Lean Six Sigma maturity model within Saudi Arabian organisations : an empirical study

Lean Six Sigma (LSS) is a continuous improvement methodology that aims to reduce the costs of poor quality, improve the bottom-line results and create value for both customers and shareholders. LSS has been deployed in organisations in the Western countries for more than two decades. However, its implementation in Middle Eastern countries has only just begun to emerge. Furthermore, there is a lack of empirical studies in the area of understanding the current status of LSS in these countries. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to investigate the current status of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) in Saudi Arabian organisations and subsequently develop a Lean Six Sigma Maturity Model (LSSMM) which can be used to assess their current level of LSS maturity. The study is based on a systematic literature review of 45 papers that were published on LSS in high ranking journals in the field and other specialist journals, from 2000 to 2015. LSS themes identified include: LSS benefits, critical success factors, motivational factors, tools and techniques, critical failure factors, and limitations. A descriptive survey via a questionnaire was conducted in the second phase of the data collection process and multiple case studies were conducted in the third phase. Based on the literature review and the findings of the empirical research, a LSSMM was developed and used to assess the current level of LSS deployment maturity in five organisations in Saudi Arabia. The results of the empirical study show that LSS is in the early stages of implementation and that organisations in Saudi Arabia have only recently started to recognise the importance of LSS to their business. This finding was also supported by the evaluation of LSS maturity level that was assessed using the model developed in this study. This study contributes to understanding the current status of LSS in Saudi Arabian organisations and provides recommendations to guide the future of LSS in Saudi organisations by comparisons with the LSS literature and best practice. The contribution to knowledge and theory in this study is through validating and extending current operations management theories to LSS deployment, including organisational learning theory, theory of motivation and goal theory. The adoption of a mixed method approach contributes to the advancement of the methodology applied within LSS research in Saudi Arabian organisations. This study adds value for academics and practitioners in the field of LSS in Saudi Arabia by providing an intensive study on the current status of LSS deployment together with the LSSMM

Implementation of a lean six sigma approach in the manufacturing sector: a systematic literature review

Lean Six Sigma is a continuous improvement methodology that aims to reduce production costs, improve organisational capability, and maximise the value for shareholders. This paper aims to explore the most common themes within LSS in the manufacturing sector, and to identify any gaps in those themes which may be preventing users from getting the most benefit from their LSS strategy. This paper also identifies the gaps in current literature and develops a research agenda for future research into Lean Six Sigma themes. The following research is based on a Systematic Literature Review of 33 papers which were published on LSS in the top journals in the field and other specialist journals, from 2000 to 2012. There are important themes cited in this paper which are; Critical Success Factors, benefits, motivation factors, limitations and impeding factors. However, there are many gaps and limitations that need to be covered in future research

A Study on Factors Affecting the Electronic Service Quality in Higher Education in Light of Covid-19 Pandemic from Students Perspectives

The study is to investigate the factors that influence the Electronic Service Quality (E-service quality) in higher education institutions in light of Covid-19 Pandemic. Constant development in service quality has become one of the most essential goals for many organizations, institutions in various industries, and for diverse reasons. The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting schools, students, teachers and parents. Education is the major factor in determining the growth of a country, and the changes that will affect the country's development are expected from higher education institutions. Higher education institutions have become global businesses, which must always look for new methods to improve the quality of services. The service quality improvement and development is critically essential issue for organizations, particularly higher education institutions, to satisfy the students' needs for better educational environment that contribute to the achievement of their satisfaction. The service quality improvement and development is critically essential issue for organizations, particularly higher education institutions, to satisfy the students' needs for better educational environment that contribute to the achievement of their satisfaction. Educational institutions like universities and other organizations in the business sector, are recognizing the need to adopt technologies to measure service quality. However, they identified five main dimensions for service quality, including reliability, responsiveness, tangibility, assurance, and empathy that capture access and understanding the customer

A Study on Factors Affecting the Electronic Service Quality in Higher Education in Light of Covid-19 Pandemic from Students Perspectives

The study is to investigate the factors that influence the Electronic Service Quality (E-service quality) in higher education institutions in light of Covid-19 Pandemic. Constant development in service quality has become one of the most essential goals for many organizations, institutions in various industries, and for diverse reasons. The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting schools, students, teachers and parents. Education is the major factor in determining the growth of a country, and the changes that will affect the country's development are expected from higher education institutions. Higher education institutions have become global businesses, which must always look for new methods to improve the quality of services. The service quality improvement and development is critically essential issue for organizations, particularly higher education institutions, to satisfy the students' needs for better educational environment that contribute to the achievement of their satisfaction. The service quality improvement and development is critically essential issue for organizations, particularly higher education institutions, to satisfy the students' needs for better educational environment that contribute to the achievement of their satisfaction. Educational institutions like universities and other organizations in the business sector, are recognizing the need to adopt technologies to measure service quality. However, they identified five main dimensions for service quality, including reliability, responsiveness, tangibility, assurance, and empathy that capture access and understanding the customer

Implementation of Lean Six Sigma in Saudi Arabian Organisations: Findings from a Survey

Purpose Although the popularity of the Lean Six Sigma (LSS) methodology has illustrated many benefits over the years for those organisations who have implemented it, this strategy has received less attention in developing countries. The purpose of this paper is to critically assess the current status of LSS implementation in Saudi Arabian organisations. Design/methodology/approach This research is based on a descriptive survey questionnaire which has been derived from two systematic literature reviews. The survey was distributed to 400 organisations in Saudi Arabia using Qualtrics online software. In total, 146 responses were received where 102 responses were completed and analysed. Findings The findings of the survey highlighted that the implementation of LSS is still in the early stages in organisations within Saudi Arabia. This was clearly shown by many factors such as years of deploying LSS, LSS infrastructure, level of awareness of LSS, impact of LSS on business functions and so on. Research limitations/implications The primary limitation of this study is that data has been collected from an online survey and therefore no deeper insights could have been captured from the survey. This calls for future research to be undertaken by executing semi-structured interviews in selective organisations within Saudi Arabia. Originality/value This paper contributes to the current status of LSS in Saudi Arabian organisations. It also gives recommendations to guide the future of LSS in Saudi organisations by comparing LSS literature with best practice