What the Heck is a Master Black Belt?

• • A Master Black Belt is the senior most role in the Six Sigma or Lean Six Sigma “brand” of continuous improvement initiative.

    First, let me apologize to readers who are already acolytes of Six Sigma; there may be some nuggets for you here, but you’ll have to be patient while I elucidate for the uninitiated.

    Second, I will also apologize to the disciples of Lean or some other “brand” of continuous improvement and to those who, like me, are methodology agnostic; I will mention similar roles in some other disciplines as I go.

    I’m going to describe this senior role in the context of a Six Sigma implementation, simply because it makes the division of roles clearer. (Some might say, I like the cool Asian martial arts titles and it is true that, in my 20s, I took introductory classes for Karate, Kung Fu, and Jujitsu before I truly internalized that mastering anything takes a lot of practice.)

    What is Six Sigma (6ϭ)?

    Six Sigma is a continuous improvement methodology invented at Motorola in the late 1980s.

    All continuous improvement (CI) methodologies focus on measurement. After all, CI could be described as “measure-where-you-are-improve-measure-where-you-got-to.”

    But Six Sigma was created to focus on the measurement of the yield of multi-component manufacturing processes. Removing each defect in 1000 components would ultimately lead to a defect-free product.

    Six Sigma refers to a yield distribution of final product that was 99.99966% defect free or had only 3.4 defects per million opportunities for a defect (DPMO).Suffice it to say, that Six Sigma takes measurement and statistical analysis very seriously.

    What does a typical Six Sigma implementation look like?

    First leaders establish an objective: to improve specific key business priorities and performance metrics,

    • By targeting key improvement projects to deliver improvement,
    • By building process focus and improvement mindset,
    • By training key people in key skills.

    Leaders are trained in process focus, improvement mindset and how to pick key improvement leverage points for projects.

    Everyone is trained as a Yellow Belt (the basics) to introduce process thinking, the continuous improvement concepts and some CI tools.

    Some selected practitioners are trained as Green Belts to improve everyday processes with simple projects. This is usually 1-3 weeks of training and Green Belts are certified after passing a test and completing 1-3 projects that deliver benefits (increased revenue or reduced cost) to the bottom line. Some Green Belts go on to be Black Belts.

    Black Belts are trained to improve more complex cross-function or cross-division processes and to coach Green Belts and others. This is usually 3-6 weeks of additional training with certification dependent on passing a longer test and completing more projects.

    Master Black Belts are trained most often for 2-4 weeks of additional training to be the highest level of technical resource for project work, training and coaching and to coach leaders. There is a wide variation in the Master Black Belt role between organizations.

    Components of the Master Black Belt Role

    1. Advanced Technical Resource: Sometimes Master Black Belts (MBBs) are thought of as an “Uber-Black-Belt,” an advanced technical resource who solves the toughest problems, leads very large projects, often with a team of Black Belts and Green Belts. This requires advanced technical skill and this type of MBB may have advanced degrees in STEM disciplines.

    2. Super Coach: Frequently the MBB coaches Black Belts and Green Belts, 1-on-1, furthering their learning and helping practitioners deliver ever increasing results. This type of MBB may or may not have advanced expertise, but they are really good at growing people.

    3. Trainer/ Sensei: In some organizations, an MBB is the trainer who trains Black Belts and Green Belts, 1-on-many. (Often in Lean implementations the Sensei role is the combination of these first three roles.) In some organizations training design, development, and delivery is considered a specialized skill that only those with advanced degrees in Learning and Development can use and so L&D people are paired with technical resources to design and develop training and qualified technical resources are “instructor trained” to deliver training.

    4. Certifier: in some organizations the MBB certifies Black Belts and Green Belts. Sometimes this is done by an outside person or body and sometimes there is an internal committee that certifies. The rigor of the certification process is usually a determinate of how “transferable” the belt certification is from organization to organization.

    5. Strategic partner: In some organizations the Master Black Belt is a resource to help the business leader to improve the business. In this role the MBB must have deep business knowledge as well as CI technical knowledge. Sometimes this role is called a “champion.” The MBB:

    • Coaches business leader on process focus vs. task or activity focus
    • Champions Six Sigma or Lean Six Sigma (LSS)
    • Connects strategic priorities to identified projects to achieve them
    • Runs the deployment
    • Manages the development of business people to imbed an improvement culture and process focus
    • Often this aspect of the MBB role is a training ground for an executive role as a part of succession planning

    It is this strategic partner MBB role that is most often missing in organizations that struggle with their continuous improvement initiatives. Sometimes the strategic partner role is played by an external consultant, but organizations that want to create a sustainable continuous improvement culture, put emphasis on the strategic partner MBB role and bring it inside as quickly as possible.

    A lot has been made of GE CEO Jack Welch’s insistence that GE’s senior leaders be “a Black Belt, at least.” In my view, not enough attention has been paid to the Master Black Belts that advised each one.

    The Master Black Belt, Sensei, CI Champion, CI Results Director, whatever they are called, can be the cultural glue that makes Six Sigma or CI stick.