Purpose Recently, there has been an increasing interest in the concept of Lean; however, the Lean concept in higher education institutions (HEIs) is still not very popular, and these institutions face challenges in implementing Lean activities. The purpose of this study is to identify worldwide experiences of Lean implementation in HEIs and to share best practices of Lean implementation. Design/methodology/approach The research was conducted by surveying 34 Lean practitioners from HEIs. Findings This study outlined the importance of the complexity of the community and its processes as the main barrier for Lean implementation in the HEI. The study highlighted that Lean determined positive change in the institutions and that strong leadership, commitment of top management as well as good communication and teamwork were the keys to successful implementation of Lean. Research limitations/implications This study provides valuable insights and aspects of implementation and maintenance of Lean initiatives in HEIs around the world; however, a detailed analysis would require a larger number of respondents. Practical implications This study proposes that practitioners implementing Lean in HEIs should identify barriers, plan their activities and take into account success factors. According to the results of this study, managers of HEIs should deal with the main barrier – the complexity of the community and its processes. In addition, they should carry out employees’ and Lean facilitators’ training on Lean and ensure that the main success factors such as strong leadership practices, senior management’s commitment, good communication and teamwork are present. Originality/value This study adds to the existing knowledge on global experiences of applying Lean in HEIs.

The main motives for implementing standards are external and internal. External motives are related with aims to enter new markets, export new goods, meet customer requirements, achieve better corporate image, gain market share, or increase customer satisfaction. Internal motives occur when the organization itself wants to improve the internal system and when processes and benefits depend on the internal motives of the organization. In order to disclose the benefits of quality standards, an empirical study was conducted with quality representatives from organizations in different fields of business activity in Lithuania. The research aimed to investigate what quality management systems prevail in organizations and to reveal the motives and benefits of implementation. The empirical study found that after the implementation of quality management standards (QMS), the quality level improved; the number of incidents and defects (complaints) decreased; employee involvement and perception of quality increased; company profits increased; customer satisfaction increased; and company management was improved.

Lean organizacijų evoliucijaRemiantis evoliucijos tyrimų modeliais bei autorių sudarytu evoliucionuojančios organizacijos modeliu, straipsnyje analizuojama Lean vadybos metodologija ir tiriama, kaip evoliucionuoja ją įgyvendinančios Lietuvos gamybinės organizacijos. Raktiniai žodžiai: evoliucija, organizacijos, vadybos metodai, Lean.In this article some models of the evolution research were used as a basis to create an original model of the organization's evolution. Therefore the authors presented Lean as a managerial methodology and introduced research of the Lithuanian lean manufacturing organizations' evolution.

Quality management through the application of ISO 9000 certification is a promising approach in striving for organizations’ business success and leading to an inferior number of errors. The paper focuses on the following primary questions regarding the scientific problem at the theoretical level: How the application of quality management principles relates to risk management in healthcare? What are the benefits of the application of quality management principles? The aim of this study is to ground the importance of the link between the application of quality manage-ment principles and risk management in healthcare. Methods of the research are literature review and the critical analysis of the latest scientific articles on the issue. In conclusion, the application of quality management principles lead to improved decision-making processes, achievement of patient safety goals and objectives, etc. The findings are signifi-cant in a practical sense due to their benefits for certified organizations that implement quality management systems.

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