Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to review the existing literature on the critical success factors (CSFs) of various continuous improvement (CI) like total quality management (TQM), Lean, Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma (LSS), and perform a content analysis (CA) leading to an agenda for...

Purpose: Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have now become an important part of economy for not only developed nations but also for emerging economies. Irrespective of the benefits that can be derived, SMEs in emerging economies still lack the will to implement quality management (QM)...

Purpose – In this paper, the aim is to propose a framework for utilizing quality function deployment (QFD) and benchmarking in combination to chalk out an improvement plan that redesigns or modifies existing processes to a point where they consume the least amount of resources while imparting...

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework to assess the lean readiness within emergency departments (EDs) and identify the key quality practices deemed essential for lean system (LS) implementation. Design/methodology/approach: An extensive review of the lean healthcare...

Purpose: Lean Six Sigma (LSS) is one of the most popular and widely used business improvement methodologies. However, many organizations discontinue LSS despite a plethora of studies on the critical success factors. The purpose of this study is to answer the research question how do...

Purpose This study investigates the quantitative aspect of the various strains of operational excellence (OE) and competitive-potential (CP) in the SME sector. It has five steps, i.e., identifying the key performance constructs of OE and their hypothesized relationship pattern from literature,...

Purpose This study aims to identify, analyze and rank the critical success factors (CSFs) of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) implementation in Indian manufacturing sector based micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). This study provides critical insight for managers and researchers aspiring for...

Purpose: In recent years, a new transformation known as Industry 4.0 has drawn much attention throughout the world, and numerous investigations have fundamentally looked into the uprising concept. However, few have concentrated on the literature review. Taking this as motivation, the authors...

Purpose: Industrial symbiosis (IS) is basically a synergistic association between two or more industries or businesses wherein the waste or by-product of one industry becomes the raw material or immediate material of another industry. IS is believed to bring in significant benefits to the...