Organisational culture - Enablers and inhibitors factors for the effective implementation of lean

Abstract

Lean systems are used effectively in various organisations to improve productivity. Although Lean is a thoroughly discussed method within industries, there is a scarcity of research about cultural aspects and organizational culture related to Lean Implementation (LI). The paper aims to identify and explore organizational culture (OC) enablers and inhibitors of Lean Implementation (LI) in a Small and Medium-sized Manufacturing (SME) organization and the influences of organizational culture (OC) for continuous improvement. It proposes aspects of the Lean Implementation process and how these processes are affected by organizational culture. The study further explains how an organization can improve their implementation process of Lean by adopting Schein Model as a conceptual framework. A literature review research methodology used to identify the (OC) enablers and inhibitors for continuous improvement of Lean Implementation (LI). The literature review establishes the of Lean philosophy, benefits, assessment and the challenges of Lean implementation in SMEs. Moreover, the important of organizational culture, models of (OC), assessments of (OC) and conceptual framework of Schein’s Model. In addition, empirical evidence from reviewed literature shows that an organization cannot succeed in Lean implementation unless it has a healthy organizational culture.