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.
Methodology: A quantitative research approach was employed, and data was collected in two stages: a questionnaire survey with forty-four construction professionals and an expert opinion survey with twelve LSS specialists. The collected data was then analysed using the fuzzy TOPSIS method, achieving a higher degree of sensitivity.
Findings: The findings revealed the fifteen most significant LSS barriers that need to be addressed. In addition, the ten most important strategies to be implemented in overcoming the identified barriers prior to 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: Previous research on LSS examined barriers and strategies for SMEs in general, but this study is the first of its kind, focusing especially on the construction SME context and involving the unique fuzzy TOPSIS approach.
Methodology: A quantitative research approach was employed, and data was collected in two stages: a questionnaire survey with forty-four construction professionals and an expert opinion survey with twelve LSS specialists. The collected data was then analysed using the fuzzy TOPSIS method, achieving a higher degree of sensitivity.
Findings: The findings revealed the fifteen most significant LSS barriers that need to be addressed. In addition, the ten most important strategies to be implemented in overcoming the identified barriers prior to 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: Previous research on LSS examined barriers and strategies for SMEs in general, but this study is the first of its kind, focusing especially on the construction SME context and involving the unique fuzzy TOPSIS approach.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Construction Innovation: Information, Process, Management |
| Publication status | Accepted/In press - 7 May 2023 |
