Pia Bramming

Lean and the working environment: a review of the literature

Purpose – The effects of lean on employees have been debated ever since the concept was introduced. The purpose of this paper is to review the scientific literature on the effects of lean on the working environment and employee health and well‐being.Design/methodology/approach – Relevant databases were searched for studies of lean and the working environment. In total, 11 studies with quantitative effects of lean are included in this review. The methodology and results are analysed to extract information about lean and the effects on working environment.Findings – There is strong evidence for the negative impact of lean on both the working environment and employee health and well‐being in cases of manual work with low complexity. However, since examples of positive effects were also found in the literature, it is important to move from a simple cause‐and‐effect model to a more comprehensive model that understands lean as an open and ambiguous concept, which can have both positive and negative effects depe...

(Im)perfect pictures: snaplogs in performativity research

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore a visual method, snaplog (snapshots and logbooks) from a performativity theory approach.Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses empirical examples from a three‐year qualitative research project where snaplogs are used as an experimental method. The paper presents a reading of performativity theory and discusses the performativity of using visual methods in the research process.Findings – The paper concludes that visual methods have a special ability to activate the field in a way that avoids preconceived ideas, and creates possibilities to observe the researched phenomenon and how it practices, resists and revoices the questions asked by the researchers.Research limitations/implications – The paper explores and discusses the authors’ experiences and reflections on the positioning and scope of using snaplogs as a visual method. It does not report a systematic evaluation of its implications.Practical implications – Snaplogs offer the researcher the poss...

How do lean management organizations behave regarding training and development

This paper analyses the role of training and development in lean management organizations. The hypothesis is that organizations characterized by lean management have a distinctive profile in terms of training and development. Specifically, it is hypothesized that lean organizations have the following features to a higher extent than non-lean organizations: • employee involvement in training and development • use of work groups for quality, product development and task flexibility • attribution of importance to training in quality, customer orientation and people management • line management responsibility for training and development of the employees • use of job enlargement • information of employees about management decisions • use of team briefings and quality circles. The analysis shows that it is possible to identify a relationship between lean management and training and development, although the statistical results could have been more significant. It is also discussed in the paper to what extent c...

How to create business value in the knowledge economy

Purpose – The main purpose of this paper is to explore and revitalise key contributions of Peter Drucker for the understanding of how changing conditions in the economy radically alter the ways business value is created. Second, the authors wish to demonstrate how the changes in key economic resources pose altogether different challenges and opportunities for management research and practice.Design/methodology/approach – Taking Peter F. Drucker as a point of departure, the paper presents a conceptual reflection of the conditions and new challenges for the creation of business. Druckers insights are discussed and accelerated with a philosophical and sociologically inspired position on management.Findings – The paper demonstrates that the creation of business value in the knowledge economy is highly immaterial and socially embedded. This demands a broadening of perspective to (ontologically) encompass both the technical and the social. Production and the value of consumption cannot be measured independentl...