A comparative study of the critical success factors for implementing Lean Six Sigma in manufacturing and service organizations using interpretive structural modeling

This study develops a hierarchical structure of the critical success factors (CSFs) of Lean Six Sigma, within service and manufacturing sectors respectively, to test and validate those models, and examines the interrelationships among those factors to facilitate Lean Six Sigma implementation success. Given the difference in the classification of defects and waste within service and manufacturing organizations, there is a need to examine the CSFs separately and examine any potential differences. There is also a need to examine success models given various other business aspects such as industry, size, regulations, etc. The goal is to identify driving and dependent factors and test for any significant differences among factors and hierarchical structure, with respective to organization type and other business characteristics.;The overall design of this research took a quantitative approach, and used previously identified Lean Six Sigma CSFs to create hierarchical models using interpretive structural modeling (ISM), and tested the validity of the models using partial least of squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). These modeling methods utilized expert group opinions and surveys as the input data for model construction. Two separate models statistically valid models were created for both service and manufacturing and the validity and applicability to other business characteristics was explored as well.;Typical research has shown that the support of management is key in establishing a successful Lean Six Sigma program, the prioritization of the other factors was the main focus of this research. This research provides a statically valid model of CSFs for companies to use to properly delegate resources and time to facilitate program success. The potential impact of this work is a higher rate of implementation success for Lean Six Sigma. It is estimated that more than half of Lean Six Sigma-deployed programs fail. By identifying the most important driving CSFs for Lean Six Sigma, organizations can properly align their focus on factors to increase overall probability of Lean Six Sigma deployment success.