A review of lean six sigma and malcolm baldrige national quality award and a proposal for the future

Abstract

The nature of business demands that each company do better in providing their products or services than their competitors so as to attract more customers to them. Strategies to help companies achieve competitive edge abound. Yet, over the last two decades, two particular frameworks seemed to have stood out among the rest and withstood the test of time. They are Lean Six Sigma and Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The question is will these two frameworks continue to be effective in a landscape that is visibly different from the last two decades? This research finds the factors that are essential for companies to be competitive in the near future, and compares to what these two frameworks are effective in. We then discuss in depth one potential enhancement to these two frameworks, innovation, and how it can be integrated to these two frameworks.