Beyond Tools: The BPM Cultural Bridge to Lean Six Sigma Success in Services

Abstract

This conceptual paper develops an integrative framework that positions Business Process Management (BPM) culture as the critical mediating mechanism linking Lean Six Sigma (LSS) initiatives to sustained process performance in the service industry. Grounded in a synthesis of Lean Theory and Organizational Culture Theory, it challenges the prevailing tool-centric approach by underscoring that technical excellence in LSS requires strong cultural alignment for lasting success. The study argues that a mature BPM culture—characterized by customer orientation, excellence, responsibility, and teamwork—is essential for embedding LSS principles and ensuring that process improvements endure beyond project implementation.
Purpose: This paper aims to conceptualize how BPM culture mediates the relationship between LSS initiatives and process performance in services. It addresses the persistent gap in the literature that focuses narrowly on direct tool–performance relationships by emphasizing the socio-technical nature of sustainable improvement. Design/methodology/approach: The study adopts a conceptual, theory-building approach. Drawing on a systematic synthesis of Lean and Organizational Culture theories, it conceptualizes BPM culture as a higher-order, multidimensional construct and proposes a framework delineating its mediating role between three core LSS practices—Muda elimination, Continuous Improvement, and Six Sigma—and the dual dimensions of process performance: process efficiency and process effectiveness. Research limitations/implications: As a conceptual study, the framework requires empirical validation. Future research should test the proposed relationships using quantitative methods such as structural equation modelling, particularly Partial Least Squares (PLS-SEM), across diverse service sectors. Longitudinal studies would be valuable to examine the evolution of these relationships over time. Practical implications: The framework provides service managers with a structured rationale to transition from purely technical deployments of LSS to a socio-technical implementation strategy. It offers actionable guidance for assessing cultural readiness, fostering leadership commitment, aligning incentives, and embedding process-oriented values that maximize the long-term return on LSS investments. Originality/value: This study makes a novel theoretical contribution by integrating Lean Theory and Organizational Culture Theory through the mediating construct of BPM culture. It reframes LSS success in services as a socio-technical achievement—dependent not only on rigorous methodologies but also on the cultural context that sustains them—thereby addressing a significant gap in prior literature and providing a foundation for future empirical research.