An empirical study on the leadership traits that enable successful six sigma implementation

Purpose Some Six Sigma (SS) efforts have not been entirely successful. This research paper aims to investigate the leadership style and the elements of it that positively influence the attainment of Six Sigma programs within the automobile industry. Design/methodology/approach The study used a Likert-scale questionnaire and a simple random sampling method. 2,325 potential participants were approached, resulting in 573 responses, primarily from Germany, the United Kingdom and Sweden. 260 completed questionnaires were included in the analysis, utilizing an exploratory and mixed-methods research design to examine the impact of leadership style on Six Sigma success. Statistical methods such as SEM, EFA and CFA were used for data analysis. Findings The study utilized numerous SEM methods, including Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and identified three key elements of leadership traits: (1) leadership support for long-term improvement strategies; (2) leadership commit to the supplier's organization to maintain quality and supply defect-free products. Research limitations/implications Due to limited participants, the outcome of the research could lead to inadequacies in data interpretation regarding the contextual predispostions, and the research could develop weaknesses in the form of cross-sectional instead of longitudinal data and design. Practical implications The practical implications of this study suggest that institutions, practitioners and researchers can incorporate these two identified factors into leadership traits to promote the sustainable implementation of Six Sigma (SS) initiatives. Originality/value This study makes an original contribution to the assessment of leadership style and its elements in the European automobile industry, utilizing a mixed-methods research design along with descriptive statistics to provide valuable insights.