Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Six Sigma in Service Organizations

[Extract] Quality management has long been established as an important strategy for achieving competitive advantage. The aim of the businesses may differ, but the importance of customers is a matter of common interest. The ability of the organizations to adapt to new customer requirements in a globalized market is of vital importance for long-term success. Traditional quality initiatives such as statistical quality control, zero defects, and total quality management, have been key initiatives for many years. In last two decades, Six Sigma evolved as a new quality management initiative and now many organizations are working towards its implementation.

[1]  H. Russell Bernard,et al.  Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches , 2000 .

[2]  P. Chisnall Mail and Internet Surveys: The Tailored Design Method , 2007, Journal of Advertising Research.

[3]  C. Voss,et al.  QUALITY MANAGEMENT: UNIVERSAL OR CONTEXT DEPENDENT? , 2001 .

[4]  D. Dillman Mail and internet surveys: The tailored design method, 2nd ed. , 2007 .

[5]  L. Hendry,et al.  Exploring the six sigma phenomenon using multiple case study evidence , 2008 .

[6]  M. Friedrich,et al.  Practice Makes Perfect , 2002 .

[7]  J. Rockart Chief executives define their own data needs. , 1979, Harvard business review.

[8]  James E. Brady,et al.  Six sigma and the university:teaching, research, and meso-analysis , 2005 .

[9]  Donna M. Mertens,et al.  Research methods in education and psychology : integratingdiversity with quantitative & qualitative approaches , 1998 .

[10]  M. J. Harry,et al.  SIX SIGMA : A BREAKTHROUGH STRATEGY FOR PROFITABILITY , 1998 .

[11]  Ronald J. M. M. Does,et al.  Dutch hospital implements Six Sigma , 2005 .

[12]  Joseph De Feo,et al.  Creating strategic change more efficiently with a new Design for Six Sigma process , 2002 .

[13]  W. J. Hill,et al.  The Impact of Six Sigma Improvement—A Glimpse into the Future of Statistics , 1999 .

[14]  R. Klassen,et al.  Experimental comparison of Web, electronic and mail survey technologies in operations management , 2001 .

[15]  Ron Basu Implementing Quality: A Practical Guide to Tools and Techniques , 2004 .

[16]  Michael Schmidt,et al.  THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF SERVICE EXCELLENCE. , 2004 .

[17]  Robert Johnston,et al.  Service operations management: return to roots , 1999 .

[18]  Kristen Johnson Six Sigma Delivers On-Time Service , 2005 .

[19]  Michael Quinn Patton,et al.  How to use qualitative methods in evaluation , 1987 .

[20]  Erick C. Jones,et al.  Six sigma and baldriger: A quality alliance , 2007 .

[21]  Lorena Dudman Big Improvements For Small Parts , 2005 .

[22]  Melvin Alexander,et al.  Six Sigma: The Breakthrough Management Strategy Revolutionizing the World's Top Corporations , 2001, Technometrics.

[23]  T. N. GOH,et al.  A strategic assessment of six sigma , 2002 .

[24]  S Bootle,et al.  Practice makes perfect. , 1998, Nursing times.

[25]  Roland Caulcutt,et al.  Why is Six Sigma so successful? , 2001 .

[26]  James R. Evans,et al.  Successful implementation of Six Sigma: benchmarking General Electric Company , 2000 .

[27]  Anthony R Benedetto,et al.  Adapting manufacturing-based Six Sigma methodology to the service environment of a radiology film library. , 2003, Journal of healthcare management / American College of Healthcare Executives.

[28]  Mark A. McComb The Quality Toolbox , 2008, Technometrics.

[29]  Jiju Antony,et al.  Critical success factors for the successful implementation of six sigma projects in organisations , 2002 .

[30]  A. R. Crathorne,et al.  Economic Control of Quality of Manufactured Product. , 1933 .

[31]  L. Eby Book Review: Survey Research Methods, 3rd ed., by Floyd J. Fowler Jr. (2002). Thousand Oaks, Ca: Sage. , 2003 .

[32]  Theodore T. Allen,et al.  Six Sigma Literature: A Review and Agenda for Future Research , 2006, Qual. Reliab. Eng. Int..

[33]  R. F. Rey,et al.  Engineering and Operations in the Bell System , 1983 .

[34]  Christopher A. Voss,et al.  Case research in operations management , 2002 .

[35]  Dorothy Leonard-Barton,et al.  A Dual Methodology for Case Studies: Synergistic Use of a Longitudinal Single Site with Replicated Multiple Sites , 1990 .

[36]  Rodney McAdam,et al.  Grounded theory methodology and practitioner reflexivity in TQM research , 2001 .

[37]  A. Ghobadian,et al.  Service Quality: Concepts and Models , 1994 .

[38]  J. Antony,et al.  Six sigma in small‐ and medium‐sized UK manufacturing enterprises: Some empirical observations , 2005 .

[39]  W. Neuman,et al.  Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches , 2002 .

[40]  Andrew Lee‐Mortimer Six Sigma: a vital improvement approach when applied to the right problems, in the right environment , 2006 .

[41]  Jiju Antony,et al.  Some pros and cons of six sigma: an academic perspective , 2004 .

[42]  Sammy G. Shina Six Sigma for Electronics Design and Manufacturing , 2002 .

[43]  Rick L. Edgeman,et al.  Design for Six Sigma , 2011, International Encyclopedia of Statistical Science.

[44]  J. Antony Six Sigma in the UK service organisations: results from a pilot survey , 2004 .

[45]  Liem Ferryanto DFSS: Lessons Learned , 2005 .

[46]  Rose Sebastianelli,et al.  Understanding the Obstacles to TQM Success , 2003 .

[47]  Chon-Huat Goh,et al.  SERVICE TYPOLOGIES: A STATE OF THE ART SURVEY , 1999 .

[48]  J. Nevan Wright,et al.  Quality Beyond Six Sigma , 2002 .

[49]  Rodney McAdam,et al.  Challenges to Six Sigma in a High Technology Mass-manufacturing Environments , 2004 .

[50]  M. Mellat-Parast Six sigma and Baldrige: a quality alliance , 2008 .

[51]  Kathryn Rudie Harrigan,et al.  Research Methodologies for Contingency Approaches to Business Strategy , 1983 .

[52]  Rochelle Rucker Citibank Increases Customer Loyalty With Defect-Free Processes , 2000 .

[53]  Linda Hendry,et al.  Six Sigma: literature review and key future research areas , 2006 .

[54]  J. Calder Survey research methods , 1998, Medical education.

[55]  Camille DeYong,et al.  Six Sigma in health care , 2003 .

[56]  K. Narasimhan Lean Six Sigma Statistics: Calculating Process Efficiencies in Transactional Projects , 2007 .

[57]  Albert Johnson,et al.  How six sigma improves R&D , 2003 .

[58]  Audrey Gilmore,et al.  “Integrative” qualitative methods in a services context , 1996 .

[59]  Alan Harrison,et al.  Deployment of Six Sigma methodology in Human Resource function: A case study , 2000 .

[60]  William J. Hill,et al.  The Honeywell Experience , 2003 .

[61]  K. Eisenhardt Building theories from case study research , 1989, STUDI ORGANIZZATIVI.

[62]  Larry R. Smith,et al.  Six Sigma and the Evolution of Quality in Product Development , 2001 .

[63]  B Downe-Wamboldt,et al.  Content analysis: method, applications, and issues. , 1992, Health care for women international.

[64]  Mahesh S. Raisinghani,et al.  Six Sigma: concepts, tools, and applications , 2005, Ind. Manag. Data Syst..

[65]  C. Cherry Making Sense of Management , 2002 .

[66]  Sunday Ayoola Oke,et al.  SIX SIGMA: A LITERATURE REVIEW , 2012 .

[67]  Kenneth K. Boyer,et al.  Print versus electronic surveys: A comparison of two data collection methodologies , 2002 .

[68]  John Lewis,et al.  Design for six sigma: 15 lessons learned , 2002 .

[69]  Young Hoon Kwak,et al.  Benefits, obstacles, and future of six sigma approach , 2006 .

[70]  Roger G. Schroeder,et al.  Six Sigma: Definition and underlying theory , 2008 .

[71]  Cipriano Forza,et al.  Survey research in operations management: a process‐based perspective , 2002 .

[72]  Jiju Antony,et al.  Six sigma for service processes , 2006, Bus. Process. Manag. J..

[73]  Nicole Coviello,et al.  Qualitative research issues at the marketing/ entrepreneurship interface , 1996 .

[74]  Jeroen de Mast,et al.  A rational reconstruction of Six Sigma's Breakthrough Cookbook , 2006 .

[75]  Robert W. Ruekert,et al.  Upper management control of new product development projects and project performance , 2002 .

[76]  R. Hensley,et al.  Assessing readiness for six sigma in a service setting , 2005 .

[77]  Eliot R. Smith,et al.  Research methods in social relations , 1962 .

[78]  R. McAdam,et al.  A multilevel case study critique of six sigma: statistical control or strategic change? , 2004 .

[79]  Young Jin Ahn,et al.  The future of Six Sigma , 2014 .

[80]  L. Stern,et al.  Conducting Interorganizational Research Using Key Informants , 1993 .

[81]  François Coderre,et al.  Comparison of the Quality of Qualitative Data Obtained through Telephone, Postal and Email Surveys , 2004 .

[82]  J. Corn,et al.  Six sigma in health care. , 2009, Radiologic technology.

[83]  Jiju Antony,et al.  Key ingredients for the effective implementation of Six Sigma program , 2002 .

[84]  Jiju Antony,et al.  Design for six sigma: a breakthrough business improvement strategy for achieving competitive advantage , 2002 .

[85]  李幼升,et al.  Ph , 1989 .

[86]  Nihar Ranjan Senapati,et al.  Six Sigma: myths and realities , 2004 .

[87]  D. C. oksey C. Eshelman,et al.  The quality toolbox , 1992 .

[88]  R. McAdam,et al.  A CRITICAL REVIEW OF SIX SIGMA: EXPLORING THE DICHOTOMIES , 2005 .

[89]  E. R. van den Heuvel,et al.  Comparing Nonmanufacturing with Traditional Applications of Six Sigma , 2002 .