Leadership factors for a successful lean implementation in manufacturing SMEs
Koponen, Edgar Alejandro (2019)
2019
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2019121626949
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2019121626949
Tiivistelmä
Lean, management style that has its origins in Japan, is characterized as a high-efficiency practice that has proven to lower costs, reduce waste, improve production time, require less personnel and deliver a high-quality product. In the last few years, there has been an increasing number of businesses eager to implement a lean strategy with the hopes of remaining competitive in the market.
Manufacturing SMEs are a sector of the industry that could particularly benefit from a lean strategy since their resources are limited as there is a need to maximize their capabilities, lean could be a viable option for growth and sustainability. However, the success rates of lean initiatives tend to be low, with leadership believed to be a decisive factor for the success of a lean initiative.
This comparative desk research methodology study consists of a literature review and the analysis of 3 different publications with a case-study approach that contain the empirical data of a total of 8 different real-life manufacturing SMEs at the time when they implemented a lean strategy.
The study aimed to find leadership factors for a successful lean implementation in the manufacturing SME context. The literature review and the data obtained from the publication were analysed and compared to identify 7 different leadership success factors that had a positive impact on the lean implementation of the manufacturing SMEs. The factors are the following: leading the implementation with a transformational leadership approach; possessing enough understanding of the lean concept, the company and the practicalities that involve the implementation; outsourcing the lean implementation in the early stages; avoidance of delegating the leadership responsibility to others that are not managers; knowing how to lead the change initiative; understanding the employee as an individual and lastly, persistence and consistency in the practising of the lean work culture.
Manufacturing SMEs are a sector of the industry that could particularly benefit from a lean strategy since their resources are limited as there is a need to maximize their capabilities, lean could be a viable option for growth and sustainability. However, the success rates of lean initiatives tend to be low, with leadership believed to be a decisive factor for the success of a lean initiative.
This comparative desk research methodology study consists of a literature review and the analysis of 3 different publications with a case-study approach that contain the empirical data of a total of 8 different real-life manufacturing SMEs at the time when they implemented a lean strategy.
The study aimed to find leadership factors for a successful lean implementation in the manufacturing SME context. The literature review and the data obtained from the publication were analysed and compared to identify 7 different leadership success factors that had a positive impact on the lean implementation of the manufacturing SMEs. The factors are the following: leading the implementation with a transformational leadership approach; possessing enough understanding of the lean concept, the company and the practicalities that involve the implementation; outsourcing the lean implementation in the early stages; avoidance of delegating the leadership responsibility to others that are not managers; knowing how to lead the change initiative; understanding the employee as an individual and lastly, persistence and consistency in the practising of the lean work culture.