Black Belt Boy,
I think you are probably working for a company that is challenged like many others. Savings is no longer a nice to have – it is survival at the very least. There are those companies that if they do not increase their revenue by finding costs savings, the revenue line and the expense lines will cross – and that ain’t good. The manufacturing world is exiting the country rather rapidly – many reasons for that. So Continuous Improvment is not a nice to have – it is a must have. A bonus structure needs to take into consideration the health of the company. Certainly the doers need to be recognized and rewareds.
It is no surprise that the Six Sigma world is being applied less and less in the manufacturing world and more and more in the transactional world….because there is simply less manufacturing! But the opportunities in the rest of the business world seem limitless. That’s why we shouldn’t say, “Lean Manufacturing” anymore – it is, to me, “Lean Business.” It applies and works everywhere.
Okay I am digressing here. Bottom line a reward system should be fair to all. And a struggling company needs as much of that money as possible, but must also recognize that if you are good at saving them money, and they don’t reward you adequately – you will do the same as many manufacturing companies – go somewhere else!
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