Comparing the quality management practices in UK SMEs
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/02635570810914865 |
| Published date | 31 October 2008 |
| Pages | 1153-1166 |
| Date | 31 October 2008 |
| Author | Maneesh Kumar,Jiju Antony |
| Subject Matter | Economics,Information & knowledge management,Management science & operations |
Comparing the quality
management practices
in UK SMEs
Maneesh Kumar
Strathclyde Institute for Operations Management,
University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK, and
Jiju Antony
Centre for Research in Six Sigma and Process Excellence (CRISSPE),
Strathclyde Institute for Operations Management,
University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
Abstract
Purpose – The last two decades have witnessed an explosion of research into the area of quality
initiatives (QI) such as ISO, total quality management, lean, Kaizen and its application within small
and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). However, very few empirical studies have reported the
application of Six Sigma in SMEs; the reasons may be attributed to several myths associated with Six
Sigma. The purpose of this paper is to assess the current status of QI in the UK manufacturing SMEs
and report the differences in the quality management practices of Six Sigma SMEs against the ISO
certified firms.
Design/methodology/approach – A survey-based approach was adopted to understand the
established quality management practices in the UK SMEs. A short survey instrument was designed
by reviewing the literature on quality improvement initiatives in SMEs. A sample of 500
manufacturing SMEs across UK was selected through stratified random sampling technique.
Findings – A response rate of 12.7 per cent was achieved and included respondents at senior
management and middle management level across the manufacturing industry in the UK. Data analysis
on the history of quality initiatives (QI) in SMEs indicated towards the trend that ISO may be the
foundation or building block before embarking on lean or Six Sigma. Differences in quality management
practices such as customer focused measures and method of knowledge transfer to employees, were
observed in Six Sigma and ISO certified SMEs. The main reasons cited for not implementing Six Sigma
in SMEs were lack of knowledge or understanding of the system and limited resources. A significant
difference in the performance of Six Sigma/lean firms against ISO certified companies were observed
with respect to the strategic and operational measures of organizational performance.
Research limitations/implications – The limited response rate from the survey in the UK
manufacturing SMEs will affect the generalizability of study to entire SME population. To negate the
limitations of this study, a multiple multi-level case studies will be conducted in SMEs in the next
phase of doctoral research. Future study should focus on performing a global survey on quality
management practices in SMEs.
Originality/value – The novelty of the paper lies in conducting a comparative study on the quality
management practices in Six Sigma and non-Six Sigma UK SMEs and measuring its impact on the
performance of the firm. This study will facilitate in demystifying the myth that Six Sigma is only
applicable in large organizations.
Keywords Small to medium-sizedenterprises, Six Sigma, Internationalstandards, Surveys,
Critical successfactors, Performance management
Paper type Research paper
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/0263-5577.htm
Quality
management
practices
1153
Received 5 May 2008
Revised 23 June 2008
Accepted 17 July 2008
Industrial Management & Data
Systems
Vol. 108 No. 9, 2008
pp. 1153-1166
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
0263-5577
DOI 10.1108/02635570810914865
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