A conceptual lean implementation framework based on change management theory

Abstract

Over the last two decades, numerous studies have been presented on the drivers and barriers that companies face when they try to implement lean. Such studies have mostly been based on conducting surveys through questionnaires and interviews, and have targeted specific industrial sectors and / or geographic boundaries. For helping companies implement lean, a number of frameworks have been developed. Most of them though, look like more as roadmaps, prescribing the sequence of the various lean tools that have to be adopted without considering the complexity of the human factor. It comes thus as no surprise, that many companies have failed and were not able to reap the benefits of lean manufacturing. In all literature reviewed, successful lean implementation is accompanied by a change in the way companies value the different dimensions of work. One of the major challenges of lean implementation is guiding the change journey as detailed in the implementation plan. Lean manufacturing requires change in structure, system, process, and employee behaviour. In the present paper, a conceptual framework based on change management theory is proposed and discussed.