People Management Practices that Underpin Lean Management Outcomes

Abstract

While evidence exists for an association between people management practices (PMP), firm characteristics and lean manufacturing practices (LMP), there is limited research focusing on different sized firms. What is not understood is ( 1) what PMP bundles are chosen by different sized firms which adopt LMP, and (2) what firm characteristics play a role in explaining these choices. The empirical evidence is based on archival data sourced from the world management dataset comprising of 299 Australian and New Zealand manufacturing firms. Using path analysis and disaggregated data on a set of commonly adopted PMP, we test for six PMP, namely, instilling a talent mindset, promoting, rewarding, retaining and attracting high performance as well as removing poor performers; and identify PMP chosen by firms which have a lean manufacturing strategy (LMS) and that adopt LMP. We find that relatively smaller firms that adopt many LMP also chose removing poor performers and promoting high performers to complement their LMS. The education level of management in those same relatively smaller sized firms is found to be a key factor explaining this PMP bundle. Deeper inspection of the results reveals differences between smaller versus larger firms. The study contributes to lean and people management literature that helps identify bundles of PMP chosen by different sized enterprises to complement their lean manufacturing strategy and practices.

Environment Practices Mediating the Environmental Compliance and firm Performance: An Institutional Theory Perspective from Emerging Economies

“…The role of deploying technology to promote the environmental culture (Benzidia et al, 2021), circular economy (Rajput & Singh, 2019), green supply chains (Ivanov et al, 2020), and lean production (Ciano et al, 2020;Agarwal et al, 2021) has been the focus of recent literature supporting the RBV and dynamic capabilities. The literature reports in dynamic organizational contexts having multiple stakeholders are involved, such as suppliers, customers, policymakers, considerable period planning, and various products dealt together.…”

Examining the viability of lean production practices in the Industry 4.0 era: an empirical evidence based on B2B garment manufacturing sector

“…In the environmental dimension context, it has been discovered that the advantages offered by LP practices, such as enhanced product excellence and decreased inventory status, are associated with lowering pollution levels (Kamble et al, 2019;Ali et al, 2021). One of the most popular LP practices, VSM, has been demonstrated to assist in environmental preservation by mapping resources, power, and groundwater through a systematic approach (Agarwal et al, 2021;Shi et al, 2022). The incorporation of LP with environmental science reduces the installation costs of different environmental development projects, marginal expenses linked to pollution control, hazardous chemical diffusion, and waste minimization (Hao et al, 2021).…”

“…Many businesses fail to examine the strategic alignment of LP techniques, attempting to deploy them in situations in which they are inappropriate (Shi et al , 2022). Others may find that the fundamental procedures of LP are insufficient and therefore do not suit the firm’s operational needs (Agarwal et al , 2021). Furthermore, although they appear to be successful in the early LP adoption stage, many businesses struggle to maintain the inaugural enthusiasm of their LP initiative (Solke et al , 2022).…”