The effect of Lean Six Sigma on the employee and the organizationAbstractLean Six Sigma is a methodology that creates processes within an organization to reduce waste and improve company performance. However, studies have shown that over the past decade the application of Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma can create financial problems for companies and potential problems for employees. Companies should be very careful before implementing a Lean Six Sigma solution because in some cases, going lean can cause more harm than good both financially for the organization and by destroying employee loyalty and morale. The Effect of Lean Six Sigma on the Employee and the OrganizationThe Lean Six Sigma methodology is the fusion of two business tools which includes Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma. Six Sigma focuses on improving current business processes and performance, while lean manufacturing focuses on improving an organization's processes by using highly trained employees to increase speed and quality. Combining the two methodologies creates an organization that focuses on quality, efficiency and speed to reduce operating costs and increase profits. By following the Lean Six Sigma methodology, many companies have attempted to create a lean, waste-free environment, ultimately at the expense of the employee and occasionally at the expense of the organization. Lean Test Variability and FailureCreating a process is not always the answer for every organization. Organizations trying to reduce waste may find themselves stuck trying to figure out exactly where vital financial cuts need to happen. Variability can actually prevent Lean Six Sigma from working in a business environment and can sometimes have a negative impact on flow (Locher, 2007, p. 54). Because demand in many organizations can be unpredictable, many employees will find the need to multitask to get work done. Multitasking itself creates highly skilled employees needed in a lean environment. Companies that employ people capable of multitasking benefit from these employees as the organization sees a high degree of flexibility and responsiveness with a reduction in operational costs. Companies seeking to reduce waste in an environment where employees are already stretched by performing multiple tasks and tasks beyond their job description may find that their employees become even more overworked and see greater degradation of performance due to staff shortages in an effort to reduce costs. These cost-cutting measures could actually cause more harm than good to an organization.