An exploratory qualitative and quantitative analysis of Six Sigma in service organizations in Singapore

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework to facilitate widening the scope of Six Sigma implementation in service organizations. Design/methodology/approach – Using grounded theory methodology, this study develops theory for Six Sigma implementation in service organizations. The study involves a questionnaire survey and case studies to understand and build a conceptual framework. The survey is conducted in service organizations in Singapore and is exploratory. The case studies involved three service organizations which implement Six Sigma. The objective is to explore and understand the issues highlighted by the survey and the literature. Findings – The findings confirm the inclusion of critical success factors, critical-to-quality characteristics, and set of tools and techniques as observed from the literature. In the case of key performance indicators (KPI), there are different interpretations about it in the literature and also by industry practitioners. Some literature explains KPIs as performance metrics whereas some feel it as key process input or output variables, which is similar to interpretations by practitioners of Six Sigma. The responses of “not relevant” and “unknown to us” as reasons for not implementing Six Sigma show the need for understanding specific requirements of service organizations. Originality/value – Though much theoretical description is available about Six Sigma, there has been limited rigorous academic research on it. This gap is far more pronounced about Six Sigma implementation in service organizations, where the theory is not yet mature. Identifying this need, the paper contributes by going through theory building exercise and developing a conceptual framework to understand the issues involving its implementation in service organizations.