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This study aims to address challenges related to long lead time within a hazelnut company, primarily attributed to product quality issues. The purpose is to propose an integrated lean-based methodology incorporating a continuous improvement cycle, drawing on Lean Six Sigma (LSS) and Industry 4.0 applications.

The research adopts a systematic approach, commencing with a current state analysis using VSM and fishbone analysis to identify underlying problems causing long lead time. A Pareto analysis categorizes these problems, distinguishing between supplier-related issues and deficiencies in lean applications. Lean tools are initially implemented, followed by a future state VSM. Supplier-related issues are then addressed, employing root cause analyses and Industry 4.0-based countermeasures, including a proposed supplier selection model.

The study reveals that, despite initial lean implementations, lead times remain high. Addressing supplier-related issues, particularly through the proposed supplier selection model, significantly reduces the number of suppliers and contributes to lead time reduction. Industry 4.0-based countermeasures ensure traceability and strengthen supplier relationships.

This research introduces a comprehensive LSS methodology, practically demonstrating the application of various tools and providing managerial insights for practitioners and policymakers. The study contributes theoretically by addressing challenges comprehensively, practically by showcasing tool applications and managerially by offering guidance for system performance enhancement.

This paper aims to explore how leaders can develop value-based leadership for sustainable quality development in Lean manufacturing.

A qualitative meta-analysis was conducted using data from a three-year study of Lean manufacturing in Sweden using the Shingo business excellence model as an analytical framework.

This study demonstrates that leaders can develop value-based leadership to support Lean manufacturing by defining and articulating the organization’s values and accompanying behaviors that are needed to support the strategic direction; creating forums and time for leaders to identify the why behind decisions and reflect on their experiences to be able to lead a transformative process; and using storytelling to create a coaching culture to connect values and behaviors, to the processes and systems of work.

This paper contributes insights for developing value-based leadership to support a systemic approach to sustainable quality development in lean manufacturing. Findings are based on a limited case sample size of three manufacturing companies in Sweden.

The findings were derived using a unique methodological approach combining storytelling, appreciative inquiry and coaching with traditional data collection methods including surveys and interviews to identify, define and shape value-based leadership in Lean manufacturing.

The imperative to conserve resources and minimize operational expenses has spurred a notable increase in the adoption of lean manufacturing within the context of the circular economy across diverse industries in recent years. However, a notable gap exists in the research landscape, particularly concerning the implementation of lean practices within the pharmaceutical industry to enhance circular economy performance. Addressing this void, this study endeavors to identify and prioritize the pivotal drivers influencing lean manufacturing within the pharmaceutical sector.

The outcome of this rigorous examination highlights that “Continuous Monitoring Process for Sustainable Lean Implementation,” “Management Involvement for Sustainable Implementation” and “Training and Education” emerge as the most consequential drivers. These factors are deemed crucial for augmenting circular economy performance, underscoring the significance of management engagement, training initiatives and a continuous monitoring process in fostering a closed-loop practice within the pharmaceutical industry.

The findings contribute valuable insights for decision-makers aiming to adopt lean practices within a circular economy framework. Specifically, by streamlining the process of developing a robust action plan tailored to the unique needs of the pharmaceutical sector, our study provides actionable guidance for enhancing overall sustainability in the manufacturing processes.

This study represents one of the initial efforts to systematically identify and assess the drivers to LM implementation within the pharmaceutical industry, contributing to the emerging body of knowledge in this area.

This study aims to fully assess the readiness for Lean Six Sigma (LSS) and Quality Performance Improvement (QPI) in an Italian Public Healthcare ecosystem.

Drawing from previously established survey development and adaptation protocols, a replication study was carried out; Lean, Six Sigma and QPI were extracted and validated through confirmatory factor analysis in an Italian Public Healthcare setting, with a sample of health professionals from the Campania region.

This study reports the adaptation of an existing scale for measuring LSS and QPI in an Italian public healthcare organisation. This analysis extracts six conceptual domains and constitutes an original adaptation of an existing scale to assess the readiness to adopt Lean, Six Sigma and Quality Performance in Italian Public Health Organizations. The constructs show strong levels of internal consistency, as demonstrated by each item factor loading and each subscale reliability.

Managers, policymakers and academics can employ the proposed tool to assess the public healthcare ecosystem’s capability to implement LSS initiatives and strategies to improve quality performance.

This is one of the first studies to assess cross-regional organisational readiness for LSS and QPI in an Italian Public Healthcare environment at this scope and level.

This longitudinal study focuses on the specific behaviours of both top and other leaders in family firms that are implementing lean and green practices in order to contribute to the sustainability transition.

Over the course of two years and two months, longitudinal comparative case research was carried out within two Indonesian family firms in the logistics and transportation business. Data were collected via of 86 interviews, 37 observed meetings within the firms and 12 work floor visits. The thematic analysis approach was based on the “fuller full-range theory of leadership”.

Over time, the leaders at various hierarchical levels learned to diversify their behavioural repertoire; solely exhibiting the transactional or transformational leadership style was not effective for employees’ adoption of lean and green practices. Instead, the leaders had to integrate the behaviours from the transactional, transformational and instrumental leadership styles.

This study explores the extension of leaders’ behaviours over time. Our findings result in two propositions that theoretically explain the evolved behaviours that steered the organisational transformation towards a lean and green firm. Given its context (i.e. Indonesian family-owned logistics firms), this study offers insights that might generalise to similar family firms in other Asian countries.

This article aims to map the expectations of manufacturing companies towards suppliers in terms of implementing improvement activities. The article poses two research questions: RQ1: What kind of improvement of activities do the surveyed producers expect from their suppliers? RQ2: Do factors such as size, capital or implemented systems influence different assessments of the analyzed requirements toward suppliers?

The Computer Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) technique was used to collect data. The sample consists of 150 producers (employing over 50 people) who were suppliers for enterprises from the automotive, electromechanical and chemical sectors operating in the Polish business-to-business (B2B) market. We analyzed 11 improvement activities, while their correlation structure was examined by exploratory factor analysis.

We have identified three latent factors – risk reduction, product innovation and increasing efficiency – which summarize the main expectations of manufacturing companies towards suppliers. Expectations for these factors are independent of the implemented management system, although the analysis showed higher expectations for product innovation in organizations with the implementation of Kaizen.

The article fills the research gap in the literature. The research results presented in the literature so far have focused on the expectations of enterprises towards suppliers in terms of meeting the criteria for their initial and periodic assessment. The research gap in the article is the result of empirical research presenting the expectations of manufacturers towards suppliers in terms of improving their processes. Based on the findings of the presented study, development trends and implications for managers responsible for purchasing processes and relationships with suppliers can be determined.

Food waste is generated along the entire agricultural supply chain. From farm overproduction to lack of cold chain infrastructure, waste occurs for multiple reasons and negatively impacts the environment and society while generating economic losses. Although various supply chain actors and institutions have made attempts to reduce it, the activity is often confined to a single farm or to a retailer and charity dyad, without a systematic resolution of the problem. The environment is not only negatively impacted by the reduction of soil, water and biodiversity but also human beings suffer from malnutrition and food insecurity and finally, the entire supply chain faces considerable economic losses. Various supply chain actors have attempted to reduce this waste, but the results are often limited. The purpose of this paper is to consider systematic resolution by proposing a reconceptualisation from an alternative Operations and Supply Chain Management (O&SCM) perspective.

The proposed paper is problem-based research, which merges the research and industry perspectives derived from the authors’ field experience interviewing different supply chain stakeholders in Italy, the UK, the USA and France with an analysis of O&SCM literature related to food loss and waste.

In order to address the food waste problem, we propose a new perspective in dealing with food loss and waste through the lens of O&SCM. By reconceptualising O&SCM theories and methods with the unique aspects of food loss and waste and taking into account the multitude of stakeholders involved, we propose five research avenues.

The perspective of O&SCM management is missing when dealing systematically with food loss and waste, as researchers neglect its unique characteristics.

Logistics and supply chain management (L&SCM) scholars and practitioners have devoted extensive efforts to advancing green logistics practices (GLPs), yet the intersection between the two domains in relation to the topic remains underexplored. To accelerate GLPs’ development amid the escalating climate crisis, this research examines this intersection by comparing the responsiveness of academia and practice to the call for green logistics over time.

To compare between academia and practice, we combined a systematic literature review on the development of GLPs in L&SCM journals (N = 122) with a content analysis of annual and sustainability reports published by the four major global logistics service providers (LSPs: DHL, DB Schenker, UPS and FedEx; N = 156) over the past three decades.

This research reveals that all the GLPs covered in the L&SCM literature have already been applied and reported by practitioners, both consistently and over a significant period of time. Academic progress, in turn, is delayed by slow-paced empirical methods, elevated research quality standards, prolonged funding and recruitment processes, and extended peer-review intervals. Further, a tendency toward reactive knowledge creation rather than proactive knowledge transfer is evident, obscuring the role of L&SCM scholars in steering the industry’s green advancement.

Recommendations are offered to L&SCM authors, editors, reviewers and university departments to advance pracademic endeavors in green logistics research and increase its responsiveness to global events.

This is one of the first studies to scrutinize the intersection between academia and practice on the evolution of GLPs. The revealed gaps prompted us to suggest a transformative paradigm for academia-practice collaborations targeting the L&SCM discipline at large, combining a bold proactive research stream aimed at knowledge transfer with a more traditional reactive stream aimed at knowledge creation.

This study aims to identify the perception of people in a Portuguese company regarding the main barriers to the effectiveness of the existing performance measurement system (PMS) and whether those perceptions are dependent of people’s hierarchical levels, education levels, work shifts, gender and department.

Primary data was collected through structured interviews (adapted to three levels of interviewees in the company hierarchy) and Likert scale questionnaires. Descriptive statistical analysis of the collected data was performed as well as a chi-square test.

The results provide an insight on the perception of barriers to the PMS effectiveness in the company. After performing interviews and questionnaires it was possible to identify that the main perceived barriers were: poor communication system and issues on target definition, lack of trained resources, employee involvement, indicators understanding and use for improvement.

This study is the starting point to develop actions aiming to eliminate, or at least mitigate, the impact of the barriers on the PMS effectiveness.

PMSs play an essential role in an organization, so it is essential to identify what hinders its effectiveness. This study opens the discussion by diagnosing the company’s perception of the barriers to PMS effectiveness.

The integration of industry 4.0 has become a priority for many organizations. However, not all organizations are suitable and capable of implementing industry 4.0 because it requires a dynamic and flexible implementation strategy. The implementation of industry 4.0 often involves overcoming several tensions between internal and external stakeholders. This paper aims to explore the paradoxical tensions that arise for health-care organizations when integrating industry 4.0. Moreover, it discusses how a paradox lens can support the conceptualization and proposes techniques for handling tensions during the integration of industry 4.0.

This qualitative and in-depth study draws upon 32 semi-structured interviews. The empirical case concerns how two health-care organizations handle paradoxical tensions during the integration of industry 4.0.

The exploration resulted in six recurring technology tensions: technology invention (modularized design vs. flexible design), technology collaboration (automation vs. human augmentation), technology-driven patient experience (control vs. autonomy), technology uncertainty (short-term experimentation vs. long-term planning), technology invention and diffusion through collaborative efforts among stakeholders (selective vs. intensive collaboration) and technological innovation (market maintenance vs. disruption).

A paradox theory-informed conceptual model is proposed for how to handle tensions during the integration of industry 4.0. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper to introduce paradox theory for quality management, including lean and Six Sigma.