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Cited by 2,897Quality and Supply ManagementManagement and Optimization TechniquesDigital Transformation in Industry

Lean manufacturing: context, practice bundles, and performance

Shah, Rachna, Ward, Peter T·2003·Journal of Operations Management
DOI 10.1016/s0272-6963(02)00108-0
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Abstract

Management literature has suggested that contextual factors may present strong inertial forces within organizations that inhibit implementations that appear technically rational [R.R. Nelson, S.G. Winter, An Evolutionary Theory of Economic Change, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 1982]. This paper examines the effects of three contextual factors, plant size, plant age and unionization status, on the likelihood of implementing 22 manufacturing practices that are key facets of lean production systems. Further, we postulate four “bundles” of inter‐related and internally consistent practices; these are just‐in‐time (JIT), total quality management (TQM), total preventive maintenance (TPM), and human resource management (HRM). We empirically validate our bundles and investigate their effects on operational performance. The study sample uses data from IndustryWeek ’s Census of Manufacturers. The evidence provides strong support for the influence of plant size on lean implementation, whereas the influence of unionization and plant age is less pervasive than conventional wisdom suggests. The results also indicate that lean bundles contribute substantially to the operating performance of plants, and explain about 23% of the variation in operational performance after accounting for the effects of industry and contextual factors.

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  • Kanban prevents fabrication of defective pieces by identifying the process of the defect, avoiding reaching subsequent processes, resulting in error-free production.

    “previene la fabricación de piezas defectuosas mediante la identificación del proceso del que procede el defecto, evitando que lleguen a los procesos subsiguientes, lo que resulta en una producción libre de errores. 47”

    From Marco de Referencia de la Aplicación de Manufactura Esbelta en la Industria (2017) · cites this paper as [47]

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Authors
Shah, R., & Ward, P. T.
Affiliations
  • University of Minnesota (US)
  • The Ohio State University (US)
Corresponding author
Shah, Rachna
ORCID
Shah, Rachna
Venue
Journal of Operations Management
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2002-10-30
Volume
21
Issue
2
Pages
129-149
ISSN
  • 0272-6963 (ISSN-L)
  • 1873-1317
DOI
10.1016/s0272-6963(02)00108-0
OpenAlex
W1984103729
Cited by
2,897
References
2
Citations by year
2026: 75 · 2025: 105 · 2024: 135 · 2023: 146 · 2022: 131 · 2021: 225 · 2020: 213 · 2019: 247 · 2018: 241 · 2017: 170 · 2016: 148 · 2015: 170 · 2014: 179 · 2013: 158 · 2012: 151
FWCI
22.52
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor)
Locations
Journal of Operations Management (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • Center for Excellence in Manufacturing Management (CEMM)
  • Fisher College of Business
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Management Information Systems › Quality and Supply Management
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Strategy and Management › Management and Optimization Techniques
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering › Digital Transformation in Industry
Keywords
lean manufacturing, lean implementation, contextual factors, plant size, plant age, unionization, just-in-time, total quality management, human resource management, operational performance, factories

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