Organizational culture for lean programs

Abstract

Purpose Recent studies suggest that the implementation of Lean will only be successful when aligned with organizational culture (OC). The purpose of this paper is to understand an Ideal Lean Culture (ILC) in the Brazilian context. Design/methodology/approach This diagnosis is based on the Competing Values Framework, and it is the result of a survey with 51 experts in charge of implementation of Lean programs in organizations operating in different industry segments in Brazil. Findings The results show that an ILC for Brazilian organizations seems to have the dominant profile of the hierarchy culture, thus characterizing a highly structured and formal place, with rules and procedures governing the behavior of people. Research limitations/implications Some limitations of this study include: although a survey has been applied, the research cannot be classified as a quantitative study; it brings the opinion of a limited number of Brazilian experts about lean programs; both the sample size could be increased and the nationality of respondents could be expanded for future research. Practical implications It is proposed that an organization (or an area of the organization) that wants to be successful in its lean journey must, first, measure its OC and then promote a cultural profile aligned with the results presented in this paper. By doing so, it is expected that this lean journey should have a higher probability of long-term success and sustainability of lean practices, concepts and philosophy. Originality/value In the last two decades much has been written about the importance of OC in the success of lean programs. However, very few studies has mapped and measured an ILC in a way that allows researchers, consultants and managers to evaluate if an OC is close to or distant from an ILC.

Organizational Culture and Knowledge Sharing Behavior: Examining Serial Mechanisms

“…Paro and Gerolamo (2017) found that hierarchy culture characterized as formal and structured governs the behavior of people through rules and procedures. According to social exchange theory, knowledge sharing involves reciprocity and hierarchical relations in a work setting encompass the relational aspect of exchange process, making the later unnecessary (Serenko & Bontis, 2016).…”

Measuring Project’S Team Culture in Projects Using the Last Planner System

“…The mean of the scores of all participants represent the score for the culture (ibid, p. 33). Rudimentarily described, the four quadrants stand for the following characteristics (Paro and Gerolamo 2017) 1. Clan (Collaborate)sense for the group or family, focus on the development of people and the team spirit 2.…”

“…The distribution between the market-and the clan quadrant are balanced and the adhocracy quadrant has a low score. In another study, Paro and Gerolamo (2017) conducted a survey with 51 Brazilian Lean System experts who are in charge to implement Lean systems to define the Ideal Lean Culture from their perception. The outcome of this study is presented with shape B in Figure 1.…”

“…A corresponding project culture of collaboration is necessary to apply LPS successfully, which differs to the conventional culture at construction projects. To reach such an intended culture, it is necessary to define the target conditions and compare the actual situation to investigate what has to be adjusted (Paro and Gerolamo 2017).…”

Assessment of Organizational Culture in Construction – A Case Study Approach

“…The journey from the current state to the desired state should be in incremental steps, analyzing the variations and improvement that take place in every step. There has been a study conducted in Brazil to find out the Ideal Lean Culture (Paro and Gerolamo 2017), which managers can use to benchmark the progress of their own journey. However, the study considered only the desired organizational culture for sustaining Lean.…”