Use of the Six Sigma by the 500 Largent Companies in Portugal

Conceição, Ana; Major, Maria

doi:10.7819/rbgn.v13i40.922

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Cabrita and de Vaz (2008) examined the inter-relationships among intellectual capital components within Portuguese banks and found that intellectual capital was an important driver of organisational value in these banks. da Conceição and Major (2011) looked at the impact of adoption of Six Sigma on organisational performance of Portuguese companies and found gains in productivity and greater customer satisfaction. de Sena et al (2013) evaluated the effects of the ISO 9001 quality certification process on the business performance of Portuguese organisations and found mixed and inconclusive results.…”

Section: High Performance In Portugalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors of high performance in Portugal

Santos

Waal

2019

IJOA

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Purpose Ever since Portugal joined the European Union, Portuguese organisations have been struggling with both the challenges of new competitors flooding in from other European countries and taking advantage of the opportunities the new enlarged integrated market offered them. This is because Portuguese companies have in general low average rates of productivity growth while they lack techniques to improve not only these rates but also overall organisational performance. The purpose of this paper is to discuss whether the high-performance organisation (HPO) framework, a holistic improvement technique developed on the basis of worldwide data, is valid for the Portuguese context and therefore can support Portuguese organisations in their efforts to achieve better performance. Design/methodology/approach Managers in Portuguese organisations, which were found in the Spain balance sheet analysis system database, were approached to fill in the HPO questionnaire on their company. In total, data was received from 163 organisations. This data was subsequently statistically analysed using a confirmatory factor analysis. Findings The study shows that the 35 items of the HPO framework are valid for the participating Portuguese organisations and as such form a reliable HPO framework for these organisations. Thus, the HPO framework can be reliably applied at Portuguese organisations to evaluate their current level of organisational performance and to propose recommendations to improve performance. Originality/value This research study fills the gap of the currently rather limited literature on the application of holistic and effective improvement techniques in Portugal, and as such future researchers can use the framework to conduct a more in-depth study of performance gains in the Portuguese context. Portuguese managers now have at their disposal a holistic improvement technique validated for their context, so they can use the HPO framework with confidence to start improving their own organisations.

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Section: High Performance In Portugalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors of high performance in Portugal

Santos

Waal

2019

IJOA

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“…From the 124 questionnaires received and validated, only 13 of the companies indicated to have adopted Six Sigma. Conceição and Major (2011) conducted a survey to determine the extent to which Six Sigma is adopted by the largest 500 non-financial companies operating in Portugal. Their main conclusions were the following:…”

Section: Six Sigma In Portugalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Six Sigma DMAIC project to improve the performance of an aluminum die casting operation in Portugal

Marques

Matthé²

2017

IJQRM

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to illustrate an application of the Six Sigma define, measure, analyze, improve, control (DMAIC) problem-solving methodology in a Portuguese industrial enterprise, aimed at reducing the rejection rate of a specific manufactured product due to defects generated in an aluminum gravity die casting operation. Design/methodology/approach Along the five-stage roadmap, a set of analytical and conceptual tools was systematically employed to better characterize the problem, define the product’s critical to quality characteristics, estimate the process baseline, determine the relevant cause-and-effect relationships, identify the root causes leading to the high rejection rate, implement an improvement plan, determine the effectiveness of the improvement actions, and put in place a control plan. Findings The project team discovered that the high rejection rate was caused by factors inherent to the gravity die casting operation itself and by the mixing of rejected parts made of different types of alloys from other locations within the plant. Another key finding was that the successful execution of the project was only possible due to the belief and support of top management and to the active involvement of the team members. Practical implications This case study illustrates a successful practical application of a Six Sigma project in a small-medium enterprise in Portugal, as well as the operational and financial benefits that derived from it; thus providing a good example for others to follow. Originality/value Few cases of continual improvement initiatives, including Six Sigma projects, developed at a Portuguese company are available in the literature; this paper fills such void by describing a very successful application that demonstrates the advantages that other companies can learn in terms of adopting structured methodologies to improve the quality of their products and the efficiency of their processes. Moreover, the analysis and conclusions herein presented can be of great importance for companies using gravity die casting technology.

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Implementation of lean Six-Sigma project in enhancing health care service quality during COVID-19 pandemic

Tufail¹,

Shakeel²,

Sheikh³

et al. 2021

AIMSPH

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<abstract> <p>The recent outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has exposed the weakness of the existing healthcare facilities in developing countries, and Pakistan has no exception. The increasing amount of patients has made this condition more vulnerable to failure. It became difficult for health care management to handle the surge of patients. This case study is based on the XYZ hospital system of Pakistan. The hospital initiates passive immunization as a savior in the absence of a vaccine. The process initiates numerous challenges as the same facility was using for passive immunization and routine operations of the hospital. DMAIC lean sig-sigma problem-solving methodology has been adopted to Define, Measure, Analyze, Implement and Control the improvement process for smooth special and routine activities. The staff and patients were interviewed, their issues were listed, and a comprehensive solution was suggested to deal with operational uncertainties. The results identified various factors through VOC and SIPOC processes, prioritized using fishbone diagram, analyzed through Kano model, and finally proposed process improvement by incorporating Kaizen process improvement methodology. Other industries could use this set of tools to evaluate and optimize routine problems, which ultimately enhances the quality and reduces cost.</p> </abstract>

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Use of the Six Sigma by the 500 Largent Companies in Portugal

Cited by 3 publications

References 3 publications

Factors of high performance in Portugal

Factors of high performance in Portugal

Six Sigma DMAIC project to improve the performance of an aluminum die casting operation in Portugal

Implementation of lean Six-Sigma project in enhancing health care service quality during COVID-19 pandemic

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