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Family farms, in which business and family life are intricately interwoven, offer an interesting context for better understanding the interdependence between the family and business system. Many family farms struggle to survive, and the succession process is a key period in which the low returns on investment become evident but also the emotional attachment of the family to the farm and the willingness to transfer the business to the next generation. We take the perspective of non-succeeding siblings since they are crucial for a successful succession but their role and position in this process is far from clear. This study will help to increase our knowledge of how fairness is perceived by non-successors and of the impact of perceived (in)justice on the family business system.

To analyze the effect on sibling relationships of an unequal outcome of the succession process, we choose the family farm context. We used interview data from multiple family members from several family farms in the Netherlands in different stages of succession. We utilized a framework based on justice theory to analyze perceptions of fairness among non-succeeding siblings. The central research question for this study is as follows: How do non-succeeding siblings perceive justice with regard to family firm succession?

The acceptance of the outcomes of the succession process by non-succeeding siblings is influenced by their perception of the fairness of the process itself and decisions made by the incumbent and successor with regard to these outcomes. It seems that stakeholders who occupy multiple roles with conflicting justice perspectives handle these contradictions with the help of an overarching goal—in this study, preserving the continuity of the family farm—and by prioritizing and adjusting the justice perspectives accordingly. The findings further show that both distributive justice and procedural justice are important and interact with each other.

Our study contributes to the literature by applying the theoretical framework of distributive and procedural justice to the context of family farm succession. This helps us to understand the position of non-succeeding siblings and their role and position in the succession process, which is important because sibling relationships have a significant impact on family harmony, with potential consequences for the business as well.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the research landscape of LSS 4.0 papers published in two well-known repositories, Scopus and Web of Science (WoS), in terms of publication trends, article distribution by author, journal, affiliations and country, and article clustering based on keywords, authors and countries. In addition, a literature review was carried out to build a conceptual framework of integrated Lean Six Sigma and Industry 4.0 (LSS 4.0) that encompasses operational, sustainability and human factors or ergonomics aspects.

The literature review of integrated Lean Six Sigma and I4.0 publications published in Scopus and WoS databases in the current decade was conducted for the present study. This study categorizes LSS, I4.0 and related research articles based on publication patterns, journals, authors and affiliations, country and continental-wise distribution and clustering the articles based on keywords and authors from the Scopus and WoS databases from 2011 to 2022 using the search strings “Lean”, “Six Sigma”, “Lean Six Sigma” and “Industry 4.0” in the Title, Abstract and Keywords using Biblioshiny, VOS viewer and Microsoft Excel.

In the recent three years, from 2020 to 2022, LSS 4.0 has been substantially increasing and is seen as an emerging and trending area. This research identifies the most influential authors, most relevant affiliations, most prolific countries and most productive journals and clusters based on keywords, authors and countries. Further, a conceptual framework was developed that includes the impact of operational, sustainability and ergonomic or human factors in LSS 4.0.

This article assists in comprehending the trends and patterns of LSS 4.0. Further, the conceptual framework helps professionals and researchers understand the significance and impact of integrating LSS and Industry 4.0 in the aspects of human factors/ergonomic, sustainability and operations. Also, the research induce professionals to incorporate all these factors while designing and implementing LSS 4.0 in their organization.

This conceptual framework and bibliometric analysis would aid in identifying potential areas of research and providing future directions in the domain of LSS 4.0. It will be beneficial for academicians, professionals and researchers who are planning to apply and integrate techniques of LSS and technologies of I4.0 in their organizations and research.