Sustaining the lean ideology

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the interface between Lean strategy and organisational transformation by scrutinising the literature on why Lean strategies fail to be implemented and/or sustained.Design/methodology/approachAs a conceptual and research paper, it develops a hypothesis. It encompasses philosophical discussions and comparative studies of others’ work and Lean thinking alongside its links to the principles, ideology, philosophy and underpinning values. The search involved a total of 1,931 articles spanning across 75 different journals. The content analysis approach suggested by Mayring (2004) was selected.FindingsSuccessfully implementing Lean is more complex than often recognized within the literature, and the alignment between strategy and organisational transformation is repeatedly not undertaken. The investigation indicates policymakers need to view Lean as an ideology and not simply another process.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper addresses the inaccurate representation in the concept of Lean as a strategy. While a major evolution has occurred comprising the inputs perceived as imperative for Lean success, a translucent empathy of its philosophy alongside an acknowledgement of the magnitude of the change and transformation necessary has been comparatively perplexing. This paper has implications for academic scholars of strategy and organisational change, as well as for practitioners seeking to implement organisational change.Originality/valueEmpirical evidence suggests that most Lean strategies struggle. Customers are becoming more demanding, markets are becoming more customised, and product life-cycles getting shorter are dictating that Lean needs to be embraced as an ideology.

The strategy and change interface: understanding “enabling” processes and cognitions

“…In addition to the Chen et al (2021) paper, the other two papers by Ferreira et al (2021) and the Bhasin and Found (2021) also demonstrate the benefits of modularity by binding different parts of an organization and working with external alliance partners to achieve a common investment end. By recognizing this and the “non-redeployability” or specificity of their complementary offerings and associated resource bases, it is clear that by making the joint objective of value creation the priority, the inevitable existence of incomplete contracts do not constrain; “ecosystems add value as they allow managers to coordinate their multilateral dependence through sets of roles that face similar rules, thus obviating the need to enter into customized contractual agreements with each partner” (Jacobides et al , 2018, p. 2,255).…”

“…The paper by Bhasin and Found (2021), Sustaining the lean ideology, examines why the implementation of lean strategies habitually fail. The authors acknowledge a key reason may be an inability to appreciate what a transformation embedding a lean strategy at an Editorial organization entails.…”

Impact of lean principles on operational performance in high uncertainty

“…First, identifying the value, then, mapping the value stream, followed by creating the flow and establishing the pull to finish with seeking perfection. These principles need to be implemented in all of the operations in order to improve the performance (Bhasin and Found, 2021).…”

“…In response to this economic situation, Tаiiсhi Ohno, а Japanese industrial engineer and Toyota executive, invented а сonсept to reduce production costs; it was known as the Toyota Production System (TPS) (Shang and Low, 2014). The system consists of decreasing the costs, avoiding wastes, maintaining optimal quality, producing as soon as requested by the customer, and continually improving (Bhasin and Found, 2021). The contextual factors in Lebanon in 2021 resemble to a great extent to the conditions that were present in Japan in a post - Second World War setting in terms of recession, lack of infrastructure, and scarcity of resources which back then contributed greatly to the origin of Lean (Shang and Low, 2014).…”

Global study into the pros and cons of ISO 18404: a convergent mixed method study and recommendations for further research

“…Since George (2002) first proposed merging LSS in LSS, LSS has become the industry norm. Many authors have discussed the importance of LSS as a catalyst for culture change (Bhasin and Found, 2020; Atkinson, 1989) and a standard may be seen as too rigid and may interfere with the cultural element. Roser (2016) also highlighted that with a standard such as ISO 18404, like with any standard, the aim is to get certified and recertified and that the LSS programme can become a paperwork exercise rather than a cultural change.…”