Lean Transformation Success: The Role of Management and Employee Engagement

Ivona Jovanović; Milena Gatić; Dragana Stojanović; Dušan Gošnik

doi:10.7595/management.fon.2023.0012

Ivona Jovanović University of Belgrade, Faculty of Organizational Sciences, Serbia http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9672-561X
Milena Gatić University of Belgrade, Faculty of Organizational Sciences, Serbia http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7018-3370
Dragana Stojanović University of Belgrade, Faculty of Organizational Sciences, Serbia http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7381-9891
Dušan Gošnik University of Primorska, Faculty of management Koper, Slovenia http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5576-8760

DOI: https://doi.org/10.7595/management.fon.2023.0012

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to compare the engagements of employees and management throughout Lean transformation, which could enhance the Lean transformation success and encourage better fulfilment of goals. Based on the role of Lean and the importance of the decisions of management within a company, we wanted to identify which management and employee engagements are efficient and does their common influence can lead to a successful Lean transformation. Data was collected through an online survey, in which participants expressed their opinions on various aspects of Lean transformation in the company. The paper provides a comparative discussion of engagements, which could be useful for improving a company’s waste elimination, cost reduction, improving capabilities, increasing competitive advantage, financial and operational performance improvement. It gives practitioners guidelines on building a corporate culture where management and employees’ roles and involvements are directed towards achieving successful Lean transformation. Research Question: This study investigates which management and employee engagements enhance the fulfilment of Lean transformation goals and whether there is any difference in opinion among management and employees about Lean transformation success. Motivation: Our motivation was to explore different stakeholder roles within the company for Lean transformation. Idea: The main idea of this study was to examine the role of Lean from two perspectives, based on the level of engagement and role in the company – management and employee roles, and how they influence the company’s success. Data: An online survey was conducted, where the respondents pointed to various aspects of the company, such as company size, industry they operate in, ownership structure, etc. Data processing was carried out in the SPSS 25 package on 82 responses. Tools: As the initial step of the research, using Cronbach's alpha, it was concluded that obtained set of items in the group are closely related and measure a particular aspect. Mann-Whitney U test and Spearman-rho correlation test were used for the data analysis. Findings: The findings present a comparison of engagements and recommendations for engagements to follow in order for the company to be more successful in Lean transformation. Contribution: This research can help in reducing the research gap on the lack of comparisons of the engagement in these stakeholder roles. It provides practitioners with guidance on what steps they should take to be more successful in Lean transformation so that they can focus more on overcoming them and less on identifying them.

Author Biographies

Ivona Jovanović, University of Belgrade, Faculty of Organizational Sciences, Serbia

Ivona Jovanović is a PhD candidate in Information systems and quantitative management. She currently works as a Teaching Assistant at the Department of Industrial and Management Engineering at the Faculty of Organizational Sciences. She has participated in several projects for public and private companies, and her main research interests are Lean Manufacturing Operations Management and Business Process Management. Her papers appeared in academic journals and international conferences cover these topics.

Milena Gatić, University of Belgrade, Faculty of Organizational Sciences, Serbia

Milena Gatić is a young researcher currently employed as Teaching Associate at the Department of Industrial and Management Engineering at the Faculty of Organizational Sciences, University of Belgrade. Her interests include Industrial Engineering, Operations Management, Business Process Management and Sustainability.

Dragana Stojanović, University of Belgrade, Faculty of Organizational Sciences, Serbia

Dragana Stojanović holds PhD in Industrial and Management Engineering, and works as an Assistant Professor at the Department of Industrial and Management Engineering of the University of Belgrade, Faculty of Organizational Sciences. She is the head of the Laboratory for Work Study at the same institution. She has participated in many projects for public and private enterprises, with an expertise in Operations Management, Business Process Management and Continuous Process Improvement. She has published papers in peer-reviewed academic journals and international conferences, covering topics of Business Process Management, Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Process Improvement.

Dušan Gošnik, University of Primorska, Faculty of management Koper, Slovenia

PhD Dušan Gošnik is an assistant professor and researcher on the field of management. He is employed at the Department of Management at Faculty of Management in Koper, Slovenia. Dušan's area of expertise is business process management, lean management, project and strategic management. For more than 9 years he has been employed as project manager in large international company.