The underlying factorial structure and significance of the Six Sigma difficulties and critical success factors: The Greek case

Analyzing barriers and strategies for implementing Lean Six Sigma in the context of Indian SMEs

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the barriers for implementing Lean Six Sigma (LSS) in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and present a framework that provides prioritized strategies to overcome the barriers.

Design/methodology/approach

The barriers and strategies are identified via a comprehensive literature review and validated by industry experts. The study uses the fuzzy Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (fuzzy TOPSIS) to analyze the barriers and strategies for determining the prioritized list of strategies.

Findings

The findings reveal that there are sixteen barriers to LSS implementation in Indian SMEs. To overcome these barriers, this study reveals twelve strategies. The analysis shows that “effective management” is the most crucial strategy to overcome the barriers for implementing LSS in Indian SMEs.

Research limitations/implications

This research guides SMEs practitioners to efficiently and effectively implement LSS, which, in turn, can enhance the performance of SMEs.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the literature by integrating the strategies with the barriers for implementing LSS in Indian SMEs. Besides, this study provides the prioritized list of strategies to overcome the barriers for implementing LSS in Indian SMEs.

Modelling the barriers of Lean Six Sigma for Indian micro-small medium enterprises

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the barriers of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) and develop the interrelationship among them using interpretive structural modelling (ISM) and Matriced Impact Croises Multiplication Appliquee a un Classement (MICMAC).

Design/methodology/approach

Using systematic literature review and expert’s opinions, 26 LSS barriers have been extracted and finalized through statistical analysis, that is importance-index analysis and corrected item minus total correlation methods. The statistical analysis of purified 22 LSS barriers has been carried out and consistency of finalized barriers has been checked through reliability statistical test in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software. Finally, the contextual relationship among finalized LSS barriers is developed using ISM and MICMAC approach.

Findings

The ISM model indicates that insufficient management commitment and involvement, lack of resources, lack of training and education, lack of strategic thinking, lack of training funds are strategic factors; improper project selection, poor selection of employee for belt training, lack of total employee involvement, lack of awareness of about LSS are prudent factors; unclear vision, high implementation cost, resistance to culture change, weak supplier linkage, poor alignment between company’s goal and customer demand are burst factors. Furthermore, MICMAC analysis is splitting the LSSBs in four clusters according to their driving power and dependency. These results provide a clear mind-set to engineering manager for focusing more on LSS barriers according to their driving power and dependency.

Research limitations/implications

There may be biasness in making pairwise comparison matrix of barriers due to involvement of expert’s opinion as human error.

Practical implications

The outcome of this paper provides robust practical implication for LSS researchers and practitioners. The researcher and practitioners must consciously concentrate on the identified LSSBs more conventionally during LSS implementation, and they need to plan strategically to avoid any implementation failure.

Originality/value

For successful implementation of LSS in any organization, it is necessary and permeable to make strategy for controlling LSS barriers at initial stage. So this paper is a leading attempt to highlight main LSS barriers and interrelate them using ISM and MICMAC approach. It provides a clear path for tackling LSS barriers to engineering managers, researchers and consultants.

Effects of Six Sigma initiatives in Malaysian private hospitals

Purpose

This study aims to investigate applications of Six Sigma methodology in Malaysian private hospitals. It measures Six Sigma initiatives of the private hospitals based on demographics such as gender, position and working experience.

Design/methodology/approach

The present study measures Six Sigma initiatives of private hospitals and used stratified random sampling to collect data from eight selected hospitals in Peninsular Malaysia. The respondents of the study include doctors, nurses, pharmacists and medical laboratory technologists. In this study, 520 questionnaires were distributed to respondents who are working in Malaysian private hospitals. In total, 251 responses were received (48.27 per cent response rate). The descriptive analysis, independent samples t-test and one-way ANOVA were undertaken using SPSS version 23.

Findings

The findings of this study indicate that male respondents have better perception on four aspects of Six Sigma applications such as process improvement tools, process improvement methods, manage quality improvement activities and formal planning process compared to female respondents. The research findings also indicate that doctors have better perception regarding process improvement tools to measure quality improvement process, leadership to continuous improvement processes, training in process improvement tools for employees’ skill improvement compared to nurses, pharmacists, medical laboratory technologists.

Research limitations/implications

The present research focussed solely on the Malaysian private hospitals, and thus the results might not be applicable to other countries. This study focussed on Six Sigma initiatives of private hospitals in Malaysia, while the future research may consider investigating the difference or conformance between private and public hospitals on Six Sigma initiatives and its relationship with quality performance. In addition, present study findings are expected to provide guidelines to enhance the applications of Six Sigma methodology in private hospitals in Malaysia as well as other countries.

Originality/value

This research provides theoretical and practical contributions for the Six Sigma initiatives in private hospitals. Most of the past studies of Six Sigma initiatives are centred on manufacturing sector, but few empirical studies have been conducted on the health-care organisation. Thus, findings of the present study on the health-care sector contribute to the on-going pursuit of knowledge in the area of Six Sigma by using the strength of related theories and parent disciplines.

Strategic value alignment for information security management: a critical success factor analysis

Purpose

Effective information security management is a strategic issue for organizations to safeguard their information resources. Strategic value alignment is a proactive approach to manage value conflict in information security management. Applying a critical success factor (CSF) analysis approach, this paper aims to propose a CSF model based on a strategic alignment approach and test a model of the main factors that contributes to the success of information security management.

Design/methodology/approach

A theoretical model was proposed and empirically tested with data collected from a survey of managers who were involved in decision-making regarding their companies’ information security (N = 219). The research model was validated using partial least squares structural equation modeling approach.

Findings

Overall, the model was successful in capturing the main antecedents of information security management performance. The results suggest that with business alignment, top management support and organizational awareness of security risks and controls, effective information security controls can be developed, resulting in successful information security management.

Originality/value

Findings from this study provide several important contributions to both theory and practice. The theoretical model identifies and verifies key factors that impact the success of information security management at the organizational level from a strategic management perspective. It provides practical guidelines for organizations to make more effective information security management.

Factorial structure for Six Sigma project barriers in Indian manufacturing and service industries

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the latent constructs of various barriers affecting Six Sigma implementation in Indian industries.

Design/methodology/approach

Literature review resulted in 15 frequently reported barriers in Six Sigma implementation. An empirical survey of 168 Six Sigma practitioners including green belts, black belts (BB), and master BB from 40 Indian companies was conducted with the help of a structured questionnaire. The responses were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis which resulted into five constructs.

Findings

The study proposes five constructs, namely “role of top management,” “cultural change,” “expected attitude,” “availability of resources,” and “level of quality maturity.” The focused approach by organizations to overcome barriers in Six Sigma can be oriented using these constructs.

Practical implications

Six Sigma implementation needs elimination of barriers in projects. Top management support in planning and resource allocation supplemented by favorable employee attitude in bringing cultural change can develop quality maturity to implement Six Sigma successfully.

Originality/value

This study fills the gap in the literature by studying critical success factors, critical failure factors, and barriers together. This study is one of its kinds in the Indian context which captures the views of Six Sigma certified professionals from the organizations which are implementing Six Sigma.

Analyzing Lean Six Sigma enablers: a hybrid ISM-fuzzy MICMAC approach

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify Lean Six Sigma enablers (LSSEs) and analyse the interaction among the enablers via a hierarchical model developed by employing interpretive structural modelling (ISM) and determine the driving and dependence power of enablers through fuzzy MICMAC (Matriced’ Impacts Croise´s Multiplication Applique´ea´un Classement) analysis.

Design/methodology/approach

An expert group of industry professionals and academicians is consulted at the initial stage as an input for ISM methodology to explore the paired relationship among LSSEs for each parameter of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) implementation. The outcome of ISM is further utilized by fuzzy MICMAC analysis to discover the enablers that are strong drivers and highly dependent. Fuzzy set is included in MICMAC analysis in order to obtain more precise output and effective model.

Findings

In total, 20 key enablers are identified through a literature review and expert opinion that emerged as the most significant factors towards LSS implementation. The identified enablers are portrayed into a structural form representing as input and output variables. Later, the driving and the dependence power of each enabler is presented in cluster form.

Research limitations/implications

The paired relationships among LSSEs are obtained through the interpretation made by the experts. The judgments of experts are subjective and may be biased; as difference in expert opinion may influence the final outcome. Conducting a large-scale survey may provide a better catch for interactions of LSSEs.

Practical implications

This study provides strong practical implications for researchers as well as industry practitioners. The industry professionals must deliberately focus on the identified LSSEs more conservatively during LSS implementation and the top management should plan strategically to avoid any implementation failure.

Originality/value

The present study identifies 20 crucial enablers of integrated LSS and presents them in a hierarchical form which will be beneficial for researchers and practitioners. The interactions among the enablers shown in cluster form will help in better execution of LSS.