PurposeSix sigma for small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) is an emerging topic among many academics and six sigma practitioners over the last two to three years. Very few studies have been reported about the successful applications of six sigma in SMEs. The purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis of six sigma implementation in UK manufacturing SMEs.Design/methodology/approachThis paper presents an extensive literature review based on the experiences of both academics and practitioners on six sigma within an SME environment. The paper highlights the strengths and weaknesses associated with SMEs, followed by the results of a six sigma survey in UK manufacturing SMEs. The results of the study are based primarily on descriptive statistics.FindingsThe results of the study show that many of the SMEs are not aware of six sigma and many do not have the resources to implement six sigma projects. It was also found that lean sigma was not generally popular among SMEs. Management involvement and participation, linking six sigma to customers and linking six sigma to business strategy are the most critical factors for the successful deployment of six sigma in SMEs.Originality/valueThis paper reports the first study on the status of six sigma implementation in UK SMEs. The paper will yield a great value to academics, consultants, researchers and practitioners of six sigma.

Purpose -The last two decades have witnessed an explosion of research into the area of quality initiatives (QI) such as ISO, total quality management, lean, Kaizen and its application within small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). However, very few empirical studies have reported the application of Six Sigma in SMEs; the reasons may be attributed to several myths associated with Six Sigma. The purpose of this paper is to assess the current status of QI in the UK manufacturing SMEs and report the differences in the quality management practices of Six Sigma SMEs against the ISO certified firms. Design/methodology/approach -A survey-based approach was adopted to understand the established quality management practices in the UK SMEs. A short survey instrument was designed by reviewing the literature on quality improvement initiatives in SMEs. A sample of 500 manufacturing SMEs across UK was selected through stratified random sampling technique. Findings -A response rate of 12.7 per cent was achieved and included respondents at senior management and middle management level across the manufacturing industry in the UK. Data analysis on the history of quality initiatives (QI) in SMEs indicated towards the trend that ISO may be the foundation or building block before embarking on lean or Six Sigma. Differences in quality management practices such as customer focused measures and method of knowledge transfer to employees, were observed in Six Sigma and ISO certified SMEs. The main reasons cited for not implementing Six Sigma in SMEs were lack of knowledge or understanding of the system and limited resources. A significant difference in the performance of Six Sigma/lean firms against ISO certified companies were observed with respect to the strategic and operational measures of organizational performance.Research limitations/implications -The limited response rate from the survey in the UK manufacturing SMEs will affect the generalizability of study to entire SME population. To negate the limitations of this study, a multiple multi-level case studies will be conducted in SMEs in the next phase of doctoral research. Future study should focus on performing a global survey on quality management practices in SMEs. Originality/value -The novelty of the paper lies in conducting a comparative study on the quality management practices in Six Sigma and non-Six Sigma UK SMEs and measuring its impact on the performance of the firm. This study will facilitate in demystifying the myth that Six Sigma is only applicable in large organizations.

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Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to critically evaluate whether Lean Six Sigma (LSS) can be a powerful business improvement methodology for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of higher education institutions (HEIs). The paper will also explore the fundamental challenges, barriers and critical success factors for the introduction and development of LSS in the HE context. The last part of the paper is to understand the role of tools and techniques for the sustainability of this initiative for making the HEIs more efficient and effective. Design/methodology/approach -The paper discusses whether LSS can be a useful and systematic approach to tackle operational and strategic issues within the HE industry. The authors use secondary data from literature to justify the need for this powerful approach and the benefits of adopting this business process improvement strategy within the HEIs. Findings -The paper presents the challenges and barriers to be encountered during the introduction of LSS in the higher education sector, most useful tools and techniques for process improvement problems, success factors which are essential for the implementation and sustainability of LSS. Research limitations/implications -This is a very theoretical paper based on the existing literature and authors' experiences in the HE sector. The next stage of the research is to carry out empirical studies in a number of HEIs and develop a practical and useful roadmap for the implementation and sustainability of LSS as a business process improvement methodology. Originality/value -This paper makes an attempt to remove the myth that LSS is confined to manufacturing. It also demonstrates, through relevant existing literature and authors' experiences, that LSS is equally applicable to public sector organisations and in particular HEIs. Although lean has been adopted by a few HEIs in the UK and abroad, very few HEIs have adopted the integrated LSS approach for waste reduction and variability reduction, which leads to superior performance and enhanced student satisfaction.

Approaches to business improvement have evolved and grown since the early 1900s and today the process focused, statistically driven Six Sigma methodology has been widely used by companies such as GE, Motorola, Honeywell, Bombardier, ABB, Sony, DuPont, American Express, Ford and many other companies in improving the business performance and optimizing the bottom-line benefits. Although Six Sigma business management strategy has been exploited by many world class organizations as mentioned above, there is still less documented evidence of its implementation in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This paper reports the key findings of a Six Sigma pilot survey in UK manufacturing SMEs. The results of the study are based primarily on descriptive statistics. The results of the study show that many of the SMEs are not aware of Six Sigma and do not have the resources to implement Six Sigma projects. It was also found that Lean Sigma was not generally popular among SMEs. Management involvement and participation, linking Six Sigma to customers and to business strategy are the most critical factors for the successful deployment of Six Sigma in SMEs.