The relationship between organizational attitude and lean practices: an organizational sense-making perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 120 (9) ◽  
pp. 1715-1731
Author(s):  
Mohsin Malik ◽  
Salam Abdallah
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Change ◽  
Change Process ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Customer Management ◽  
Sense Making ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Lean Management ◽  
Lean Implementation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Lean Practices

PurposePast studies of lean have failed to sufficiently address the importance of social factors for successful lean implementations. This paper aims to broaden and deepen the understanding of lean as a socio-technical paradigm by conceptualizing lean implementation as an organizational change process.Design/methodology/approachThis study draws on the organizational sense-making literature to conceptualize and validate lean implementation as an organizational change process that necessitates a focus on the ability of organizational actors to construct a shared meaning of lean. This study posit that this shared understanding shapes the collective behaviour and attitudes of people towards a future desired organizational state such as a successful implementation of lean. Survey data were collected from various manufacturing and services firms to test the hypothesis derived from literature using a structural equation modelling approach.FindingsThe mutual social interactions of organizational actors contribute to an enabling lean organizational attitude that has a dominant effect on the lean practices of employee involvement, internal technical practices, supplier and customer management. This study also established boundary conditions for these relationships by identifying firm size as a moderating variable.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings establish a supportive organizational attitude as an antecedent for lean implementation, which goes beyond the current socio-technical characterization of lean management. This conceptualization draws the attention of researchers and practitioners towards the critical role of the cooperative behaviours of organizational actors in lean implementations.Originality/valueThe statistical results add a novel perspective to the discourse on the social dimension of lean implementation by conceptualizing and validating lean management as a combination of organizational attitude and the process facilitators comprising of employee empowerment, internal technical practices, supplier and customer management.

Assessment of the Lean effect on business performance: the case of manufacturing SMEs

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 501-523 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catarina Maurício Valente ◽  
Paulo Sérgio Amaral Sousa ◽  
Maria Rosário Alves Moreira
Keyword(s):  
Performance Measures ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Market Performance ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Lean Implementation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Lean Practices ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to research the way in which Lean practices are affecting the performance of manufacturing small and medium enterprises (SMEs), analyzing the effects of Lean practices on companies’ operational, financial and market performance. Design/methodology/approach An online questionnaire was distributed among Portuguese organizations that fitted the category of SMEs and belonged to the manufacturing sector. A sample of 329 enterprises was analyzed with partial least squares–structural equation modelling. Four hypotheses on the impact of Lean practices on company performance were tested. Findings The results show that the effects of Lean on performance are positive, which stresses the benefits attainable with the implementation of Lean practices. The aggregated implementation of Lean practices, namely, customer involvement, statistical process, continuous flow and total productive maintenance leads to improvements in company’s global performance measured by market, financial and operational performance measures, and also improves each of these performance measures individually. It was also noticed that financial capability is one of the indispensable factors for the successful implementation of Lean practices. Research limitations/implications The results contribute to the investigation on the topic, broadening the literature on the implementation of Lean practices in companies around the world. Practical implications The research outcomes may be used as a motivation for other SMEs to implement Lean practices by acknowledging the positive impact on their performance. Furthermore, the degree of Lean implementation in the particular industry may constitute a signal for government and/or economic decision makers to define incentives such as fiscal benefits for companies that engage in Lean implementation programmes, partly financing workers cross-training, among other necessary investments. Originality/value This is the first study that examines the impact of the effect of Lean on operational, financial and market performance in a discriminated and simultaneous way.

Exploration and prioritization of lean techniques in a hotel supply chain

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 375-396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raid Al-Aomar ◽  
Matloub Hussain
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Lean Management ◽  
Time Service ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Survey Tool ◽  
Lean Practices ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Structured Approach

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework for identification, categorization and prioritization of lean techniques adopted in a hotel supply chain. Design/methodology/approach A survey tool is used for the identification of lean techniques that are relevant to a hotel supply chain. The targeted sample includes experts from 50 four- and five-star hotels in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that confirmed experience in implementing lean practices across hotels supply chain. A Supplier-Inputs-Process-Outputs-Customers (SIPOC) chart and experts’ opinion are used to allocate and categorize the identified lean techniques across the construct of the hotel supply chain. Finally, analytical hierarchy process (AHP) is used to prioritize the criteria and sub-criteria of adopted lean techniques. Findings Study results have identified six main categories of lean practices and 19 specific lean techniques as relevant to a hotel supply chain. The identified categories include JIT, Kaizen, Quality, Inventory, Maintenance and Standardization. The study found that JIT and Kaizen take the top priority among the identified categories of lean practices. In line with that, on-time service to customers, effective improvement system and on-time delivery from suppliers were found to be the three most relevant lean techniques to a hotel supply chain. Research limitations/implications The study has targeted a representative sample of hotels with experience in implementing lean practices. Study findings have several implications to researchers and practitioners for effective adoption of lean techniques within a hotel supply chain. However, the accuracy and credibility of results obtained from this research including SIPOC allocation and lean categorization are highly dependent on the accuracy and credibility of collected empirical data from surveyed hotels within the study context. Results of AHP prioritization also depend on the credibility of judgements made by the hotels’ supply chain experts. Practical implications The study provides the hospitality industry with a structured approach that can help in a prioritized adoption of most relevant lean techniques across the hotel supply chain to reduce wastes, create value, increase efficiency and improve the service level. Study findings can be used by hotel management to direct and focus the effort of lean capacity building, resources allocation and implementation plans. Originality/value Limited research is available on lean management in the context of a hotel supply chain. Also, most of the previous research is focused on lean impacts, while academics and practitioners agree that the identification and prioritization of most relevant lean techniques is crucial to the successful implementation of lean management for waste reduction and value creation. This research addresses this important issue in hotel supply chains and proposes a structured approach for effective lean adoption.

Implementation of lean in IT SME company: an Italian case

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Torri ◽  
Kaustav Kundu ◽  
Stefano Frecassetti ◽  
Matteo Rossini
Keyword(s):  
Manufacturing Industry ◽  
Service Sector ◽  
Manufacturing Sector ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Lean Implementation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Italian Case ◽  
Lean Practices

Purpose In spite of huge advancement of Lean in the manufacturing sector, its advantage in the service sector is not fully investigated. The purpose of this paper is to cover this gap in particular for the information technology (IT) sector through the implementation of the Lean philosophy in a small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME), operating in the IT sector. Design/methodology/approach A case study is conducted and following the A3 model, Lean is deployed in the case company. Data were collected through on-site interviews, waste sources were identified and then countermeasures for their reduction were proposed and adopted. Findings This study reveals that the implementation of the Lean practices in an SME operating in the IT sector offers good operative and financial results, thanks to the higher productivity obtained through the reduction of non-value-added activities. Research limitations/implications This paper reports a single case study, not enough to generalize the results. Moreover, more Lean tools and practices should be tested in IT companies to assess their effectiveness. Practical implications This paper increments the knowledge base for the application of Lean and A3 model outside the manufacturing industry. This paper should assist practitioners and consultants who have the desire to understand a better way of Lean implementation in fast-growing IT industry and in SME. Originality/value Research on Lean implementation in an SME company and in IT sector is scarce. This study aims to assess the efficiency of the adoption of Lean practices following the A3 model. The results could be highly valuable for similar companies (dimension or sector), especially those that are facing transition situations in terms of size and at the same time want to improve their operations performance, efficiency and avoid waste.

Productivity improvement in solid waste recycling centres through lean implementation aided by multi-criteria decision analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 1480-1499 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guilherme Tortorella ◽  
Glauco Silva ◽  
Lucila M.S. Campos ◽  
Cassiano Pizzeta ◽  
Amanda Latosinski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Decision Analysis ◽  
Solid Waste ◽  
Value Stream Mapping ◽  
Analysis Tool ◽  
Productivity Improvement ◽  
Lean Implementation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Multi Criteria Decision Analysis ◽  
Lean Practices

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate, through a comparative analysis, the applicability of lean manufacturing practices, such as value stream mapping (VSM), for productivity improvement in recycling centres (RCs) aided by multi-criteria decision analysis. Design/methodology/approach The study is carried out in five RCs that sort the municipal solid waste of Porto Alegre, one of the main cities in Brazil. Since all of the centres present their labour composed by poor communities’ members, cultural and social characteristics may represent an incremental challenge for lean implementation. Further, these centres are organised in cooperatives, in which decisions are taken through a participatory way and all their members are entitled to vote, undermining and retarding the decision-making process. Findings The integration of a multi-criteria decision-making tool to the lean practices enables the prioritisation of improvements, complementing the final stage of VSM. In particular, this contribution becomes especially important in cooperatives managed by community, where decisions are often complex and time-consuming. Finally, despite the increasing pressure for better performance of RCs, the existent mindset is still far from the private sector, where lean practices were conceived. Further, the findings suggest that, despite processes similarities, it is not feasible to declare the existence of a one-best practice to such scenario. Originality/value In theoretical terms, the authors demonstrate through a multi-case study the adequacy of analytic hierarchy process as a decision analysis tool complementary to the VSM, enabling a broader perspective about this subject. Concerning the practical contribution, the comprehension of the adaptation needs for lean practices implementation within the production context of solid waste RCs provides a framework with guidelines for this sector, when incorporating lean activities. Lean practitioners and eventual municipal authorities involved in improving productivity of community-managed RCs might benefit from this framework, since they will be able to emphasise the development of recommended and already tested lean practices that tend to improve their operational performance.

Using social networking applications to facilitate change implementation processes: insights from organizational change stakeholders

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (7) ◽  
pp. 1979-1998 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Naeem
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Organizational Change ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Change Process ◽  
Implementation Process ◽  
Change Implementation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Implementation Processes ◽  
Insurance Sector

PurposeThe failure rate of change is high amongst countries and cultures where collectivism, destructive politics and resistance are high. Therefore, change leaders are more focused on exploring how they can create networking and socialization amongst major organizational stakeholders that can minimize detrimental cynicism and lobbying during change implementation. This study is an attempt to shed light on how Social Networking Applications (henceforth SNAs) can facilitate change implementation processes in the insurance sector.Design/methodology/approachThe individual reaction and interaction realities during the change process cannot be discovered once and for all as there are varied perspectives on the same subjects. Therefore, a social constructionist position was used to understand the different realties of change managers and change recipients using the context of insurance sector.FindingsThe study documented how SNAs can play an active role in addressing the concerns of employees as well as managing and protecting knowledge sharing to facilitate the change implementation process. The collaborative and interactive nature of SNAs can enhance richness in knowledge sharing and can facilitate the participation of employees. Therefore, management should monitor these platforms as a means to improve the change process and to address the concerns of employees. These networking channels which include WhatsApp and Facebook can enhance social interactions, support and acceptance at individual and organizational levels.Research limitations/implicationsSocial media has become a familiar tool for employees to use to discuss internal changes and policies within their organizations. Social media enhances the richness, reach, knowledge exchange and effective internal communication potential amongst organizational change stakeholders. Using social media, change recipients are now more empowered and connected with their leadership that ever before. It is now easier to facilitate decision making during the change formulation and implementation process.Practical implicationsSocial media applications have become necessary to ensure incremental and radical changes to the survival of dynamic businesses. The findings of this study are beneficial for change leaders and recipients of change to implement successful organizational change using social media tools. The effective and efficient use of social media applications helps organizations to foster knowledge amongst employees and they can address various critical issues, that is resistance to change, lower levels of knowledge sharing and support for change acceptance and lack of employee participation in decision making.Originality/valueThere is an inadequate understanding regarding how SNAs play a role in facilitating the change process in both public and private sector organizations. This study offers a social mchange facilitation model with the help of social learning, social networking and social behaviourism theories.

Organizational change as tension management: a grounded theory

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristiano Ghiringhelli ◽  
Francesco Virili
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Change ◽  
Grounded Theory ◽  
Change Process ◽  
Gradual Transition ◽  
Dual Nature ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Theoretical Concepts ◽  
Progressive Movement ◽  
Automatic Sorting ◽  
Tension Management

PurposeImplementing automatic sorting operations in the parcel delivery industry can dramatically improve both capacity and service quality but demands radical and complex organizational change. The present in-depth grounded theory study examined a change process of this kind within one of the few global companies in the parcel delivery sector, focusing on three European hubs where automatic sorting had recently been introduced.Design/methodology/approachGrounded theory methodology, which facilitates the gradual emergence and dialogical interpretation of empirically grounded theoretical concepts, was particularly suited to the current project's open-ended research design and the hybrid (prescriptive but also constructive) nature of the change process under study. The investigation comprised iterative cycles of data collection, open coding, selective coding and theoretical coding over a three-year period.FindingsIn keeping with the dual nature of the change underway, a set of tensions were identified between pairs of opposite poles: manual vs automated, planned vs emergent and corporate vs site. The management of these tensions, which leveraged both prescriptive and sensemaking approaches, was found to trigger knowledge production, facilitating a gradual transition from high to low uncertainty and, consequently, progressive movement along the continuum between each pair of competing poles. Within this process, the industrial engineering function acted as an agent of change with a key orchestrating role.Originality/valueAs one of the first in-depth grounded theory analyses of tension management, this study contributes to the relatively recent debate on the recognition, analysis and handling of tensions and paradoxes in organizational change, suggesting innovative criteria for successful change management and identifying promising new avenues for research. From a managerial perspective, the study outcomes suggest that explicit recognition of uncertainty and tensions in organizational change can pave the way for solutions based on agility and continuous organizational learning.

scholarly journals Defining Lean Change—Framing Lean Implementation in Organizational Development

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 10
Author(s):  
Pearce A. D. ◽  
Pons D. J.
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Development ◽  
Organisational Change ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Organisational Development ◽  
Learning Organisation ◽  
Lean Implementation ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Lean Practices ◽  
Lean Transformation ◽  
Development Literature

Problem – When lean is adopted in traditional organisations it requires a widespread organisational change and many businesses fail to sustain lean practices. Purpose – The purpose of this work was to define lean implementation based on the organisational development (OD) body of knowledge. Approach – The literature in lean and organisational change was reviewed and amalgamated to develop a novel conceptual framework. Findings – Lean implementation begins with a planned changed that is episodic. However, the ultimate goal is to develop a learning organisation where change is continuous and emergent from all levels. Respect for people, everyone in the organisations contribution, is considered key to successful implementation of lean. Implications– Practitioners should not focus on isolated improvements, but foster change from within for a permeable transformation to become a lean learning organisation. Originality - This paper provides new insights into lean implementation and its transformative effect on the organisation. A novel conceptual model is presented that frames lean transformation within the organisational development literature.

Developing and validating a total quality management model for healthcare organisations

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 544-564 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Mohammad Mosadeghrad
Keyword(s):  
Quality Management ◽  
Total Quality Management ◽  
Quality Management System ◽  
Customer Management ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Management Support ◽  
Total Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Validated Questionnaire ◽  
Management Techniques

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a total quality management (TQM) model for healthcare organisations and validate it using a sample of Iranian healthcare organisations. Design/methodology/approach – A validated questionnaire was used to collect data from all healthcare organisations that implemented TQM in Isfahan province, Iran. Findings – Using the proposed model, TQM implementation was measured in healthcare organisations. The level of TQM success in Isfahan healthcare organisations was medium. The highest score was achieved in the dimension of “customer management”, followed by “leadership” and “employee management”. Employee management, information management, customer management, process management and leadership had the most positive effect on TQM success. Using a series of quality management techniques had “synergistic” effect on TQM success. Practical implications – Top management support, effective management of human resources, full involvement of the entire workforce including physicians, education and training, team working, continuous improvement, a corporate quality culture, customer focus and using a combination of management techniques under a quality management system are necessary for TQM successful implementation. Originality/value – A healthcare context-specific model of TQM was developed and tested and suggestions were provided for its successful implementation.

Performance evaluation of lean manufacturing implementation in Brazil

2014 ◽  
Vol 63 (5) ◽  
pp. 529-549 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wagner Cezar Lucato ◽  
Felipe Araujo Calarge ◽  
Mauro Loureiro Junior ◽  
Robisom Damasceno Calado
Keyword(s):  
Lean Manufacturing ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Industrial Sector ◽  
Individual Element ◽  
Manufacturing Companies ◽  
Lean Implementation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Lean Principles ◽  
Lean Practices ◽  
Survey Results

Purpose – Manufacturing companies worldwide have been replacing traditional mass-production practices by lean initiatives. This translation process is progressive and may vary depending on several factors. Hence, it could be expected that the degree of adoption of the lean practices could vary significantly among industries, regions and even countries. The purpose of this paper is to explore the implementation performance of lean principles in Brazil, the paper developed a survey in the Sao Paulo Metropolitan Area, which considered 51 industries of different sizes, from several industrial segments, nationals and multinationals. Design/methodology/approach – The proposed survey was developed using as a normative framework the SAE J4000 standard – identification and measurement of the best practice in implementation of lean operation and the SAE J4001 – implementation of lean operation user manual. To measure the implementation degree of the lean practices in the researched industries, the paper proposed the utilization of two concepts: the degree of leanness (DOL) of an element of J4000 and DOL of a company. Also three hypotheses were tested, trying to establish the relationship among the DOL and firm ownership, their size and respective industrial sector. Findings – The results obtained in the survey demonstrated that the performance of lean initiative implementation is not uniform among the companies located in the researched area. Outcomes also showed that the degree of implementation of the lean practices by multinational companies was higher than that for the national firms. However, it was not possible to establish a relationship between the DOL and the size of the firms. Neither a clear and definite association between DOL and industrial sector was possible to be identified. Practical implications – For the practitioners and managers dealing with the lean implementation, this paper gives a relevant contribution because it shows how they can effectively use an existing tool to measure the implementation of the lean practices in their respective firms. Furthermore, the DOL calculation for each individual element of the J4000 standard could also be used by practitioners and managers to identify specific problems and opportunity areas where practical actions could be identified to improve the lean implementation. Originality/value – This paper contributes to the lean manufacturing theory because it proposes a theoretical way to measure the degree of implementation of the lean initiatives in the manufacturing companies. Also the survey results generate additional research material that could be used by other researchers to further explore the subject in the area.

Sensemaking through a storytelling lens

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 428-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele Heath ◽  
Tracy Porter
Keyword(s):  
Identity Construction ◽  
Change Process ◽  
Information Exchange ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Health Information Exchange ◽  
Implementation Process ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sensemaking Theory ◽  
Insight Into

Purpose Drawing from the extant literature on sensemaking theory, the purpose of this paper is to understand how physicians view health information exchange (HIE) implementation and how their stories frame the situation. Design/methodology/approach This paper utilizes content analysis with sensemaking theory as a theoretical lens to analyze physicians’ interviews. Findings The stories within this study draw attention to how sensemaking might impact the HIE implementation process. The findings demonstrated four well-defined manifest themes specific to sensemaking: bracketing, enactment, social and identity construction. There were sub-themes that cut across major themes: financial implications, practice changes and impact on professional reputation. The data demonstrated that each participant singled out items or events specific to the HIE change process in order to make sense of the change as an entirety. Originality/value No other study has applied sensemaking in an effort to gain insight into the ways physicians view the HIE process. Therefore, this study offers a unique perspective which might provide a framework through which to understand the possible barriers to successful implementation of HIE from a physician.

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