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Question: Defining lean production: some conceptual and practical issues

Answer: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the definition of lean production and the
methods and goals associated with the concept as well as how it differs from other popular
management concepts.The paper is based on a review of the contemporary literature
on lean production, both journal articles and books. It is shown in the paper that there is no consensus
on a definition of lean production between the examined authors. The authors also seem to have different
opinions on which characteristics should be associated with the concept. Overall it can be concluded
that lean productionis not clearly defined in the reviewed literature. This divergence can cause some
confusion on a theoretical level, but is probably more problematic on a practical level when organizations aim to
implement the concept. This paper argues that it is important for an organization to acknowledge the
different variations, and to raise the awareness of the input in the implementation process. It is further
argued that the organization should not accept any random variant of lean, but make active choices
and adapt the concept to suit the organization’s needs. Through this process of adaptation, the
organization will be able to increase the odds of performing a predictable and successful
implementation.This paper provides a critical perspective on the discourse surrounding lean
production, and gives an input to the discussion of the implementation of management models.

(Source: Pustaka Negeri Sarawak, 05 Aug 2021)

Source Link: https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.451.9811&rep=rep1&type=pdf