Pauline Found

Lean implementation within SMEs: a literature review

Purpose – Lean business ideology has been one of the recent dominant research areas in operations management. However, there is a dearth of research focusing on Lean in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The purpose of this paper is to fill this gap by systematically reviewing the literature in relation to the implementation of Lean in SMEs. Design/methodology/approach – Tranfield et al.’s (2003) systematic review methodology was employed covering three stages: planning, conducting and reporting/dissemination. Findings – A descriptive analysis of the papers reviewed is provided. From the thematic analysis of the literature four main themes are identified: the scope/type of Lean being adopted by SMEs, how Lean is used in SMEs, the impact of Lean implementation on SMEs and the critical success factors for Lean implementation in SMEs. Key inhibitors and enablers related to firm size when implementing Lean are also identified in the concluding discussion. Research limitations/implications – Nine reco...

How did the publication of the book The Machine That Changed The World change management thinking? Exploring 25 years of lean literature

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to take a critical, analytical approach to explore the growth and spread of Lean through the academic and practitioner community over the last 25 years to understand the impact of the book The Machine that Changed the World on management thinking. Design/methodology/approach – A comprehensive and systematic review of the extant literature of lean was undertaken and analysed critically to observe patterns and trends that could explain the acceptance of Lean as an operations management philosophy. The review spans from 1987 to 2013. To enable us to effectively manage and understand the diffusion of this literature a database, the Lean Publications Database, was constructed. The number of publications has been adjusted to compensate for growth in the total number of articles published in the same period. Findings – Lean has evolved to be one of the best-known, yet fiercely debated, process improvement methodologies. It emerged during a proliferation of such methodologie...

Targeting lean process improvement projects for maximum financial impact

This empirical paper details a 12-month applied research project at a UK low-volume manufacturer of large vehicles. The industry problem from which this study originates was a concern over the subjective nature with which the firm’s existing lean intervention projects were being targeted (prioritised and selected). A structured literature review on this topic was unable to identify any objective decision support mechanism for doing so; one that encompassed financial as well as operational criteria. The resultant study was organised around an established seven-step action research framework. The main body of evidence was derived from extensive analysis of financial and operational data extracted from the firm’s enterprise resource planning system, along with two structured workshops that each involved multiple informants drawn from the firm’s production centres and its accountancy department. Supplementary primary research was provided in the guise of numerous unstructured interviews to validate data and from observation of shop floor practices. The main contribution of this article is identifying and addressing the gap highlighted above, by developing and testing a financially driven method for objectively targeting process improvement interventions within this large and geographically dispersed operation. This innovative method includes five new constituent techniques.

The change of production systems through consultancy involved projects: a multiple case study in Chinese SMEs

Abstract Production systems, such as Lean Production System (LPS), have been developed to improve organisational performance. In their application to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), resource constraints mean that business assistance from external agencies, such as management consultants, is often required. Building on organisational learning research associated with knowledge flow across boundaries, this study aims to explore the practical issues associated with consultancy-involved LPS implementation in Chinese SMEs and the possible approaches to deal with them. A multiple case study is conducted focusing on four real-life, consultancy-involved, lean projects in Chinese SMEs. Four key problems that arise from consultancy-involved change of production systems are identified and four relevant approaches to handle these problems are also addressed. The case study implies that to better embed new production systems, such as LPS into SMEs, both consultants and SME clients need to adopt a more proactive approach when engaging with each other.

The effect of resistance in organizational change programmes

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the contributing factors that lead to resistance to change, and to ascertain the relationship between organizational culture and employee resistance in organizational change programmes, such as lean. Design/methodology/approach – The methodology for this research is in three main parts. Firstly, a systematic review of the literature pertaining to resistance to change is, secondly, followed by a case study involving an anonymous survey and semi-structured interviews to test the assumptions drawn from the literature. Finally, the literature research and case study results are drawn together to present a new model of resistance. Findings – The finding of the literature, along with the finding of the case study confirm that lack of communication and participant involvement during change are highlighted as significant contributing factors to resistance and that these are related to organizational culture. Research limitations/implications – Whilst the secon...

Developing a product–service system through a productisation strategy: a case from the 3PL industry

A Product–Service System (PSS) is created by combing a tangible product and an intangible service into one integrated offering. Thus, a PSS can be achieved by a production company adding intangible services to a product using a servitisation strategy or by a service company adding a tangible product to a service by means of a productisation strategy. The focus of this paper is on the latter. Our work demonstrates a significant gap in the literature in this area. To address this, we adapt an existing PSS conceptual framework as a means to identify the driving and restraining forces considered by a service company as it explored the possibility of pursuing a PSS productisation strategy. The conceptual framework is applied in an exploratory case study with a 3PL service provider. Application of the framework reveals new driving and restraining forces not previously discussed in the literature. Furthermore, it allows a preliminary quantification of the driving and restraining forces using a force field analysis approach. Our work contributes towards the expansion of the empirical knowledge base in the area of PSS.

An Implementation Model for Lean and Green

Most published articles on the adoption of Lean and Green (LG although Green concerns are recognised as important, they are still perceived as costly and unrelated to Lean in the majority of companies. The key drivers of L&G implementations are contingent to the industry sector, geographies and the host organisation, regulations and a number of external influencers also affect growing pressure for Green improvement. It is only when L&G is reflected at strategic and decision-making level that it can be said to be internalised. Therefore this research, including literature review, interviews and survey, discusses how L&G can be internalised and adopted as a new strategic business model with a company and, in addition, the paper sets out to describe a method for a L&G operational implementation rollout.

Lean Thinking and Organisational Learning: How Can They Facilitate Each Other?

Academic study of both lean thinking and organisational learning has evolved and is now mature enough to warrant an in-depth review of the practices and issues of each approach. This study explores how lean thinking and organisational learning can facilitate each other’s implementation and provides a conceptual model for future research and practice. The model shows the connections between organisational learning and lean thinking which is based on three propositions: (1) single-loop learning which focuses on error detection and correction in the current management system is closer to the tool-based lean approach while double-loop learning which emphasises changing the underlying governing values in the current system is closer to the sustainability-based lean approach; (2) both single-loop and double-loop learning can be operationalised and facilitated through employing a lean culture and a range of lean tools and (3) building organisational memory and institutionalising learning are the two solutions to enhance the sustainability of lean thinking.

Sustainable Manufacturing: The Lean and Green Business Model

Over the past few years there has been an emergent trend towards integrating a lean and green approach with a number of papers and books written, but most of these take an outside-in approach describing case studies from industry. This paper differs in that it takes an inside-out approach; describing a Lean and Green Business Model (L&GBM) developed within a major global engineering company. It describes the five key principles of a Lean and Green Business Model, (i) a stable value stream, (ii) identification of environmental impacts, (iii) measurement the environmental value streams, (iv) improvement of the environmental value streams and (v) continuous improvement. It further explains how the model applies a Kaizen approach for improving mass and energy flows of manufacturing environment that already possesses a basic deployment level in applying lean. Some of the key findings identified by the researchers highlight that (i) L&GBM has a different purpose than traditional Lean or Environmental Thinking, (ii) L&GBM covers the three dimensions of sustainability, (iii) L&GBM has a Lean to Green approach and (iv) L&GBM is an alternative approach to integrate environmental concerns into operations management which enhances workplace engagement in reducing the environmental impact of the manufacturing processes by leveraging the lean attributes of involvement and empowerment to the environmental functions within the organization that traditionally have focused on compliance.

Towards a theory of operational excellence

The term Operational Excellence is widely applied to businesses but the meaning is ill-defined and is often used as a desired goal. This paper provides a comprehensive review of Operational Excellence and starts to address the criticism of its lack of theoretical foundation. The aim of this conceptual paper is to clarify the meaning of Operational Excellent and to identify the underpinning theories and laws, or rules that guide it. Based on the synthesis of the literature using the term ‘Operational Excellence’ writings are reviewed against five criteria for a good theory. Our findings show there has been considerable research into identifying common practices and regularities of Operational Excellence but currently there is no single underlying theory of Operational Excellence that meets the criteria for a good theory. From our analysis of the literature we provide some recommendations to address the gaps found. Further research is required to develop a more robust theory of Operational Excellence that will serve to facilitate learning and innovation in next-generation management thinking. Future study is also required to identify research that has been carried out that has tested the laws identified in this study. Ideas and input from practitioners would also be required to develop the theory and underpinning laws.