Bibliometric Analysis of Lean Six Sigma in social economy

This study undertook a bibliometric analysis to explore the intersection of Lean Six Sigma methodologies and the social economy, an area previously unexamined in scholarly research. Utilizing the Scopus database, a comprehensive search identified 204 articles spanning 47 terms related to Lean Six Sigma and 12 terms associated with the social economy. The research employed advanced bibliometric tools, VOSviewer and Bibliometrix, and analytical techniques such as co-authorship, citation analysis, co-citation and co-occurrence, and thematic evolution analysis, providing a nuanced understanding of the domain's intellectual structure and thematic trajectory. Despite the extensive literature on Lean and Six Sigma methodologies, the analysis highlighted a significant gap in studies integrating these operational efficiency tools within the social economy context. The conclusion emphasizes the need for future research to focus on merging operational efficiency with social value creation, proposing comparative studies to address the barriers to effective interdisciplinary collaboration and integrate these strategies within the social economy frameworks more robustly.