ABSTRACT
The study investigated the application of six sigma strategy in selected
manufacturing and service firms in Nigeria. As the global economy continues to
face significant challenges, there is an increasing pressure on organizations to
cut cost and reduce operational defects, while maintaining a high level of
customer satisfaction. The six sigma strategy, now a popular deployment tool in
many organizations world wide was developed as a concept by Motorola in
1980’s. The study examined the challenges of the application of six sigma
strategy in Nigeria.
The survey method was adopted. Three hundred and eighty
randomly selected staff of the organizations from a population of four thousand
and sixty one participated in the study. The instrument for data collection was
built on a likert-scale system. It was a 24 items questionnaire which has a
reliability coefficient (r) value tested with Cronbach’s alpha statistics. Based on
the findings of the study, it is discovered that six sigma adds significant value to
the organization that adopt the strategy. The study also revealed that the
successful application of six sigma largely depends on the infrastructural level of
the organizations. Consequently, the impacts of the process on quality of product
and services have been felt. The study recommends that Government should
create a conducive business environment in relations to infrastructure
development and guided monetary and fiscal policy. This will enable managers
in the sectors to prepare and faced the global challenges facing them. The study
concludes that the application of six sigma is highly beneficial to organizations
that adopt it.
