Abstract
Previous studies have acknowledged the role of Six Sigma in productivity improvement, but the implication of absorptive capacity (ACAP) has yet to be fully addressed. Accordingly, this paper investigates the mediating effect of ACAP on the link between Six Sigma's critical success factors and productivity improvement. The hypothesised relationships were tested with data collected from quality managers in 167 manufacturing companies in Saudi Arabia. The result of PLS-SEM indicates that ACAP significantly mediates the influences of training and education, top management commitment and involvement, project selection and prioritisation and organisation resources on productivity improvement. However, the mediating effect of ACAP was not supported for the path between linking Six Sigma to business strategy and productivity improvement. Moreover, ACAP was significantly related to productivity improvement. The implications of our findings on the firm's productivity improvement and operation management literature were discussed, and the relevant suggestions were offered for future research.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: International Journal of Productivity and Quality Management
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
