DisneyHint: Lean and Coaching-Based Employee Suggestion System for the Human Challenges of Industry 4.0

Abstract

Purpose: This article introduces a fresh approach to the Employee Suggestion System (ESS), integrating Japanese and American Lean methodologies with coaching principles, notably the Disney Strategy. Its objective is to tackle human challenges in Industry 4.0, including boosting employee engagement and commitment, fostering innovation, and safeguarding organizational knowledge—critical solutions for mitigating the impact of the Great Resignation phenomenon. Design/methodology/approach: An abductive methodology was utilized, combining deductive and inductive approaches. The deductive phase involved a systematic literature review on Employee Suggestion Systems (ESS) to establish a theoretical foundation. Concurrently, the inductive phase consisted of 30 interviews, conducted in two stages. Initially, 17 interviews focused on analyzing ESS practices within three multinational companies, alongside insights from the literature review. Subsequently, 13 interviews assessed the reception of the new ESS concept in addressing practical challenges within the Industry 4.0 paradigm in these contexts. The system concept was then subjected to modelling, prototyping and testing using the co-design methodology, integrating elements of the Japanese (Kaizen Teian) and American ESS (Kaizen Teian adapted to Western industry) approaches. Findings: This article introduces an Employee Suggestion System (ESS) concept and tool that combines elements from both the Japanese and American Lean approaches to ESS (not studied, until now, systematically), incorporating coaching principles. Drawing from the Kaizen Teian tradition, it encourages groupthink, while also embracing American influences by promoting innovative thinking (using the Disney Strategy) through a rewards strategy, including gamification. Originality/value: This paper presents a novel ESS concept designed to adapt to contemporary industrial settings by combining Lean principles with technology integration and human-centric approaches such as the Disney Strategy. Designed to address the specific challenges faced by Lean companies pursuing digital strategies, this tool provides a solution to three key Industry 4.0 challenges: empowering the workforce through voice behavior, preserving organizational knowledge, and promoting innovation.