in Sports
The New England Patriots, who have six Super Bowl championships, seem like excellent candidates for using an innovative approach such as Lean Six Sigma in sports. So do the Golden State Warriors, who have won the NBA’s Western Conference in six of the last eight years while also winning four NBA championships.
Certainly, both teams have developed data-driven systems based on success through error-free repetition, as well as the ability to continuously improve as the strategies of the teams they face change. While successful teams like the Patriots and Warriors seem to follow many of the ideas inherent in Lean Six Sigma, it’s unknown if they use them directly.
It seems only a matter of time, however, before more teams get onboard with the idea. A recent study in the Athletic Training Education Journal found that Lean Six Sigma presents an opportunity for the athletic trainers associated with teams to create a new culture.
“Lean is a journey, not a destination. The culture of Lean involves the relentless pursuit of continuous quality improvement,” they wrote. They recommended athletic trainers take Lean Six Sigma courses to help them better understand how to manage organizational processes in their job.
Also, researchers at Arizona State University recommended the use of Lean Six Sigma to get to the root cause of errors on lacrosse teams. They wrote that lacrosse is “a sport where dropped passes, missed shots and turnovers are prevalent even at the college and professional levels of the game. In order to improve on mistakes, teams must first recognize where the errors are being made.”
Adoption By Sport Teams
Even as researchers recommend the use of Lean Six Sigma in sports and sports-related fields, the teams themselves – while often taking a process improvement approach – are typically not mentioned in connection with Lean Six Sigma.
At least, not yet. But there are some interesting associations with Lean and sports in recent years. One example is Seattle Mariners Manager Scott Servais, who made Kaizen the team’s motto a few years ago in an attempt to focus players on making continuous improvements in their level of play. He even got T-shirts printed with the word in English and Japanese. The team won 90 games in 2021 and are playoff contenders in 2022.
Former placekicker Brion Hurley, who played for the Iowa Hawkeyes and the New York Giants, is now a Master Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma and an author. He said he learned from his mistakes as a kicker, including how he practiced before games. His tips can likely apply to current kickers.
Alexander Demmer, a well-known Lean consultant, also has explained how soccer strategy employs Six Sigma concepts, including how the “one-touch” approach in soccer requires flow of the ball without waste or defects from one workstation (a player) to another. It’s fun reading for Six Sigma fans.
