Assessing changes towards lean production

TLDR

Lean should be seen as a direction, rather than as a state to be reached after a certain time, so the focus lies on changes in determinants, not on their actual values. The study develops a model that operationalizes lean production principles, focusing on work organization in manufacturing. The model operationalizes lean principles by mapping them onto manufacturing work organization. The model, built on theory and tested in a clinical field study, provides a framework for research on lean change processes and a practical checklist to assess and guide lean implementation.

Abstract

Develops a model which operationalizes the different principles in lean production, with a focus on those that concern the work organization in the manufacturing part of a company. The model has been developed using available theory and has also been tried out in a clinical field study. The model has implications both for research and practice. For research, it can be used as a model for operationalizing lean production to be able to study change processes properly. In practice, the model can be used as a tool to assess the development taking place in an effort to become lean. Finally, it can be used as a checklist for what to aim at when trying to implement lean production. Lean should be seen as a direction, rather than as a state to be reached after a certain time and, therefore, the focus lies on the changes in the determinants, not on their actual values.