Globalisation of markets has brought about enormous challenges and opportunities for business organisations. The prevailing business environment propels organisations to improve and create value in order to remain competitive. Improvement and value creation begin internally and get reflected externally in the form of value added propositions to the market. Six Sigma is a methodology known for creating value within organisations, in all industries, through process improvement which translates into enormous savings for the organisation. Six Sigma is widely used globally and it has been in existence for many years, yet it is not so prevalent in the South African business environment. This research explores the principles and approach adopted, which distinguish the Six Sigma methodology from other improvement programs. In the manufacturing industry, operational efficiencies are essential to enhance value creation and profitability. The study begins by discussing the origin, history and evolvement of Six Sigma into a methodology recognisable and espoused by leading world class organisations. The technique used to effect Six Sigma is entrenched and enforced by adherence to stipulated basic principles, breakthrough strategy and Six Sigma tools in identification and elimination of variation. The study later models some of Six Sigma tools by application on the operational entity in verification and testing of theoretical knowledge into practical knowledge that can be exploited for process improvement consequently enhancing operational efficiencies. The impact of Six Sigma on operational efficiencies underlie on the ability to positively change process effectiveness and capability to near perfection as expressed by defect rate of not more than 3.4 defects per million opportunities. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

What is the role of frontline project leadership in organizational learning in incremental business process improvement (iBPI)? Current literature is sparse on the topic of contributions to organizational learning made by frontline employees leading iBPI projects. To bridge this gap, we use an embedded longitudinal multiple case to study the process of leadership of four frontline iBPI projects. The 4I model (intuiting, interpreting, integrating, and institutionalizing) of organizational learning serves as a theoretical lens to study how the insights originating from frontline employees unfold through group-level integration and organization-level institutionalization. Mapping the flow of key project events to the relevant social and psychological processes of the 4I model, we identify how organizational learning unfolds within and through the three levels of the model. The granularity of the 4I model creates a valuable foundation for informing the role of frontline project leadership in iBPI programs and the capacity to leverage insights originating from frontline employees into organizational learning. Practitioners and engaged scholars will find this level of granularity helpful for program design, evaluation, and learning interventions.

En la presente tesis se abordó el desarrollo de la metodología Six Sigma a fin de establecer un conjunto de lineamientos y recomendaciones para el mejoramiento de la calidad en una determinada institución pública. Por ello, se tomó como base, los datos encontrados en una entidad denominada: Archivo Regional de Lambayeque, la misma que en adelante será llamada bajo el acrónimo ARL, basándose tanto en sus documentos de gestión técnico - administrativa así como del uso de varias herramientas y técnicas de recolección de datos como cuestionarios, entrevistas, encuestas y la observación detallada de los procesos existentes. En cada uno de los pasos definidos en el proceso DMAIC de la metodología, se detallaron los métodos y herramientas estadísticas utilizadas con el fin de lograr un mayor entendimiento de cada uno de los procesos del ARL y llegar así al ideal Six Sigma, reduciendo considerablemente el número de DPMO (defectos por millón de oportunidades). Finalmente, y luego de analizar minuciosamente la información recabada, se verificó la validez de la misma haciendo uso de un simulador predictivo previamente seleccionado y diseñado para trabajar bajo el entorno licenciado de Microsoft.

Globalisation of markets has brought about enormous challenges and opportunities for business organisations. The prevailing business environment propels organisations to improve and create value in order to remain competitive. Improvement and value creation begin internally and get reflected externally in the form of value added propositions to the market. Six Sigma is a methodology known for creating value within organisations, in all industries, through process improvement which translates into enormous savings for the organisation. Six Sigma is widely used globally and it has been in existence for many years, yet it is not so prevalent in the South African business environment. This research explores the principles and approach adopted, which distinguish the Six Sigma methodology from other improvement programs. In the manufacturing industry, operational efficiencies are essential to enhance value creation and profitability. The study begins by discussing the origin, history and evolvement of Six Sigma into a methodology recognisable and espoused by leading world class organisations. The technique used to effect Six Sigma is entrenched and enforced by adherence to stipulated basic principles, breakthrough strategy and Six Sigma tools in identification and elimination of variation. The study later models some of Six Sigma tools by application on the operational entity in verification and testing of theoretical knowledge into practical knowledge that can be exploited for process improvement consequently enhancing operational efficiencies. The impact of Six Sigma on operational efficiencies underlie on the ability to positively change process effectiveness and capability to near perfection as expressed by defect rate of not more than 3.4 defects per million opportunities. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

The aim of this paper is to study the “key success factors in implementing Six-Sigma in different cultures”. A literature review is used for the research methodology. The review of literature revealed that Six-Sigma was originally initiated by Motorola, an American company, and after recognizing the effect this could have on the organization and to the bottom line, many other leading American companies then followed. It could be claimed that the success of Six-Sigma in the American firms is due to the fact that the methodology of Six-Sigma is an excellent match with American management characteristics or the American business culture. This research also found that cultural awareness issues are likely to play a role in how effective implementation of Six-Sigma methodology is in American companies. / Findings in this study indicate that Thai and American cultures are vastly different in many dimensions. The question came up that if Six-Sigma were to be introduced in a Thai manufacturing environment what implications the Thai culture would have on implementation. The resultant finding of this study is summarised as “what are the Thai culture implications of Six-Sigma implementation”. / Thai culture will have an impact on the key success factors in implementing Six-Sigma and could be concluded as follows: Can Breakthrough methodology and Result orientation in Six-Sigma methodology be used with Thai people or Thai Manufacturing?; Can “Out Box” thinking concept and “Changing” environment be implemented in Thai culture?; How did those companies build “Team work” to support Six-Sigma implementation?; Are performance based promotion and individual recognition systems being used with Thai people or Thai manufacturing?. / Thesis (DBA(DoctorateofBusinessAdministration))--University of South Australia, 2005.

Universiẗat, Diss.--Passau, 2007.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Toledo, 2008. / Typescript. "Submitted as partial fulfillments of the requirements for The Master of Science in Industrial Engineering." "A thesis entitled"--at head of title. Bibliography: leaves 69-70.

Thesis PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1995. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [247]-264).