Employees’ Participation and Involvement in Lean Management: The Experience of a Training Program of Assembly Lines Workers

Campagna, Luigi; Pero, Luciano; Pero, Margherita

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-41429-0_30

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 2 publications

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“…Existing literature reviews have contributed significantly to the understanding of the barriers and enablers of lean methodology in SMEs (Hasle et al , 2012; Hu et al , 2015; Khazanchi et al , 2007; Magnani et al , 2019; Sony and Mekoth, 2019) but have failed to consider comprehensively the lowest hierarchical level, which was previously found crucial (Vidal, 2007). Hence, authors in the field of lean have emphasized the need for a better understanding of FLEs’ behavioral aspects, alongside the various contextual determinants (Schmidt, 2011; Zhang et al , 2012), especially in the SME context (Campagna et al , 2020; Hu et al , 2015; Losonci et al , 2017; Pearce et al , 2018) in which companies are significantly lagging in lean implementation, besides the great potential (Pech and Vaněček, 2018). However, the existing literature offers anecdotal evidence from studies focusing on employees in SMEs and their role in lean implementation (Hines et al , 2011; Losonci et al , 2017, 2011; Shokri et al , 2016), with the main focus on the identification of critical success factors, readiness to embark on lean applications of human resource practices and measuring employees’ performance.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Importance of first-line employees in lean implementation in SMEs: a systematic literature review

Knapić

Rusjan²,

Božič³

2022

IJLSS

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Purpose Existing research evidence shows a fragmented understanding of the roles of first-line employees (FLEs) as essential factors for successful lean implementation in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), provoking recent calls for additional research on the identification of enablers and barriers for lean acceptance among workers. Therefore, this paper aims to identify related enablers and barriers to lean implementation among FLEs and determine future research avenues for improving the understanding of lean methodology implementation in SMEs. Design/methodology/approach Relying on a systematic literature review methodology, the authors aimed to synthesize and evaluate available peer-reviewed papers on the role of FLEs in lean implementation in SMEs. General descriptive and thematic analysis comprehensively depicted the selected research topic and identified the main themes within collected papers and potential future research questions. Findings The authors identified four main themes related to FLEs’ role in lean implementation: cultural change factors, employee characteristics, management involvement and lean job design. Within each theme, the authors present a comprehensive overview of FLE-related factors and associated enablers and barriers that should be considered for a successful lean implementation in SMEs. Practical implications The research outcomes are important to practicing managers in SMEs, helping them facilitate lean acceptance and enhance the likelihood of successful lean implementation. Originality/value The insights from this study present building blocks in developing a lean implementation model for SMEs that considers the FLEs’ role more comprehensively.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Importance of first-line employees in lean implementation in SMEs: a systematic literature review

Knapić

Rusjan²,

Božič³

2022

IJLSS

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Innovating the management of corporate crises with new forms of participation of trade union representatives and workers

Campagna¹,

Pero²

2022

Studi Organizzativi

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In Italy corporate restructuring crises are traditionally managed by companies through communication to the workers' representatives about the negative impacts on production structures and on workplaces. Therefore, the trade union representatives adopt defensive methods focused on minimizing the impacts on employment. The role of representatives is subordinate to that of managers who have the goal of making decisions and minimizing the interference of trade unions. Workers also play a secondary role in supporting the union in the negotiation process. In the two corporate cases studied, instead, the possibility emerges for trade union representatives to play a proactive role and to collaborate with management in an agreed solution to the crisis that is more favourable to workers. To arrive at these positive solutions, the fundamental role is played by organizational and technological innovation that significantly improves company performance, as supported by the direct participation of workers. In these cases, coordination between the factors at stake is ensured by the ability of the actors to manage a risky and complex innovative process in a shared way.

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Employees’ Participation and Involvement in Lean Management: The Experience of a Training Program of Assembly Lines Workers

Cited by 2 publications

References 2 publications

Importance of first-line employees in lean implementation in SMEs: a systematic literature review

Importance of first-line employees in lean implementation in SMEs: a systematic literature review

Innovating the management of corporate crises with new forms of participation of trade union representatives and workers

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