Lean leadership : A matter of dualism

• On the basis of previous literature, this study takes a snowball approach to identify people influential on the topics through their writings. The aim was to conceptualise leadership and management in regard to lean, thus increasing understanding of the roles of leadership and management in lean development. The findings showed that leadership and management are two different but complementary action systems, similar to the duality of Toyota's two foundational principles: respect for people and continuous improvement. Differentiating between leadership and management is important in order to meet organisational needs during a lean implementation; each has complementary functions. Practical implications include the need to further train managers in leadership and to work within organisational culture to influence on-the-job behaviour. This lack of leadership competence may be one reason companies tend to address lean as a toolbox rather than an enterprise-wide system that covers all its operations and entails cultural and behaviour standards.

Subject headings

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Maskinteknik -- Produktionsteknik, arbetsvetenskap och ergonomi (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Mechanical Engineering -- Production Engineering, Human Work Science and Ergonomics (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Ekonomi och näringsliv -- Företagsekonomi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Economics and Business -- Business Administration (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Competence

Complementary

Development

Duality

Enterprise-wide system

Human resources

Leadership

Lean

Management

On-the-job behaviour

Organisational culture

Organisational effectiveness

Snowball approach

Toyota way

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)