Critical review of literature on Lean Six Sigma methodology

Critical success factors of lean in the public services sector: the case of the Greek citizen's service centers

Purpose

The aim of this study is to determine the most critical success factors (CSFs) of lean adoption in a specific Greek public services subsector namely citizen's service centers (CSCs) and to define their underlying structure (latent constructs).

Design/methodology/approach

In this study an online structured questionnaire survey was distributed to all the Greek CSCs and six hundred and seventy-two employees responded and fully completed the questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were applied to assess the reliability and validity of the latent constructs of the Lean CSFs.

Findings

Data analysis revealed that the latent constructs of the lean CSFs, namely communication, top management commitment and leadership, organizational culture, training and education, change and project management, availability of resources, teamwork, and employee involvement and empowerment are of major importance for the adoption of lean in the CSCs.

Research limitations/implications

The small percentage of the responding employees of the Greek CSCs, given their large population and the subjective nature of the data collected constitute the main limitations of the present study.

Practical implications

The findings of this research can guide managers and decision makers of CSCs in recognizing the key factors that potentially will influence the successful adoption of lean, and the enhancement of the quality management initiatives of these services organizations. Moreover, the formulated model can also serve as a reference for academics and researchers to generate new research ideas. Finally, the results may offer guidelines to managers of public services organizations of other countries with a similar structure of the public sector.

Originality/value

The present study is stimulated by the existing gap identified in the literature in the field of the public sector. Building on the public sector literature, this is the first study that evaluates the importance of the CSFs of lean in the Greek CSCs and defines their underlying structure.

Conducting Action Research to Improve Operational Efficiency in Manufacturing: The Case of a First-Tier Automotive Supplier

Optimising available resources and minimising production costs and throughput time is vital for first-tier suppliers in the worldwide automotive sector. To develop this type of optimisation and efficiency, MAHLE applied Action Research (AR) in one of its factories located in Spain. A multidisciplinary collaborative work team was created with the aim of deploying the AR initiative in combination with Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma tools. Four improvement and learning cycles were deployed and key performance metrics were defined to collect and measure data in order to analyse the improvements achieved. The application of the AR initiative in the production line of a power filter device enabled improvements in both production times and quality indicators in the manufacturing process. The most outstanding results were the improvements made in the decrease in initial throughput time (34.78%) and in average daily rejections (73.53%). In addition, the AR initiative generated practical and theoretical contributions for business and academia, allowing the AR initiative to be applied in other areas of the company, and contributing to the current state of the art in the industrial application of this methodology.

Critical analysis of Lean Six Sigma black belt certification courses offered in Brazil

Purpose

This study aims to present an overview and analyze the Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (LSSBB) certifications offered by institutions operating in Brazil.

Design/methodology/approach

This research analyzed LSSBB certification courses offered by 48 institutions in Brazil by comparing the syllabi of the classes to the reference model proposed by the American Society for Quality (ASQ) in the Six Sigma Black Belt Body of Knowledge. This study employed the content analysis technique and hierarchical cluster analysis to analyze the data.

Findings

The results revealed a lack of standardization in the content of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) training in Brazil. 100% of the LSSBB courses analyzed covered four of the 108 techniques recommended by the ASQ Body of Knowledge (i.e. data types, measurement scales, sampling, and data collection plans and methods). In contrast, more than 75% of the courses covered all techniques related to the macro areas of organization-wide planning and deployment, organizational process management and measures, measure, and improve. The major shortcoming of LSS training is related to the macro area Design for Six Sigma framework and methodologies. LSS training is offered in a highly concentrated area in Brazil, the wealthiest region, where universities play a crucial role in disseminating LSS.

Originality/value

The literature lacks studies that critically examine LSS certification courses. There is little research on LSS in Brazil and there are no studies on LSS training in this country.

Algorithm for Process Innovation by Increasing Ideality

Continual efforts to have better processes lead us to search for new ways to improve and innovate. One of the most powerful approaches to innovating technical systems is the TRIZ (Theory of Inventive Problem Solving). TRIZ is, unfortunately, very hard to learn and adequately use. This paper introduces a new comprehensive algorithm for the innovation of processes in production based on TRIZ principles. The Algorithm for Process Innovation by Increasing Ideality (AP3I) helps search for innovative ways to improve or change the process—either the whole process or its segments. Besides the original TRIZ, AP3I is easier to use and might be applied by engineers in industrial practice. On the other hand, results from AP3I are probably weaker compared to full TRIZ. Still, the AP3I can be very helpful in efforts to improve processes and can provide powerful ideas. The overall algorithm is also demonstrated in case studies on processes of packing and assembly.

Lean management practices perception and their influence on organizational performance in a public Higher Education Institution

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the perception of Lean management practices by public servants of a Higher Education Institution (HEI) and its influence on the organizational performance. The underlying assumption is that Lean management practices may have perceived even without a whole dissemination of the Lean Thinking way in the institution, and they exercise a positive influence on organizational performance.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire of Lean management practices applicable to HEIs was developed and a survey was carried out in a public HEI in Brazil. A valid sample of 748 respondents was obtained.

Findings

The results demonstrate that some Lean management practices (leadership support and employee involvement, focus on the internal customers, long-term thinking, community services value, elimination of waste and continuous improvement) have a positive influence on the organizational performance of the studied HEI. These results extend the applicability and foster the initiation of Lean management practices in the public service scenario and HEIs.

Practical implications

This study supports HEI leaders and managers in developing and/or promoting better management practices to improve organizational performance. In addition, it promotes the advancement of Lean initiatives in the organizational environment of the HEI, allowing for a better quality to the “beneficiaries” of the services provided.

Originality/value

Despite the broad evidence of Lean in the manufacturing and industrial sectors, this study advances by exploring the perception of Lean management practices in the HEIs context and their influence on organizational performance. This paper also initiates and fosters the discussion of internal costumers and community services value as basic practices of an HEI.

The implementation of Lean Six Sigma framework in the Indian context: a review and suggestions for future research

Purpose

The purpose of this work is to gain insights about Lean Six Sigma (LSS) in the Indian context by reviewing the related literature for one decade based on various perspectives, such as author profile, year of publication, type of firm, type of methodology used, type of industry for which the research work is carried out and the key findings from the research.

Design/methodology/approach

This study reviews the research related to LSS from the articles published in the reputed journals. The literature used for reviewing is derived from the sources, including Science direct, Google scholar, IEEE, Taylor and Francis Group, Emerald Insight, Springer, Inderscience and Elsevier during the period between 2010 and 2021. Totally, the authors have included 141 LSS-related research articles that are published in the Indian context. The keywords used are Lean Six Sigma, Lean Six Sigma in the Indian context, Lean Sigma and LSS to identify and consolidate the research papers published during this timeframe.

Findings

The research papers collected from various reputed journals, including Scopus and non- Scopus enlisted, are classified and grouped under various categories to identify the class of author who publishes more in this field, research trend over the years, the type of firm which implements LSS, the research methodology which is commonly used in LSS and related research and also the key takeaway from these articles are highlighted. Further, the authors have also identified the major contributions of researchers in various sectors during this period in India.

Originality/value

This classification framework and the systematic review help in identifying the research gap and in giving directions for future researchers. It will be useful for researchers and practitioners working on the area of LSS, rural and urban entrepreneurs, start-up managers, professionals working in micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and executives of the Make in India Project to make India as Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan. Further, the clear direction of progress over the current decade in manufacturing industries, service sectors and processing industries can help the professionals working in these sectors.

Reducing the Healthcare-Associated Infections in a Rehabilitation Hospital under the Guidance of Lean Six Sigma and DMAIC

The reduction of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) is one of the most important issues in the healthcare context for every type of hospital. In three operational units of the Scientific Clinical Institutes Maugeri SpA SB, a rehabilitation hospital in Cassano delle Murge (Italy), some corrective measures were introduced in 2017 to reduce the occurrence of HAIs. Lean Six Sigma was used together with the Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control (DMAIC) roadmap to analyze both the impact of such measures on HAIs and the length of hospital stay (LOS) in the Rehabilitative Cardiology, Rehabilitative Neurology, Functional Recovery and Rehabilitation units in the Medical Center for Intensive Rehabilitation. The data of 2415 patients were analyzed, considering the phases both before and after the introduction of the measures. The hospital experienced a LOS reduction in both patients with and without HAIs; in particular, Cardiology had the greatest reduction for patients with infections (-7 days). The overall decrease in HAIs in the hospital was 3.44%, going from 169 to 121 cases of infections. The noteworthy decrease in LOS implies an increase in admissions and in the turnover indicator of the hospital, which has a positive impact on the hospital management as well as on costs.

Externalities of Lean Implementation in Medical Laboratories. Process Optimization vs. Adaptation and Flexibility for the Future

Important in testing services in medical laboratories is the creation of a flexible balance between quality-response time and minimizing the cost of the service. Beyond the different Lean methods implemented so far in the medical sector, each company can adapt the model according to its needs, each company has its own specifics and organizational culture, and Lean implementation will have a unique approach. Therefore, this paper aims to identify the concerns of specialists and laboratory medical services sector initiatives in optimizing medical services by implementing the Lean Six Sigma method in its various variants: a comparative analysis of the implemented models, with emphasis on measuring externalities and delimiting trends in reforming/modernizing the method, a comprehensive approach to the impact of this method implementation, and an analysis of available databases in order to underline the deficit and information asymmetry. The results highlighted that in the case of clinical laboratories, the Lean Six Sigma method is conducive to a reduction of cases of diagnostic errors and saves time but also faces challenges and employees' resistance in implementation.