PurposeThis paper aims to propose a methodology to support public managers' adaptation of the Hoshin Kanri (HK) strategy deployment approach in the context of lean thinking (LT), considering strategic alignment and consensus reaching when prioritizing a vital few of the organization's continuous improvement (CI) projects.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology incorporates the A3 problem-solving report into the HK approach to identify and outline CI projects. The priority and deployment of the projects are weighted by a composite score for impact and innovation using the Delphi method. The proposed methodology was applied in one Norwegian police district as part of action research.FindingsThe obtained results indicate that the proposed methodology provides an intuitive and systematic approach to weigh the importance and ensure alignment of CI projects with the organization's strategy and goals. Consequently, this minimizes the possibility of strategy deployment priorities being weighted by decision bias and siloed decision-making.Originality/valueThe literature on strategy deployment in the context of LT in police services is significantly limited and this study aids in fixing this gap. The adapted HK approach can support the implementation of LT as an integral part of a comprehensive strategic management system, thereby enabling knowledge sharing and exploration of the extendibility of implemented best practices and improvement ideas to problems arising across the organization.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a risk-based prioritization method (RBPM), using functional failure risk and strategic importance assessment, in order to support public managers' decision-making process for the planning and allocation of scarce resources.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology incorporates two assessment matrices into a management group’s decision-making process for resource allocation. As part of an action research strategy, the authors present the developed RBPM and its application in one Norwegian police district.FindingsThe RBPM provides a processual approach to detect risk of failures in the organization, which can facilitate better planning and allocation of resources, to mitigate risks from materializing and enhance performance. The results also indicate that the proposed assessment models provide an easier approach to consolidating different perspectives and weighting the strategic importance of disciplinary functions, when prioritizing the planning and allocation of scarce resources is necessary.Research limitations/implicationsThe research is restricted in that it only considers one police district in Norway. Further limitation surrounds the issue of generalizability, as only one unit from the district is used. Further research should adapt and extend the developed RBPM in the district.Practical implicationsThe RBPM may be of interest to public managers in the emergency sector operating with a large number of disciplinary functions in a highly dynamic and uncertain environment.Originality/valueThe RBPM applied in this study is based on approaches with advanced application in the oil and gas industry adapted to a contextually different environment which, in contrast, consists of functional hierarchies composed of human resources.

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Purpose This paper aims to explore knowledge work waste and defines the priorities for enhancing performance and productivity in policing and prosecution services (PPS), especially in the crime investigation process (CIP). Design/methodology/approach Using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), a case study of a Norwegian police district is examined to identify and prioritize the most performance-vulnerable crime investigation unit, using the adapted knowledge work waste as the performance metric. Findings Nine waste categories and 15 subcategories are identified and understood within a two-dimensional network of managerial and operational waste adapted for the PPS. The AHP helps classify levels of priority for each knowledge work waste and orderly prioritization of crime investigation units. Research limitations/implications The findings have limited generalizability, as they are based on a single Norwegian police district. This warrants research on the wider applicability of the adapted waste categories and approach. Practical implications This study can support public managers in implementing lean thinking and identifying the most prominent wastes in a complex system. In this context, processes and operations are among the factors dominated by knowledge work and are dependent on multiple stakeholders, cross-functional activities and interdisciplinary collaboration, which is more challenging to measure systematically and quantitatively than in a manufacturing environment. Originality/value This study contributes to the gap in lean thinking literature by advancing the knowledge on the adaptation and application of the foundational principles of lean thinking in the PPS and CIP.

Digital transformation (DT) is gaining interest and changing citizens' expectations of service organizations' ability to deliver high-value, real-time digital services. However, from an organizational perspective, DT entails a continuum of transitions that emphasize cultural, organizational, processual and relational changes. Over the past few decades, Lean thinking has been a dominant part of many organizational philosophies and proven to be an important enabler, to cater for the aforementioned changes. With its focus on reducing organizational complexity and increasing value for the end-user, it can support DT through its systematized utilization of methods and tools for improvement. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the use of Lean thinking to develop and enhance service processes and its contributing effect to enable DT in service organizations. Accordingly, a conceptual process for Lean digital transformation (LDT) is developed and discussed. In order to test the developed LDT process, action research was conducted in a sales and service organization in Norway, where an after-sales process was selected for current-state analysis. The conducted study resulted in the development and commercialization of a software system, which has been licensed and implemented by approximately 100 users within a year. The findings of this study reveal a great improvement and innovation potential in utilizing Lean thinking to enable and drive DT.