| Lean Six Sigma (LSS) is a business improvement methodology that aims to maximize shareholders' value by improving speed, quality, customer satisfaction, and costs, achieving this by merging tools and principles from both Lean and Six Sigma. The reason behind the success of LSS is the ability to improve processes and match with recommendations of ISO 9001 certifications through tools such as PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Act), along with the 8D MRP. The researcher seeks to address the problem on the unwillingness and reluctance of Information Technology (IT) leaders to incorporate LSS methodologies into their day-to-day operations. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of IT leaders regarding their unwillingness to integrate LSS methodologies in their day-to-day operations. This study is expected to contribute to the field of LSS using qualitative insights from IT leaders, which were not used on existing research about LSS. For the purpose of this multiple-case study, leaders of IT companies in the United States, specifically in the Northeast region that have not implemented LSS on their day-to-day operations, were interviewed in their respective offices. The researcher also found that the existing literature on the subject indicated that there is indeed hesitation from organizations in implementing the LSS methodologies due to various reasons. Through the analysis of the interviews the participants, it was found that: The main perception on why companies are hesitant to employ the LSS was the possible (a) Ineffective implementation of LSS. The foreseeable challenges and issues that can arise if the organization decides to implement LSS were the (b) Limited budget and time for the company; and (c) Training of LSS may take the employees' actual time for work and compromise their productivity. Lastly, the perceived benefit if LSS upon the implementation in the organization is the (d) Streamlined processes thus an increased productivity. |
