The effects of lean organizational practices on employees' attitudes and workers' health: evidence from France

Abstract

International audienceWork organization has deeply changed during the last decade, in particular with the introduction of a new type of management production system in the industrial and service sectors – the lean production system. Few studies have considered the social outcomes of work organization forms. Using the high-performance work system (HPWS) theoretical framework, we first analyze the influence of these specific lean work organization practices and then study the effect of a lean practices bundle on job satisfaction, employees' intent to stay and health at work. The quantitative analysis that we carried out on a French national database (n = 24,486) gives ambiguous results. Our study highlights negative consequences of several lean work organization practices (delegation of responsibilities, problem-solving demand, standardization, job rotation) on job satisfaction, employees' intention to stay and health at work. However, quality management is positively linked to health at work. Lean work organization practices, as a bundle, have a deleterious effect on attitudes and health at work. To our knowledge, quantitative research has rarely been performed on the effects of a lean practices bundle on attitudes and health at work. Our study shows the contrasting effects and the risks associated with the development of lean production, which leads us to suggest some practical implications

Customer-driven management models for choiceless clientele? Business process reengineering in a California welfare agency

“…In the same agency, fatigue, musculoskeletal disorders and stress were positively associated with the volume, pace, intensity and pressure of work, and negatively associated with task variety and control over work (Carter et al, 2013). More broadly, analysis of lean based on a representative sample of the French workforce across industries and occupations finds increased responsibility and standardization each positively associated with stress, physical tiredness and insomnia (Bouville and Alis, 2014). Baines (2010) argues convincingly that lean (and reengineering) is particularly likely to lead to heavy workloads, skill fragmentation and reduced autonomy in the social services sector, with its limited resourcing and vulnerable clients.…”

Are all aspects of lean production bad for workers? An analysis of how problem‐solving demands affect employee well‐being

“…Various studies by critics, however, identify problem-solving demands as a detrimental lean job characteristic leading to negative well-being outcomes in terms of increased job anxiety and depression (Jackson & Mullarkey, 2000) and deteriorating health Bouville and Alis (2014). They argue that decentralisation of problem-solving responsibilities is likely to stress employees, particularly when they are not ready or willing to embrace these tasks (Vidal, 2007b).…”

Lean production and the well‐being of the frontline manager: the job demands – resources model as a diagnostic tool in Chinese manufacturing

“…Liker ) while also calling for a greater expenditure of energy and contributing to greater fatigue (e.g. Bouville and Alis ). We therefore hypothesised that:

Hypothesis 3: Lean‐specific job challenges will be positively related to FLMs’ exhaustion.

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