Barriers and strategies for implementing lean six sigma in small- and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in construction industry: a fuzzy TOPSIS analysis
Abstract
Purpose
Quality management barriers have been discovered in construction small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), determining their long-term survival. Despite the recognition of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) as a valuable quality management technique for addressing the barriers faced by SMEs, LSS implementation within the construction SME context is alarmingly low. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the barriers for implementing LSS within construction SMEs and to determine the most effective strategies for overcoming these barriers.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative research approach was used, and data was collected in two stages: a questionnaire survey with 44 construction professionals and an expert opinion survey with 12 LSS specialists. The collected data was then analysed using the fuzzy TOPSIS method, achieving a higher degree of sensitivity.
Findings
The findings revealed the 15 most significant LSS barriers that need to be addressed. In addition, the ten most important strategies to be implemented in overcoming the identified barriers before LSS implementation were discovered and thematised, most notably the hiring of LSS specialists for project monitoring and the formation of a committee for strategic planning through LSS.
Originality/value
Previous research on LSS examined barriers and strategies for SMEs in general, but to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first of its kind, focusing especially on the construction SME context and involving the unique fuzzy TOPSIS approach.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge and extend their sincere appreciation to A/Prof Niraj Thurairajah of Northumbria University at Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Prof (Mrs) Udayangani Kulatunga of Moratuwa University at Sri Lanka for their invaluable contribution as a guide, motivator and mentor throughout the publication of this work.
Funding: This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
Declaration of competing interest: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Citation
De Silva, S.H., Ranadewa, K.A.T.O. and Rathnasinghe, A.P. (2023), "Barriers and strategies for implementing lean six sigma in small- and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in construction industry: a fuzzy TOPSIS analysis", Construction Innovation, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/CI-09-2022-0225
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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