The document discusses the integration of Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma (Lean Six Sigma) and its application in Greek companies. It first reviews the development of Lean and Six Sigma approaches individually. It then examines the combination of Lean and Six Sigma into Lean Six Sigma, highlighting barriers and critical success factors. The research found low awareness of Lean Six Sigma in Greek enterprises and academia. While training is offered, simply training professionals may not ensure effective application in organizations. The document recommends a conceptual framework incorporating characteristics of learning organizations and knowledge management, combined with a strategic quality plan for Greece, to effectively apply Lean Six Sigma.

1. The integration of Lean Manufacturing (Lean) and Six
Sigma, namely the Lean Six Sigma, and it’s application, as
a propelling factor, towards the development of the current
operations of Greek companies.
By
Kleanthis Katsikas, MSc
Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment for the Degree of Master
of Science in Quality Assurance.
HELLENIC OPEN UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Submitted September 2015
[74930]

2. Abstract
The current financial crisis has caused the emergence of productivity problems, and
made manifest the inadequacy of Greek enterprises to keep up with the competitive
international environment. In this research an attempt is made, from the perspective
of Quality and more specifically from the latest addition to continuous improvement
methodologies, regarding the application of Lean Six Sigma, in the case of Greek
enterprises.
The research relied on the literature-based approach to understanding, over time, the
development and the applications of Lean and Six Sigma. It presented the continuous
development of Lean and its configuration from lean production to lean thinking, as
it is currently a well-known and established practice in numerous organizations and
also the tools and their application in different sectors. Subsequently, it defined the
methodology of Six Sigma and its development from the traditional area of
manufacturing to other sectors. Finally, the research focused on the integration of
Lean and Six Sigma, namely Lean Six Sigma. It highlighted the barriers and the
critical success factors for the integration of Lean Six Sigma from the international
bibliography.
At that point, the results of the research showed that there is a low awareness of Lean
Six Sigma in Greek enterprises as well as in Academia. Also, the overall low
awareness regarding Lean, Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma in Greek enterprises is
quite obvious. In addition, the current activities for the spreading of the of Lean Six
Sigma methodology, based on the high number of Lean Six Sigma training
programmes offered by consulting firms and the substantial number of professionals
in Greek organization with Lean Six Sigma skills, do not seem to provide a solid
answer for the effectiveness of the application of Lean Six Sigma in Greek
enterprises and organizations, when these applications and their limitations are
considered in the current research. However, research on the use of ISO standards
and TQM in Greek enterprises during the previous decades, could be used as a
navigator for the understanding of Greek culture and the avoidance of recurring
mistakes. The use of a conceptual framework for the application of Lean Six Sigma,
as provided, enriched with characteristics from learning organization and knowledge
management, in combination with a strategic plan for the Quality in Greece, could

3. be a catalytic factor for the effective application of Lean Six Sigma. Finally, some
research recommendations are provided for future work and deeper analysis of the
current subject.
Keywords: Quality, Lean, Six Sigma, Lean Six Sigma, Continuous Improvement,
Crisis, Greek enterprises.