Purpose-The purpose of this research is to investigate the role of management support in a lean implementation. The impact the lean implementation made on communication within the organization is also examined. Design/methodology/approach-Qualitative methods were used to study the relationships between management support, organizational communications, and a lean manufacturing implementation. A case study was conducted in an electronics manufacturing company in the northwestern USA. Data were collected over a three-month time period. The data were coded using an evolving coding scheme and analysis was performed on the resulting data set. Findings-Evidence was found to support the supposition that management support does play a role in driving a lean manufacturing implementation. Management support impacted the lean manufacturing implementation both negatively and positively. The research also found moderate support for improved communication in the organization attributable to the lean implementation. Research limitations/implications-The organization studied was in the early stages of implementing lean manufacturing practices and principles. Future research should include multiple organizations with a longer history of lean manufacturing. Practical implications-The research findings identified management support and communications as important variables in a lean manufacturing implementation. Furthermore, there is evidence that these variables are critical in not only the implementation of lean manufacturing practices and principles, but also in the ongoing planning and deployment efforts of organizational leaders. Originality/value-This research provided empirical evidence for the role of management support and communication in an organization's lean implementation. The findings highlight the importance of studying organizational phenomenon within real-world settings. As a result of the methodology used, both positive and negative implications were identified. The research design has enabled the uncovering of a complex set of relationships that existed between two sociocultural variables and an organization's effort to improve performance through the implementation of lean practices.

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; however, despite their popularity and apparent potential for creating improvement, there is a lack of systematic research on Kaizen events. The majority of current Kaizen event publications are focused on anecdotal results from companies that have implemented Kaizen events (Sheridan, 1997; Cuscela, 1998) and untested design recommendations from individuals and organizations that facilitate Kaizen events (e.g., Laraia et al., 1999; Vitalo, Butz, and Vitalo, 2003). There is no systematic, empirical evidence on what sort of Kaizen event designs may be most effective for achieving and sustaining improvements in business performance or human resource outcomes. A particular weakness of the current published accounts is the lack of attention to less successful events-only strongly successful Kaizen events receive much coverage in the accounts. This is despite the fact that Laraia et al. (1999) suggest that most companies will have difficulty sustaining even half of the results from a given event. In addition, the organizational learning literature suggests that understanding less successful tool applications is a key component of organizational learning (Sitkin, 1992; Lounamaa and March, 1989; Cole, 1992). This paper describes results from an ongoing research program focused on identifying determinants of Kaizen event effectiveness, both in terms of initial event outcomes and the sustainability of outcomes. In particular, the paper presents a case study of a less successful Kaizen event studied in the current research to demonstrate how the event contributed to organizational learning, and to highlight how the methods and measures used in the current research allowed triangulation of multiple data types and sources. The implications of the case study event for the current body of knowledge on Kaizen events are also examined, and, finally, directions for future research are described. Current Research Program Based on the lack of previous research on Kaizen events, in 2002, Oregon State University and Virginia Tech began a joint research effort aimed at understanding Kaizen events. This effort is aimed at measuring the outcomes of Kaizen events (both technical performance and human resource outcomes), and identifying what design and context factors relate to the effectiveness of Kaizen events, both in terms of generating positive initial results and sustaining event outcomes over time. The goal of the research is to sample multiple Kaizen events in multiple organizations, in order to better understand how these events (and associated outcomes) vary both within and across organizations and industry types. A total of six organizations participated in the first phase of this research program, which