Purpose In the global economy, managers are constantly innovating with their use of available Lean Six Sigma (LSS) tools. Some factors, such as training and the right educational goals, have gained strong global acceptance. The purpose of this paper is to focus on contributions to organizational factors that predict organizations usage of LSS management tools to investigate expectations of project managers prior to LSS education and the extent of fulfilment of those expectations following LSS education in Slovenia, an East European country. Design/methodology/approach This research provides an empirical analysis of LSS as a learning structure and the characteristics of LSS project managers, followed by the results of an analysis of LSS usage in manufacturing companies in Slovenia following comparative surveys carried out in 2008 and 2013. Findings The top four essential characteristics for LSS organizations in 2013 include: being an innovative LSS project manager; being an effective communicator; having networking ability; and being a positive thinker. Results from 2008 to 2013 have shown differences in the stages of LSS implementation in Slovenia in these years. Differences were also seen in the level of participants’ LSS training in the studies performed. Originality/value This paper presents the first ever comparison study regarding the status of LSS education in transition countries, such as in Slovenian manufacturing companies. The study shows the expectations of participants before LSS education and their fulfilment following it. The research is original in many aspects: it includes aspects of external and internal LSS training in companies, it focusses on the manufacturing companies in the transition country of Slovenia and it provides a comparison of results in 2008 and in 2013 and an overview of the progress of LSS education. The paper will be of great value to academics, consultants, researchers, practitioners of LSS, current and future management and owners of companies in Slovenia and other similar East European transition countries. The findings will be useful in business practice for understanding the influences of education and training factors on LSS management tool usage.

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PurposeThis paper aims to deal with the dynamic aspect of outsourcing – in the world of business, change is the only constant, nothing is permanent, which also holds true for the relationships in outsourcing. Thus, we should think about the consequences of the termination of such a relationship, which could be effected by both sides. This research is aimed at finding an answer to the question of what outsourcing can bring in the long run.Design/methodology/approachThe research for this paper is based on the collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data.FindingsThe research results show that companies are ill‐prepared for the time when the cooperation between the outsourcing and insourcing company ends.Originality/valueThe initial research has proved that outsourcing can bring about increased short‐term, especially financial, gains. But at the same time, the cause of poor quality and difficulties can also be concealed, and the reputation and success of the company can be ruined. Problems may be revealed later and can exceed the short‐term benefits of outsourcing.

Unlike profit organisations, which pursue profitable goals under the influence of influential stakeholders, the interests of stakeholders in nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) are much less uniform. The paper aims to focus on the contribution and the characteristics of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Slovenia, and the conflicting interests as well as the impact of internal and external stakeholders of NGOs. The purpose of this paper is to conduct an empirical analysis of the key infl uences of internal and external stakeholders. Our intention is to determine the relations between the interests of influential stakeholders and the performance of the organisations in question, as well as to define the understanding of performance from the viewpoint of NGOs’ management. We confirmed the hypothesis proposing that the external influences of stakeholders have a greater impact on the performance than the internal infl uences. We found out that public relations, advocacy, fundraising and regularity have a statistically significant influence on the NGOs’ mission. Complexity and heterogeneity of non-governmental organisations could be counted among the most important research limitations. From the aspect of scientific contribution in the geographical area of Central Europe, i.e. a former communist state, a country in transition economy, it was thus far impossible to find contributions to empirically examine the impact of stakeholders on the development of nongovernmental organisations; therefore, the study described in the article is unique in this area.

PurposeIn a global economic environment, companies most likely to succeed should be, at the same time, big and strong as well as small and flexible. The purpose of this paper is to examine the thesis and the concept of strategic risk analysis of processes regarding the size of corporations and individual companies, both at the level of corporations, where they are mainly based on ownership and legal relationships, and also at the level of companies, where they are based on interests and legal relationships.Design/methodology/approachThe paper examines the strategic orientation of organizations and importance of risk management. The research methodology is based on the analysis of qualitative data collected through surveys. Furthermore, a theoretical framework is introduced based on a study conducted in the transition economy of Slovenia.FindingsWithin this framework, there is a constant trade‐off between market (flexibility) and hierarchy (control). It is important to set an optimal structure of internal and external sourcing to lower the risk exposure of organizations. The paper finds that companies in Slovenia, a transition economy within the European Union, often enter contractual relationships without sufficient strategic long‐term assessments and are thus faced with high risks.Originality/valueThe rational control of complex organizations is enhanced demand for cognitive capabilities of employees and process capabilities of computers. The variety of organizations and contingencies is immense; it is therefore possible to determine only some dimensions and generic solutions. Two possible approaches to simplification are dealt with in the paper. Many statements in this contribution should be treated as hypotheses, to be explored in detail, confirmed or rejected.