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Mapping Lean Six Sigma Research: Advancing Sustainability Through Bibliometrics

Author: Jacques Seco Osmeña
Publisher: Zenodo
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17312903
Source: https://zenodo.org/records/17312903/files/gph_ijcse_Vol8_Issue2_2025_2114_Lean_Six_Sigma_Sustainability_Bibliometrics.pdf
Copy igh © The Au ho (s). All Righ s Rese ed. © 2025 GLOBAL PUBLICATION HOUSE | GPH - In e na ional Jou nal
o Compu e Science and Enginee ing (GPH-IJCSE) | Open Access unde CC BY 4.0 License
Mapping Lean Six Sigma Resea ch: Ad ancing
Sus ainabili y h ough Bibliome ics
By:
Jacques S. Osmeña
ORCID: 0009-0009-3431-8539
A ilia ion:
Indus ial Enginee ing Depa men , College o Technology and Enginee ing, Palompon Ins i u e o Technology,
Palompon, Ley e, Philippines.
Abs ac
Pu pose: This pape examines he global e olu ion o Lean Six Sigma esea ch and i s ole in
ad ancing sus ainable p ac ices. Maps he in ellec ual s uc u e, hema ic ends, and collabo a i e
ne wo ks, highligh ing i s alignmen wi h he Uni ed Na ions Sus ainable De elopmen Goals.
Design/me hodology/app oach: A bibliome ic analysis is conduc ed using Scopus da abase,
co e ing 2,148 pee - e iewed publica ions up o 2025. Pe o mance indica o s and science mapping
echniques, including co-au ho ship, co-occu ence, and o e lay isualiza ions, a e applied h ough
Bibliome ix and VOS iewe o iden i y in luen ial schola s, ins i u ions, coun ies, and hema ic
clus e s.
Findings: Uni ed S a es, India, and Uni ed Kingdom eme ge as leading con ibu o s, wi h Jiju An ony
as he mos p oli ic schola . Thema ic clus e s a e iden i ied: one emphasizing indus ial e iciency,
sus ainabili y, and digi al ans o ma ion, and ano he ocused on o ganiza ional managemen , se ice
quali y, and heal hca e. T ends indica e a shi om adi ional p ocess s anda diza ion owa d
in eg a ion wi h Indus y 4.0, big da a analy ics, and sus ainabili y-d i en p ac ices.
P ac ical implica ions: LSS ac s as a s a egic enable o ope a ional excellence and sus ainable
de elopmen , guiding p ac i ione s in manu ac u ing, heal hca e, and se ices.
Social implica ions: LSS suppo s SDG 9, SDG 12, and SDG 3 by enhancing e iciency, esilience,
and quali y o li e.
O iginali y/ alue: This is he i s comp ehensi e bibliome ic mapping o LSS and sus ainabili y,
o e ing a ounda ion o global c oss-sec o al applica ions.
Keywo ds:
Lean Six Sigma, bibliome ic analysis, sus ainabili y, Indus y 4.0, heal hca e quali y, global
collabo a ion, hema ic e olu ion.
How o ci e: Osmeña, J. (2025). Mapping Lean Six Sigma Resea ch: Ad ancing Sus ainabili y
h ough Bibliome ics. GPH-In e na ional Jou nal o Compu e Science and Enginee ing, 8(2), 01-
18. h ps://doi.o g/10.5281/zenodo.17312903
e-ISSN 3050-9661
ARTICLE ID: #02114
10.5281/ZENODO.17312903
VOL. 08 ISSUE 02 JULY-DEC. 2025
Page 01 o 18
Osmeña, J. (2025). Mapping Lean Six Sigma Resea ch: Ad ancing Sus ainabili y Th ough Bibliome ics. GPH-In e na ional Jou nal o
Compu e Science and Enginee ing, 8(2), 01-18. h ps://doi.o g/10.5281/zenodo.17312903
(GPH-IJCSE) | Vol. 8, Issue 02, (July-Dec. 2025) | © Global Publica ion House | Open Access | www.gphjou nal.o g
Plain Language Summa y
Lean Six Sigma (LSS) is a widely used app oach ha helps o ganiza ions imp o e e iciency,
educe was e, and enhance quali y. O iginally designed o manu ac u ing, i is now applied
in many ields, including heal hca e, educa ion, logis ics, and go e nmen se ices. Despi e
i s popula i y, he e has been limi ed unde s anding o how esea ch on LSS has de eloped
wo ldwide o e ime.
This s udy analyzed mo e han 2,000 esea ch a icles om he Scopus da abase o map he
g ow h and di ec ion o LSS esea ch. By using bibliome ic me hods, he s udy iden i ied he
coun ies, ins i u ions, and au ho s ha con ibu ed mos o he ield, as well as he majo
hemes and eme ging opics. The indings showed ha he Uni ed S a es, India, and he
Uni ed Kingdom we e he main leade s in esea ch ou pu , suppo ed by s ong in e na ional
collabo a ion. T adi ional opics like quali y managemen and p ocess con ol emained
impo an , while new hemes such as sus ainabili y, heal hca e imp o emen , and digi al
ans o ma ion became inc easingly p ominen .
These esul s p o ide aluable insigh s o bo h esea che s and p ac i ione s. They highligh
how LSS con inues o e ol e as a global amewo k ha suppo s ope a ional excellence,
sus ainabili y, and inno a ion ac oss indus ies and socie ies.
(3335 wo ds)
In oduc ion
Lean Six Sigma (LSS) became a co ne s one me hodology o enhancing quali y, ope a ional
e iciency, and o ganiza ional excellence ac oss di e se indus ies. O iginally oo ed in
manu ac u ing, LSS in eg a ed Lean p inciples, which emphasized was e elimina ion, wi h
Six Sigma, which ocused on de ec educ ion, o deli e measu able pe o mance
imp o emen s. O e he pas wo decades, i s applica ion expanded in o heal hca e,
educa ion, logis ics, public se ices, and go e nmen , unde sco ing i s adap abili y and he
g owing global demand o s uc u ed, da a-d i en s a egies ha ad anced bo h ope a ional
excellence and sus ainabili y (Sony and Naik, 2020).
The academic de elopmen o LSS mi o ed i s indus ial expansion. Resea ch ou pu
inc eased subs an ially, pa icula ly in he Uni ed S a es, India, and he Uni ed Kingdom,
whe e schola s such as Jiju An ony shaped discou se on c i ical success ac o s,
o ganiza ional eadiness, and c oss-sec o al applica ions (An ony e al., 2020). Ins i u ions
such as He io -Wa Uni e si y and he Mayo Clinic eme ged as leading hubs o bo h
heo e ical ad ancemen and applied esea ch, especially in heal hca e quali y imp o emen .
Thema ic s udies demons a ed con inui y in co e opics— o al quali y managemen , lean
p oduc ion, and Six Sigma while highligh ing a shi owa d agile p ac ices, Indus y 4.0
in eg a ion, and human-cen e ed imp o emen (To o ella e al., 2021). Keywo d analyses
u he emphasized sus ainabili y and se ice con ex s, whe e human ac o s we e
inc easingly cen al (Don hu e al., 2021). Despi e hese ad ances, comp ehensi e global
bibliome ic pe spec i es ha in eg a ed p oduc i i y, hema ic e olu ion, and collabo a ion
02
Mapping Lean Six Sigma Resea ch: Ad ancing Sus ainabili y Th ough Bibliome ics
GPH-In e na ional Jou nal o Compu e Science and Enginee ing (GPH-IJCSE) | © 2025 Global Publica ion House | Open Access |
emained limi ed. This s udy add essed ha gap by mapping he in ellec ual s uc u e o LSS,
iden i ying leading con ibu o s and hema ic de elopmen s, and examining i s alignmen
wi h sus ainable p ac ices. P io e iews o sus ainable LSS amewo ks unde sco ed he
agmen ed s a e o cu en knowledge (Fo migoni Ca alho Wal e e al., 2021). Mo e
ecen ly, his ansi ion was desc ibed as Lean Six Sigma 4.0, e lec ing i s adap a ion o
digi al ans o ma ion challenges (Ci ybabu and Yamini, 2023).
Me hods
This s udy adop ed a bibliome ic analysis o sys ema ically examine he global e olu ion o
Lean Six Sigma (LSS) esea ch and i s in e sec ions wi h sus ainable quali y p ac ices.
Bibliome ic analysis was a well-es ablished quan i a i e me hod ha enabled esea che s o
map he in ellec ual, hema ic, and collabo a i e s uc u es o a ield h ough he s a is ical
e alua ion o publica ion and ci a ion da a (Don hu e al., 2021). By combining pe o mance
analysis and science mapping echniques, he app oach no only iden i ied p oli ic au ho s,
ins i u ions, and coun ies bu also e ealed hema ic clus e s, keywo d ends, and he
empo al p og ession o esea ch opics.
The da ase was ex ac ed om he Scopus da abase on Augus 8, 2025, yielding 2,148
esul s. Scopus was selec ed o i s comp ehensi e indexing o pee - e iewed li e a u e in
managemen , enginee ing, and applied sciences. The sea ch s a egy a ge ed publica ions
ela ed o Lean Six Sigma and associa ed quali y imp o emen me hodologies, wi hou
es ic ions on sec o o geog aphic loca ion, he eby ensu ing a b oad ep esen a ion o
schola ly con ibu ions.
This bibliome ic design allowed o bo h desc ip i e and ela ional insigh s, aligning wi h
he s udy’s aim o p o ide a global, longi udinal, and hema ic o e iew o LSS esea ch. By
si ua ing he indings wi hin b oade indus ial and socie al con ex s, he analysis no only
quan i ied esea ch ac i i y bu also unco e ed e ol ing p io i ies and collabo a i e pa e ns
ha shaped he ield’s ajec o y.
Da a analysis was conduc ed using a combina ion o R’s Bibliome ix package and
VOS iewe so wa e. Bibliome ix gene a ed s a is ical summa ies such as annual scien i ic
p oduc ion, au ho p oduc i i y, and ci a ion impac , while VOS iewe acili a ed ne wo k
isualiza ions, including co-au ho ship maps, keywo d co-occu ence ne wo ks, hema ic
e olu ion o e lays, and s a egic diag ams. These isual ools enabled he in e p e a ion o
complex ela ionships among esea ch ac o s, hemes, and ime pe iods in an accessible
manne .
03
Osmeña, J. (2025). Mapping Lean Six Sigma Resea ch: Ad ancing Sus ainabili y Th ough Bibliome ics. GPH-In e na ional Jou nal o
Compu e Science and Enginee ing, 8(2), 01-18. h ps://doi.o g/10.5281/zenodo.17312903
(GPH-IJCSE) | Vol. 8, Issue 02, (July-Dec. 2025) | © Global Publica ion House | Open Access | www.gphjou nal.o g
Figu e 1. Me hodological amewo k o he s udy
The s udy employed a igo ous ou -phase analy ical p ocess o map he quali y imp o emen
esea ch landscape (Figu e 1). Fi s , comp ehensi e da a we e e ie ed om Scopus, and
bibliog aphic eco ds we e sys ema ically collec ed o ensu e a ep esen a i e da ase .
Second, he da ase unde wen me iculous p e-p ocessing, whe e me ada a we e no malized
and s anda dized o gua an ee analy ical consis ency. Thi d, pe o mance analysis was
conduc ed o iden i y ield leade s, spo ligh ing he mos in luen ial au ho s, ins i u ions,
coun ies, and publica ions shaping quali y imp o emen discou se. Finally, ad anced science
mapping echniques we e applied o isualize he ield’s in ellec ual s uc u e, e ealing
e ol ing collabo a ion ne wo ks, hema ic clus e s, and empo al ends. Collec i ely, hese
s ages old he s o y o he de elopmen o quali y esea ch. This mul i-s age app oach
enabled he s udy o mo e beyond simple bibliome ic coun s and o gene a e meaning ul
insigh s in o he ield’s pas , p esen , and u u e di ec ions.
Resul s
The global dis ibu ion o Lean Six Sigma (LSS) esea ch (Figu e 2) demons a ed a
landscape ha was geog aphically di e se ye quan i a i ely imbalanced. The Uni ed S a es
(1,515 documen s) and India (1,115 documen s) domina ed schola ly ou pu , e lec ing hei
s ong academic in as uc u es, indus ial demand o p ocess imp o emen , and long-
s anding engagemen wi h quali y managemen amewo ks. The Uni ed Kingdom (535),
B azil (295), I aly (284), and I eland (249) ollowed as signi ican con ibu o s wi hin hei
egional con ex s. Addi ional no able con ibu ions came om China, he Ne he lands,
Malaysia, and he Uni ed A ab Emi a es, unde sco ing he me hodology’s expanding
ele ance ac oss con inen s.
This dis ibu ion mi o ed b oade economic and de elopmen al pa e ns. Ma u e economies
le e aged LSS o ad ance high- alue manu ac u ing, se ice-sec o inno a ion, and
heal hca e p ocess op imiza ion, while eme ging and de eloping na ions inc easingly adop ed
LSS as a s a egic ool o enhancing ope a ional e iciency, global compe i i eness, and
04
Mapping Lean Six Sigma Resea ch: Ad ancing Sus ainabili y Th ough Bibliome ics
GPH-In e na ional Jou nal o Compu e Science and Enginee ing (GPH-IJCSE) | © 2025 Global Publica ion House | Open Access |
sus ainable g ow h. These pa e ns highligh ed bo h he global appeal o LSS and he unequal
capaci y o esea ch p oduc ion, shaped by di e ences in unding, indus ial adop ion a es,
and policy p io i ies.
Figu e 2. Geog aphical dis ibu ion o esponden s ac oss he globe
The bibliome ic pe o mance analysis (Table 1) iden i ied Jiju An ony (Uni e si y o
No humb ia, UK) as he mos p oli ic and in luen ial schola in LSS esea ch, wi h 147
publica ions ep esen ing 35% o he o al ou pu o he op au ho s ga ne ing mo e han
6,800 ci a ions and an h-index o 49. He was closely ollowed by Rajee Ra hi (India) and
Jose A u o Ga za-Reyes (UK), each wi h o e 40 publica ions and high ci a ion a e ages,
pa icula ly in ex ending LSS in o a eas such as supply chain sus ainabili y and se ice-sec o
quali y. O he p ominen con ibu o s, including Oli ia McDe mo (I eland), Michael Sony
(UK), and Ronald Does (Ne he lands), ad anced LSS applica ions in heal hca e quali y,
cul u al eadiness, and s a is ical igo . Schola s such as Mahende Singh Kaswan, Vikas
Swa anka , Sh ee anga Bha , Elizabe h Cudney, and Mahipal P. Singh en iched he
in ellec ual di e si y o he ield by con ibu ing aluable egional pe spec i es om Asia,
Eu ope, and No h Ame ica. Addi ionally, Vijaya M. Sunde (India) s ood ou o his high
ci a ion-pe -publica ion a io (55.05), e lec ing signi ican in luence despi e a ela i ely
smalle numbe o publica ions.
05

Osmeña, J. (2025). Mapping Lean Six Sigma Resea ch: Ad ancing Sus ainabili y Th ough Bibliome ics. GPH-In e na ional Jou nal o
Compu e Science and Enginee ing, 8(2), 01-18. h ps://doi.o g/10.5281/zenodo.17312903
(GPH-IJCSE) | Vol. 8, Issue 02, (July-Dec. 2025) | © Global Publica ion House | Open Access | www.gphjou nal.o g
Table I. The lis o op 10 au ho s o lean six sigma esea ch
AUTHOR’S
NAME
AFFILIATION
TP (%)
TC
ACP
H-INDEX
RANK
An ony, Jiju
Uni e si y o No humb ia
(Uni ed Kingdom)
147
(34%)
6,881
46.8
49
1s
Ra hi, Rajee
Na ional Ins i u e o Technology
(India)
41
(9%)
1,714
41.8
22
2nd
Ga za- Reyes,
Jose A u o
Uni e si y o De by (Uni ed
Kingdom)
40
(9%)
1,743
43.6
20
3 d
McDe mo ,
Oli ia
Uni e si y o Galway (I eland)
35
(8%)
578
16.5
12
4 h
Sony, Micheal
Ox o d B ookes Business
School (Uni ed Kingdom)
30
(7%)
592
19.7
13
5 h
Does, Ronald
J.M.M.
Uni e si ei an Ams e dam
(Ne he lands)
27
(6%)
1,112
41.9
15
6 h
Kaswan,
Mahende
Singh
Lo ely P o essional Uni e si y
(India)
22
(5%)
902
41
14
7 h
Swa naka ,
Vikas
Khali a Uni e si y o Science
and Technology (Uni ed A ab
Emi a es)
21
(5%)
512
24.4
12
8 h
Bha ,
Sh ee anga
S Joseph Enginee ing College
(India)
20
(5%)
607
30.6
11
9 h
Cudney,
Elizabe h A.
Missou i Uni e si y o Science
and Technology (Uni ed S a es)
20
(5%)
590
29.5
13
9 h
Singh, Mahipal
P.
Lo ely P o essional Uni e si y
(India)
20
(5%)
749
37.5
12
9 h
Sunde M,
Vijaya M..
Indian School o Business
(India)
19
(4%)
1046
55.1
15
10 h
*Abb e ia ions: ACP, a e age ci a ions pe pape : TC, o al ci a ions; TP, o al publica ion,
Rank was based on TP.
06
Mapping Lean Six Sigma Resea ch: Ad ancing Sus ainabili y Th ough Bibliome ics
GPH-In e na ional Jou nal o Compu e Science and Enginee ing (GPH-IJCSE) | © 2025 Global Publica ion House | Open Access |
The ins i u ional pe o mance analysis (Table 2) e ealed ha he Uni e si y o No humb ia
led global LSS esea ch ou pu , con ibu ing 147 publica ions 35% o he o al om he op
ins i u ions suppo ed by mo e han 6,800 ci a ions and an h-index o 49. The Ins i u e o
Technology in India and he Uni e si y o De by in he Uni ed Kingdom ollowed wi h 41
and 40 publica ions, espec i ely, bo h main aining s ong ci a ion a e ages. O he no able
con ibu o s included he Uni e si y o Galway (I eland) and Ox o d B ookes Business
School (UK), each ad ancing LSS applica ions ac oss di e se sec o s. Addi ional ins i u ions
such as he Uni e si ei an Ams e dam (Ne he lands), Lo ely P o essional Uni e si y
(India), Khali a Uni e si y o Science and Technology (UAE), S . Joseph Enginee ing
College (India), and he Uni e si y o Science and Technology (USA) u he demons a ed
he geog aphically dis ibu ed na u e o LSS esea ch. India’s Na ional Ins i u es o
Technology a Ku ukshe a and Ti uchi appalli, while p oducing ewe publica ions
compa ed o leading ins i u ions, con ibu ed aluable egional insigh s and domain-speci ic
expe ise o he ield.
Table II. The op 10 ins i u ions o lean six sigma esea ch
AFFILIATION/INSTITUTION
COIUNTRY
TP (%)
TC
ACP
H-INDEX
RANK
He io -Wa Uni e si y
Uni ed Kingdom
71
(16%)
3,398
47.9
36
1s
Khali a Uni e si y o Science and
Technology
Uni ed A ab
Emi a es
49
(11%)
1,004
20.5
21
2nd
Uni e si y o Galway
I eland
44
(10%)
774
17.6
16
3 d
Lo ely P o essional Uni e si y
India
43
(9%)
1,728
40.2
22
4 h
Uni e si y o De by
Uni ed Kingdom
41
(9%)
1,793
43.7
21
5 h
Uni e si ei an Ams e dam
Ne he lands
37
(8%)
892
24.1
17
6 h
Uni e si y o No humb ia
Uni ed Kingdom
34
(8%)
482
14.2
11
7 h
Uni e si á degli S udi di Napoli
Fede ico II
I aly
24
(5%)
885
36.9
14
8 h
07
Osmeña, J. (2025). Mapping Lean Six Sigma Resea ch: Ad ancing Sus ainabili y Th ough Bibliome ics. GPH-In e na ional Jou nal o
Compu e Science and Enginee ing, 8(2), 01-18. h ps://doi.o g/10.5281/zenodo.17312903
(GPH-IJCSE) | Vol. 8, Issue 02, (July-Dec. 2025) | © Global Publica ion House | Open Access | www.gphjou nal.o g
Uni e si y o S a hclyde
Uni ed Kingdom
24
(5%)
2,187
91.1
22
8 h
Uni e sidade Fede al de São
Ca los
B azil
23
(5%)
584
25.4
11
9 h
Na ional Ins i u e o Technology
Ku ukshe a
India
21
(5%)
72
3.4
5
10 h
Uni e si y College Dublin
I eland
21
(5%)
350
16.7
13
10 h
Na ional Ins i u e o Technology
Ti uchi appalli
India
21
(5%)
79
3.8
6
10 h
AFFILIATION/INSTITUTION
COIUNTRY
TP (%)
TC
ACP
H-INDEX
RANK
*Abb e ia ions: ACP, a e age ci a ions pe pape : TC, o al ci a ions; TP, o al publica ion,
Rank was based on TP.
The h ee- ield plo (Figu e 3) illus a ed he in e connec edness o he LSS esea ch
landscape by linking he mos ci ed e e ences (CR) on he le , he key con ibu ing au ho s
(AU) in he cen e , and he main hemes o keywo ds (KW_Me ged) on he igh .
Founda ional wo ks such as Banawi and Abdulaziz’s amewo k o imp o ing cons uc ion
p ocesses and s udy on c i ical ailu e ac o s s ood ou as co ne s ones ha con inued o
in luence he ield. A he cen e o he ne wo k we e p oli ic schola s including Jiju An ony,
Rajee Ra hi, Oli ia McDe mo , Jose A u o Ga za-Reyes, and Michael Sony, whose
esea ch shaped bo h he me hodological ounda ions and p ac ical applica ions o LSS. On
he igh , ecu ing keywo ds such as lean six sigma, six sigma, lean p oduc ion, and p ocess
imp o emen e lec ed he ield’s co e p io i ies, while e ms such as human, quali y
imp o emen , and e iciency poin ed o e ol ing a eas o in e es .
08
Mapping Lean Six Sigma Resea ch: Ad ancing Sus ainabili y Th ough Bibliome ics
GPH-In e na ional Jou nal o Compu e Science and Enginee ing (GPH-IJCSE) | © 2025 Global Publica ion House | Open Access |
Figu e 3. Rela ionships be ween ci ed e e ences, au ho s, and esea ch keywo ds
The end opics analysis (Figu e 4) cap u ed he hema ic e olu ion o Lean Six Sigma (LSS)
esea ch o e he pas wo decades and e ealed a clea ajec o y om adi ional ope a ional
p io i ies owa d mo e echnologically ad anced and socially esponsi e hemes. In he mid-
2000s, he discou se was domina ed by p ac ical e iciency d i e s such as in en o y con ol
and indus ial managemen , e lec ing LSS’s s ong manu ac u ing oo s and i s ea ly ole in
s eamlining p oduc ion p ocesses. O e ime, he hema ic ocus p og essi ely expanded o
inco po a e o wa d-looking p io i ies such as sus ainabili y, Indus y 4.0, machine lea ning,
and quali y o se ice, signaling he in eg a ion o LSS wi h digi al ans o ma ion and
b oade o ganiza ional pe o mance goals. Pa icula ly no able was he ecen su ge in e ms
such as human, heal h se ices, and sus ainable de elopmen , which poin ed o an inc easing
ecogni ion o he human-cen ic and socie al dimensions o p ocess imp o emen . This
hema ic shi illus a ed how LSS e ol ed beyond a na ow indus ial e iciency amewo k
in o a e sa ile, c oss-sec o app oach ha add essed echnological ad ancemen ,
en i onmen al esponsibili y, and public se ice quali y, aligning closely wi h con empo a y
global p io i ies.
09
Osmeña, J. (2025). Mapping Lean Six Sigma Resea ch: Ad ancing Sus ainabili y Th ough Bibliome ics. GPH-In e na ional Jou nal o
Compu e Science and Enginee ing, 8(2), 01-18. h ps://doi.o g/10.5281/zenodo.17312903
(GPH-IJCSE) | Vol. 8, Issue 02, (July-Dec. 2025) | © Global Publica ion House | Open Access | www.gphjou nal.o g
me hodologies, big da a analy ics, and pa ien -cen e ed heal hca e. Heal hca e eme ged as a
pa icula ly c i ical domain, whe e LSS educed e o s and cos s while imp o ing ou comes,
he eby demons a ing socie al as well as indus ial alue. In he indus ial domain, case-
based s udies ein o ced he alue o s uc u ed amewo ks. Fo ins ance, a DMAIC-based
LSS amewo k signi ican ly imp o ed e iciency and p oduc quali y in he Indian
au omo i e indus y, unde sco ing he ole o con ex -speci ic app oaches in sus aining
ope a ional gains (Teli e al., 2021).
Eme ging p io i ies such as machine lea ning, pandemic esilience, and sus ainable
ope a ions posi ioned LSS as mo e han a p ocess-imp o emen ool. I se ed as a s a egic
enable o inno a ion, socie al esilience, and sus ainable de elopmen (Nadeem e al., 2023;
Ku nia and Pu ba, 2021). These shi s also highligh ed oppo uni ies o c oss-in eg a ion o
Lean and Indus y 4.0 p ac ices (Alsadi e al., 2023). By in eg a ing me hodological
ounda ions wi h sec o -speci ic applica ions, LSS con inued o e ol e as a globally ele an
amewo k o add essing bo h indus ial challenges and socie al needs.
Conclusion
Guided by i s objec i e o map he in ellec ual s uc u e, key con ibu o s, and hema ic
e olu ion o Lean Six Sigma (LSS), his bibliome ic analysis con i med ha LSS had
de eloped in o a globally signi ican amewo k b idging indus ial e iciency wi h se ice
quali y, heal hca e inno a ion, and sus ainabili y ocused p ac ices. The esul s demons a ed
how leading schola s, di e se ins i u ions, and s ong in e na ional collabo a ions shaped he
ield, enabling he ans e o knowledge ac oss egions and sec o s. O e ime, LSS esea ch
p og essed om ounda ional p ocess imp o emen o he in eg a ion o ad anced
echnologies, da a analy ics, and human cen e ed app oaches ha add essed complex socie al
and indus ial needs. This hema ic con e gence di ec ly suppo ed se e al Uni ed Na ions
Sus ainable De elopmen Goals, mos no ably SDG 9, SDG 12, and SDG 3, by p omo ing
inno a ion, esou ce e iciency, and imp o ed heal h ou comes. By deli e ing a
comp ehensi e o e iew o he ield’s ajec o y and eme ging p io i ies, his s udy p o ided
a s a egic ounda ion o u u e esea ch aimed a le e aging LSS as a ca alys o bo h
ope a ional excellence and sus ainable de elopmen in an in e connec ed global economy.
The dominance o he Uni ed Kingdom, India, and he Uni ed S a es e lec ed a usion o
ma u e inno a ion sys ems and apid capabili y de elopmen , while he schola ly ou pu o
op au ho s accele a ed he e inemen and global dissemina ion o bes p ac ices. The ising
p ominence o heal hca e applica ions highligh ed LSS’s adap abili y o high impac sec o s,
whe e ope a ional e iciency ansla ed in o bo h economic sa ings and li es sa ed.
Simila ly, he emphasis on ce i ica ions signaled a s a egic mo e owa d global
s anda diza ion, ensu ing ha LSS p inciples emained ele an and ans e able ac oss
indus ies and bo de s. Collec i ely, hese elemen s posi ioned LSS no me ely as a p ocess
imp o emen me hodology bu as a globally adap able amewo k capable o d i ing
sus ainable indus ial g ow h, enhancing se ice quali y, and os e ing in e na ional
collabo a ion, aligning closely wi h he impe a i es o a dynamic, in e connec ed wo ld
economy.
16

Mapping Lean Six Sigma Resea ch: Ad ancing Sus ainabili y Th ough Bibliome ics
GPH-In e na ional Jou nal o Compu e Science and Enginee ing (GPH-IJCSE) | © 2025 Global Publica ion House | Open Access |
A icle In o ma ion and Decla a ions
Funding: None Decla ed
Acknowledgemen s: None Decla ed
Con lic o In e es : None Decla ed
Supplemen a y ma e ial: None Decla ed
Da a Access S a emen : The bibliome ic da a we e e ie ed om he Scopus da abase on
Augus 8, 2025, yielding 2,148 eco ds. Due o da abase licensing es ic ions, he ull da ase
canno be sha ed, bu he sea ch s a egy is a ailable om he co esponding au ho upon
eques .
E hics: This s udy used seconda y da a om he Scopus da abase and did no in ol e human
pa icipan s o animals; he e o e, e hical app o al was no equi ed.
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