Implementation of lean six sigma in Saudi Arabian organisations: Findings from a survey

Purpose: Although the popularity of the Lean Six Sigma methodology has illustrated many benefits over the years for those organisations who have implemented it, this strategy has received less attention in developing countries. The aim of this paper is to critically assess the current status of Lean Six Sigma implementation in Saudi Arabian organisations. Design/methodology/approach: This research is based on a descriptive survey questionnaire which has been derived from two systematic literature reviews. The survey was distributed to 400 organisations in Saudi Arabia using Qualtrics online software. 146 responses were received where 102 responses were completed and analysed. Findings: The findings of the survey highlighted that the implementation of LSS is still in the early stages in organisations within Saudi Arabia. This was clearly shown by many factors such as years of deploying LSS, LSS infrastructure, level of awareness of LSS, impact of LSS on business functions and so on. Originality/value: This paper contributes to the current status of LSS in Saudi Arabian organisations. It also gives recommendations to guide the future of LSS in Saudi organisations by comparing to LSS literature and best practice. Research Limitations: The primary limitation of this study is that data has been collected from an online survey and therefore no deeper insights could have been captured from the survey. This limitation will be rectified by executing semi-structured interviews in selective organizations within Saudi Arabia.