Pandemic's effect on the relationship between lean implementation and service performance

Abstract

PurposeThis paper aims at examining the impact that COVID-19 pandemic and its related work implications have on the relationship between lean implementation and service performance.Design/methodology/approachThe author surveyed service organizations that have been implementing lean for at least two years and remotely maintained their activities during the COVID-19 outbreak. Multivariate data techniques were applied to analyze the dataset. This study was grounded on sociotechnical systems theory.FindingsThe findings indicate that organizations that have been implementing lean services more extensively are also more likely to benefit from the effects that the COVID-19 had on work environments, especially in the case of home office. Nevertheless, social distancing does not appear to mediate the effects of lean services on both quality and delivery performances.Originality/valueSince the pandemic is a recent phenomenon with unprecedented effects, this research is an initial effort to determine the effect the pandemic has on lean implementation and services' performance, providing both theoretical and practical contributions to the field.

Learning from Pandemics Past and Present for Service Theory and Practice

“…The four manuscripts published in this issue consider pandemics as transformational periods and combine to describe both the unique challenges of a pandemic as well as offering unique opportunities for both businesses and individuals to rethink how they operate. The manuscripts in this SI focus on service businesses (Mele et al, 2021), lean service implementation (Tortorella et al, 2021), health care services (Brodie et al, 2021) and service to marginalized groups of people (Finsterwalder et al, 2021).…”

“…In the second article, Tortorella et al (2021) offer a managerial viewpoint of the pandemic, examining how the COVID-19 pandemic impacts the relationship between lean service implementation and performance. Contrary to what might be expected, the authors' findings indicate that the pandemic actually enhances this relationship.…”

“…people-related) aspects; a particular area of interest is the impact of the widespread switch to working from home. Tortorella et al (2021) examine their hypothesis by conducting a survey among leaders of service organizations in India, as one of the countries with the most cases of COVID-19 in 2020. All of the respondents were working remotely and have been implementing lean for at least two years.…”

Resilient manufacturing: case studies in Thai automotive industries during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Interventions required to counteract the COVID-19 pandemic affected business operations and changed the way employees work. Virtual or remote work and online meetings were adopted for employees to work from home (WFH) (Gallup, 2020;Tortorella et al, 2021). The new normal is a challenge for the manufacturing and service sectors to operate, the resilience of businesses and supply chain management.…”

Bridging employee curiosity and service creativity: a new lens

“…To date, service innovation has been predominantly considered a crucial means adopted by a service firm to pursue growth or performance (Moreira et al , 2020; Singh e t al., 2020). The importance of innovation in the service sector is particularly advocated given the serious impingement caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic (Mele et al , 2020; Tortorella et al , 2020; Voorhees et al , 2020). Given that “all innovation begins creative ideas” (Amabile et al , 1996, p. 1154) and employees often “are the service” in service contexts (Choi and Lawry, 2020), managing the production of innovative ideas from employees becomes imperative for firms to successfully implement service innovation (Akesson et al , 2016).…”