Six-Sigma Leadership- “A Research on six sigma black belts in Conjunction with Transformational and Transactional Leadership”

by

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would take this opportunity to thank my research supervisor, family and friends for their support and guidance without which this research would not have been possible.

DECLARATION

I [type your full first names and surname here], declare that the contents of this dissertation/thesis represent my own unaided work, and that the dissertation/thesis has not previously been submitted for academic examination towards any qualification. Furthermore, it represents my own opinions and not necessarily those of the University.

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ABSTRACT

In this study we try to explore the concept of “Six-Sigma and Leadership” in a holistic context. The main focus of the research is on “Six-Sigma” and its conjunction with “Transactional and Transformational Leadership”. The research also analyzes many aspects of “Six-Sigma” and tries to gauge its effect on “Leadership”. The aim of the research is to determine the overall impact of Six-Sigma on the performance of the company and the significance of Six-Sigma Leadership on companies.

Table of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTII

DECLARATIONIII

ABSTRACTIV

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1

Background of the Study1

Business Environment2

Rationale2

Problem Statement3

Purpose of the Study3

Aims and Objectives4

Theoretical Framework4

BPO and manufacturing5

Research Questions8

Ethical Concerns8

Limitations8

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW9

Overview9

Introduction to Six-Sigma9

Perceptions of Authors about Six-Sigma10

Six-sigma for Quality Management11

The Premise of Six-Sigma12

The Six Sigma Players13

Champions13

Master Black Belts13

Black Belts13

Green Belts13

Six-Sigma and Its Importance14

Impact of Six- Sigma on Business Processes14

Six-Sigma in the manufacturing sector15

Beneficial Effects to Companies16

Sustainability16

Sustainability Achieved Through Six Sigma17

Six-Sigma Techniques in Changing the Future of Global Corporate Sector19

Six-Sigma Black Belt20

Leadership Development20

Six-Sigma and Leadership for Quality Improvement22

Six-Sigma Black Belts and Leadership22

Transactional-Transformational Leadership Theory Evolution23

Laissez-Faire Leadership25

Research on Transactional and Transformational Styles26

Roshin Kanri and Six-Sigma Approach to Productivity and Quality Management29

Six-Sigma Black Belts in Conjunction with Transactional Leadership30

Six-Sigma Black Belts in Conjunction with Transformational Leadership31

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY32

Method of Research32

Mixed Research32

Classification of research methods33

Multi-method studies33

Mixed-method studies33

Steps in mixed methodology33

Strength and weakness of the mixed research:34

Strengths34

Weaknesses35

Research Design35

Research Instrument36

No. of respondents36

Search Technique36

Literature Search37

Instrument for data collection38

Inclusion and exclusion criteria38

Reliability of sources38

Search terms - key terms39

Additional Online searches40

Search rationale40

Critical Appraisal tool40

Appraisal limitations40

Reliability/Dependability41

Validity42

Ethical Considerations44

CHAPTER 4: DISCUSSION45

Six-sigma in WIPRO45

Six-Sigma in Dabbawala Mumbai45

Six-Sigma in Ford46

Six-Sigma in Toyota46

How Six-Sigma Process Should Work?47

Transactional and Transformational Leadership48

Role of Transactional Leadership49

Role of Transformational Leadership49

Six-Sigma on Transactional and Transformational Leadership50

CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA51

Descriptive Statistics51

Frequency Tables54

CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS66

Suggestions for future Research67

REFERENCES69

APPENDIX77

Interview Questionnaire77

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Six-Sigma is a technique, which was invented, by Motorola in 1986 (Tennant 2001) and today it is widely used in almost by every industry. Six-Sigma was developed with the key objective of improving manufacturing processes and eradicating deficiencies (Antony 2008). Slowly and gradually it started gaining popularity and was introduced in other forms of business. Bill Smith developed this technique at Motorola in 1986 for ensuring zero defects production and operation. (Tennant, 2001). Six-Sigma focuses towards improvising the quality by reducing the possibility of errors and variability.

It helps in the application of quality management techniques, which result in creating experts in the company like Green Belts, Black Belts etc. Six-Sigma is a trademark of Motorola (Motorola University 2006) & since 1998, and ...