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The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between the successful deployment of Lean Six Sigma and a number of key explanatory variables that essentially comprise the competence of the organization, the competence of the deployment facilitator and the competence of the project leaders.

The preliminary fieldwork involved interviews with two senior Master Black Belts; then, combined with the results of a literature review, the authors develop a conceptual model. A number of hypotheses are developed and the procedures involved in empirically testing these hypotheses are briefly explained.

Technical and interpersonal attributes of Black Belts and Master Black Belts are identified as well as the factors for success in deploying Lean Six Sigma. These factors relate to: leadership, communication, behavior and awareness of Six Sigma; policies, culture and organizational support and strategy; education, training and competency of the Six Sigma experts; project improvement teams and project management; and performance evaluations based on quality criteria, information systems, data and measurement.

The paper produces a predictive model for the successful deployment of a continuous improvement program such as Lean Six Sigma.

Examines different approaches that can be utilised to introduce a Six Sigma Black Belt programme. Compares and contrasts the implementation strategies used in both Motorola and General Electric. Provides information based on a literature review as well as interview evidence from employees in both firms. Concludes by defining the overall approach used by each company. The benefits as well as some criticisms of the Six Sigma and Black Belt methodology are also provided, and we warn about the dangers of focusing on the metric rather than the mission.

The state of Tennessee is part of the United States that houses a special set of school districts known as the Black Belt. Named for the black fertile land, utilized for the agricultural industry for hundreds of years in the south, these school districts have the lowest levels of achievement among the one hundred and thirty six school districts in Tennessee. The purpose of this study is to identify just how extensive these achievement discrepancies are between Black Belt school students and non-Black Belt school students by answering the following research question: are Black Belt school students disproportionately scoring lower on college admittance exams (ACT) than students in non-Black Belt school districts? The data for this study was gathered from the Tennessee Report Card for Education over a period of ten years. Pooled time series cross-sectional regression analysis was the datatesting device employed in the study. The findings suggest that Black Belt students are disproportionately scoring lower on college admittance exams compared to non-Black Belt students. Policymakers need to use caution when generalizing this study because it only represents those Black Belt school districts in Tennessee.

This paper aims to report the results of a study on the implementation of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) in a developing country. The purpose of this paper is to determine the barriers, critical success factors (CSFs) and implementation strategy of LSS.

A qualitative approach was taken, in which a multiple-case study designed to gather data on the LSS implementation process was used.

The literature and interviews show that any organization can customize these methodologies according to their needs. This also indicates that there are no stringent rules to follow, and that the process of adoption and implementation is quite flexible. The findings from the multiple-case study identify that the CSFs for implementing LSS are management support and commitment, communication, culture change, education and training and a recognition and reward system. The salient features which serve as barriers are lack of top management commitment, lack of knowledge, lack of training, and internal resistance.

The findings have implications for consultants and practitioners with regard to the implementation of LSS within organizations and to focus on the selection LSS tools for implementation.

This paper reports on the implementation of LSS in Malaysia can be valuable to consultants, practitioners and researchers of LSS in developing countries.

ISO 18404:2015 standard defines the proficiencies to the attainment of distinct competency levels with either Lean Manufacturing or Six Sigma or separately combined strategy Lean Six Sigma (LSS). The purpose of this paper is to perform a detailed investigation of the applicability of current LSS competency standard in SMEs and examine the need for further improvement.

A qualitative-based semi-structured interview method was utilized globally by interviewing a group of LSS professionals with knowledge about the LSS implementation working in different leading organizations. All participants were asked to review the standard before the interview process to ensure that they are familiar with the standard.

The results reveal that the current ISO 18404:2015 standard does not fit SMEs to implement the LSS approach as it has several shortfalls that need to be fixed before its adoption or an urgent need to develop a more customized LSS standard for SMEs. The outcome further helps organizations understand theoretical knowledge about ISO 18404:2015, its role in operational excellence implementation, pros, cons, critical success factors and required changes for further improvement within the standard.

There were very limited baseline studies in the literature. A mixed method strategy that includes qualitative and quantitative data would yield better data so that more robust outcomes can be derived from the research.

To the best of authors' knowledge, this is the first empirical research on the applicability of ISO 18404:2015 for SMEs, which encapsulate opinions of LSS professionals working in several SMEs.

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the body of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) knowledge within the field of higher education institutions. The paper will review the initial phase of an implementation and highlight future challenges of applying the LSS method in a complex transactional environment.

The observations presented in this paper originate from rolling out a large LSS implementation at a recently established university. The paper is supported with secondary data from literature.

The implementation of LSS methodology at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology has resulted in improvements in business processes and efficiency. This has been achieved through project execution and training programs. Approximately 350 staff members have completed awareness training, 50 yellow belts and 150 green belts have been trained, and the first round of seven black belts have completed training of which two have completed certification.

This paper is based on an empirical study of a single instance and the authors’ experiences as practitioners.

This paper is the first description of what is believed to be one of the largest implementations of LSS in higher education.

This paper examined employee perceptions of the rewards associated with their participation in a six sigma program. Six sigma is an approach to organizational change that incorporates elements of total quality management, business process reengineering, and employee involvement.

A survey was completed by 215 employees (34 percent response rate). Respondents rated the extent to which they felt their participation in six sigma was “instrumental” for a range of outcomes, as well as valence (desirability) of each outcome (based on the VIE concept of instrumentality). The outcomes were classified into four categories: extrinsic, intrinsic, social, and organizational.

Valence ratings revealed that all 12 outcomes were perceived as desirable. Instrumentality ratings showed that extrinsic outcomes were rated significantly lower than intrinsic, social, and organizational outcomes. Additional analyses revealed significant differences on all four outcome categories between participants and non‐participants in the six sigma program.

The positive valence and instrumentality ratings for participants indicate they believe their participation will lead to valued outcomes for themselves and their organizations. However, employees who choose not to get involved in six sigma do not perceive that their participation would have led to desired outcomes. The results also show that while participants value extrinsic rewards, they do not see six sigma as instrumental in their receipt. These perceptions have important implications for attracting and retaining program participants.

While much has been written about the use of reward systems in supporting a successful six sigma effort, this study empirically examines how employees actually perceive the rewards associated with their participation. It also identifies which types of rewards are most instrumental for participants and non‐participants.

A continuous flow of flawless products and services is the holy grail of all companies. Over the years various strategies, such as TQM, have been proposed to improve processes and output. Six Sigma, developed by the Motorola Corporation, is one of the most recent and far‐reaching quality programs. It uses a range of techniques to measure and improve performance. This article examines the way the program was implemented in Motorola and in General Electric.

The purpose of this study is to test two common assumptions underlying the success of total quality management (TQM): that change occurs as training imparts new knowledge needed by employees to effectively participate in the intervention, and that employees then receive the organizational support needed to translate this knowledge into new job behaviors and organizational practices that define the intervention.

A survey was completed by 216 employees of a large US company 15 months after the implementation of a Fsix sigma quality improvement program. Respondents were asked to indicate the extent to which they had the skills and resources needed for successful participation in six sigma (success expectancies).

Results showed that employees as a group had low expectancies for both skills and resources, but that expectancies were significantly higher for program participants than for non‐participants.

The primary implication of this finding for change agents is the need to examine and understand employee expectancies for success and how they are affected by training and ongoing participation. Monitoring employee expectancy beliefs regarding the confidence, knowledge, and resources needed for successful participation allows training, facilitation, and oversight to be targeted in terms of who needs what and when.

This study tests two common assumptions underlying the success of TQM.