Previous research shows a low success rate for lean implementations. Few studies have considered the role that organisational culture plays in lean implementations and specifically the interaction effects of Organisational Culture and Lean Management on Operating Performance. This research examines empirically the role that Organisational Culture (OC) plays in the relationship between Lean Practices (LPs) and Operational Performance (OP) using a survey of 295 UK manufacturers. Cultural dimensions are shown to fully mediate the impact of lean management practices on Operational Performance. The findings indicate that LPs are positively associated with organisational cultures that are procedurally focused, employee oriented, structurally open, socially loose, rule driven (norm) and market oriented.In contrast, LPs are negatively associated with results-oriented and pragmatic cultures, which also carried over to the impact on operating performance. The results highlight that a procedural focus is important for lean practice integration. Moreover, LPs are shown to be positively associated with the softer dimensions of culture (i.e. employee orientation and open communication), which appear to aid initial lean integration. However, only external market orientation is associated with improved operating performance. Overall, the findings provide new insights into the contextual factors associated with successful Lean implementations.

Despite the growth of ISO 14001 a lot is still unknown about the impact of environmental management systems on firms' operating performance with much of the academic literature focusing on the financial, market and environmental benefits of ISO 14001. The research in this paper employs the practice-based view along with the event study methodology to determine whether firms can enhance operational efficiency through adopting replicable management practices prescribed under the ISO 14001 standard. This research involved examining performance for both certified and non-certified firms in the UK and Ireland. Whilst ISO 14001 was shown to have a positive and prolonged effect on certified firms' manufacturing cost efficiency, employee productivity, and return on assets, the sample firms' operating cycle displayed evidence of diminishing returns in the long-run. This study advances upon previous ISO 14001 research studies by applying the event study methodology and measuring the effect of environmental management system adoption through utilising operating performance metrics rather than relying on subjective measures of firm performance. Moreover, this research is important as few firms actually quantify the benefits of the ISO 14001 standard. However, the findings come with the caveat of diminishing returns for some operating indicators emphasising that firms can become overly efficient to the detriment of the initial operating speed gains.

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PurposeIncreasingly, studies are reporting supply chain analytical capabilities as a key enabler of supply chain agility (SCAG) and supply chain performance (SCP). This study investigates the impact of environmental dynamism and competitive pressures in a supply chain analytics setting, and how intangible supply chain analytical capabilities (ISCAC) moderate the relationship between big data characteristics (BDC's) and SCAG in support of enhanced SCP.Design/methodology/approachThe study draws on the literature on big data, supply chain analytical capabilities, and dynamic capability theory to empirically develop and test a supply chain analytical capabilities model in support of SCAG and SCP. ISCAC was the moderated construct and was tested using two sub-dimensions, supply chain organisational learning and supply chain data driven culture.FindingsThe results show that whilst environmental dynamism has a significant relationship on the three key BDC's, only the volume and velocity dimensions are significant in relation to competitive pressures. Furthermore, only the velocity element of BDC's has a significant positive impact on SCAG. In terms of moderation, the supply chain organisational learning dimension of ISCAC was shown to only moderate the velocity aspect of BDC's on SCAG, whereas for the supply chain data driven culture dimension of ISCAC, only the variety aspect was shown to moderate of BDC on SCAG. SCAG had a significant impact on SCP.Originality/valueThis study adds to the existing knowledge in the supply chain analytical capabilities domain by presenting a nuanced moderation model that includes external factors (environmental dynamism and competitive pressures), their relationships with BDC's and how ISCAC (namely, supply chain organisational learning and supply chain data driven culture) moderates and strengthens aspects of BDC's in support of SCAG and enhanced SCP.

How implementation of environmental practices is supported by employee engagement remains underexplored in the literature. Based on the natural resource‐based view (NRBV), this study examines the role of employee engagement in supporting successful implementation of green supply chain management (GSCM) practices. Specifically, we theorise and test the mediating role of employee engagement on the relationship between GSCM practices and environmental performance. Survey data from 394 manufacturing firms were used to test the model and hypotheses. Our findings show that employee engagement plays an important role in supporting the implementation of most GSCM practices. Non‐significant results in relation to eco‐design practices suggest that employee engagement is not as important for supporting product design‐based GSCM practices. Our study provides insights for managers and scholars seeking to address important questions around ‘how’ GSCM practices can be implemented effectively.