Lean six sigma and sustainability in management research: a scoping review of conceptual and methodological approaches

Abstract

This paper aims to examine how sustainability is integrated into Lean Six Sigma (LSS) within the existing academic literature. While LSS is widely established as a process-oriented management system for performance and quality improvement, it remains unclear how sustainability is embedded in LSS frameworks, tools and governance structures. The study aims to structure this fragmented research field and to identify dominant integration logics and research gaps. A scoping review identified 68 peer-reviewed studies (2015–2025) across major academic databases. The studies were analysed using an abductive coding approach focusing on organisational levels of integration, sustainability dimensions and integration logics. The findings reveal a conceptually diverse but weakly consolidated research field. Sustainability is predominantly integrated into LSS at the strategic level, while integration into frameworks and tools remains limited. Most studies focus on ecological and economic sustainability, whereas social dimensions are addressed only marginally. Empirical research is concentrated in manufacturing contexts. The analysis shows a dominance of transversal and hybrid integration logics, indicating that sustainability often functions as an overarching steering logic rather than being systematically embedded in LSS methodologies. Organisations should move beyond treating sustainability as a strategic framing and embed it more systematically into LSS frameworks, tools and project structures, by strengthening the op-erationalisation of social sustainability. The paper contributes to LSS research by developing a typology of sustainability integration logics and by systematically analysing how sustainability is embedded across LSS frameworks, tools and governance structures.