Lean Office contributions for organizational learning

Abstract

Purpose

In organizational contexts, learning fosters the creation of knowledge at the individual and collective levels. In Lean Office, processes are customer oriented through continuous improvement and elimination of waste. In addition, Lean Office can promote changes in the corporate environment and drive organizational learning. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to identify and analyze the Lean Office factors that contribute to the organizational learning.

Design/methodology/approach

The method consists in a qualitative analysis of researches on Lean Office carried out in Brazil, based on the theoretical framework for analyzing organizational learning proposed by Argote and Miron-Spektor (2011). This framework defends the relevance of context and experience in knowledge conversion processes in organizations.

Findings

The study shows that Lean Office provides benefits for the learning process through Work Cells, Value Stream Mapping and Continuous Improvement. The effects of Lean Office are present in the organizational context, culture and behaviors, attitudes and skills of individuals.

Practical implications

This study brings for academics a discussion on Lean Office from the standpoint of elements pertaining to the organizational learning process. In this aspect, the study proposes treating the topic at a strategy level, striving to break out of the research boundaries that limit their scope to their operational results. For practitioners, the study introduces Lean Office factors that add positive results to the organizational learning process.

Originality/value

The paper presents a reflection of Lean Office in the field of organizational learning. In addition to the elimination of waste, the study investigates other functions in which Lean initiatives play a role, such as providing solutions for organizational problems and creating favorable learning contexts.

Citation

Freitas, R.d.C., Freitas, M.d.C.D., Gomes de Menezes, G. and Odorczyk, R.S. (2018), "Lean Office contributions for organizational learning", Journal of Organizational Change Management, Vol. 31 No. 5, pp. 1027-1039. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOCM-06-2017-0221