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The purpose of this study is to develop a methodology for the identification, categorization and prioritization of operational government-supported healthcare supply chain barriers (GHSCBs).

This study develops a theoretical background for identifying and segregating relevant GHSCBs and proposes a 5W2H (a Toyota production system) with fuzzy DEcision MAking Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) embedded approach to quantify the causal–effect relationships among the identified operational GHSCBs.

Seven GHSCBs (i.e. uncertainty of demand management, lack of continuous improvement and learning, lack of deadline management, lack of social audit, warehousing equipment unavailability, human resource shortage and inadequate top level monitoring) were identified as significant cause group where the government, top management and decision-makers of government-supported healthcare supply chain (GHSC) have to put efforts.

The results obtained are specific to the GHSC of Indian perspective, which could be extended to global context. However, the proposed approach can be a base and provide a platform to understand and analyze the interactions among GHSCBs.

The proposed methodology will show the appropriate areas for allocating efforts and resources to mitigate the impact of GHSCBs for successful implementation of healthcare supply chain.

According to best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study of operational barrier for GHSC in India in specific. The use of 5W2H embedded fuzzy DEMATEL approach for the development and analysis of the theoretical framework of Indian GHSCBs is unique in barrier literature.

The use of the general satisfaction index (GSI) concept is a great way to measure the organizational climate. However, the traditional concept has an inaccurate calculation approach. In order to review this concept, the purpose of this paper is to propose a methodology to obtain this index through a more appropriate mathematical approach, supported by some linear algebra concepts. For this purpose, an organizational climate survey was carried out in a bank agency to exemplify application of this method. Each step of the application was detailed, as well as the intermediate results achieved. Among its principal benefits are: improved accuracy to obtain the GSI; the possibility of a comparison with a minimum required rate for the decision-making process; and the possibility of identifying the order of priority of the organizational climate dimensions that mostly need improvements.

The working method was divided into three parts. The first part consists of the collection of data on employee satisfaction through a questionnaire based on Luz (2003) considerations and presented in a research performed by Maciel (2011), which uses 27 pertinent questions directed to the context of a banking system. These questions were answered on a scale from 0 to 4, where 0 means a very negative satisfaction condition and 4 a very positive one. The second part dealt with the application of the methodology for calculating GSI. The third and final part consisted of proposing improvements to increase the GSI of the studied bank agency.

In general, the proposed method has proved to be a great ally to climate research and also to identify the need for improvements in banking context. Finally, the use of the 5W2H tool has proved important to improve weak points observed in the climate analysis, providing an initial guide to raise the agency’s GSI and achieve the goals pursued by the company. It is noteworthy that, due to the fact that improvement actions have been inferred based on direct observation, there is still a need for further analysis and/or debates about the impact and viability of these solutions.

The proposed method turns GSI into a more accurate and appropriate tool, making it even more valuable in decision-making process faced by human resources departments focussed on improving or maintaining the organizational climate. To illustrate the application of the new approach regarding this tool, an organizational climate study in a bank branch is conducted.

To address the absence of Lean in transportation logistics in the digital era, this study aims to investigate the application of Lean transportation (LT) tools to reduce waste and facilitate the digital transformation of dedicated road transportation in the offshore industry.

The study adopts action research with a multimethod approach, including a scoping review, focus groups (FG) and participant observation. The research is conducted within the offshore supply chain of a major oil and gas company.

Implementing LT’s continuous improvement tools, particularly value stream mapping (VSM), reduces offshore transportation waste and provides empirical evidence about the intersection of Lean and digital technologies. Applying techniques drawn from organisational learning theory (OLT), stakeholders involved in VSM mapping and FGs engage in problem-solving and develop action plans, driving digital transformation. Waste reduction in loading and unloading stages leads to control actions, automation and process improvements, significantly reducing downtime. This results in an annual monetary gain of US$1.3m. The study also identifies waste related to human effort and underutilised digital resources.

This study contributes to theory and practice by using action research and LT techniques in a real intervention case. From the lens of OLT, it highlights the potential of LT tools for digital transformation and demonstrates the convergence of waste reduction through Lean and Industry 4.0 technologies in the offshore supply chain. Practical outputs, including a benchmarking questionnaire and a plan-do-check-act cycle, are provided for other companies in the same industry segment.

This technological article deals with a case study to implement an improvement to reduce the machine setup of an industrial process, in addition to the development of people using the A3 methodology for problem-solving.

As a research method, action research was used in a single-case study applied to a motorcycle production company, using the concept of the A3 report for problem-solving as the theoretical basis.

The implementation of the improvement in the process resulted in a reduction of 70.4% of the preparation time (setup) of the machines, thus eliminating the need to add a third production shift.

It has been applied to only one company, so it lacks a feasibility check to be implemented in other companies.

Regarding its practical contribution, the authors first consider that the proposed method can also be applied in small and medium-sized companies (SMEs), since the investment in this problem-solving approach is low without necessarily implementing the lean production system that, it is usually complex, time-consuming and requires the allocation of a substantial amount of resources by companies. The second practical contribution of this work is that the proposed A3 problem-solving methodology can serve as a guide for managers to implement or improve different industrial and service processes.

It has been applied to only one company, so it lacks a feasibility check to be implemented in other companies.

This paper explores Lean Six Sigma principles and the DMAIC (define, measure, analyze, improve, control) methodology to propose a new Lean Six Sigma 4.0 (LSS 4.0) framework for employee occupational exams and address the real-world issue of high-variability exams that may arise.

This study uses mixed methods, combining qualitative and quantitative data collection. A detailed case study assesses the impact of LSS interventions on the exam management process and tests the applicability of the proposed LSS 4.0 framework for employee occupational exams.

The results reveal that changing the health service supplier in the explored organization caused a substantial raise in occupational exams, leading to increased costs. By using syntactic interoperability, lean, six sigma and DMAIC approaches, improvements were identified, addressing process deviations and information requirements. Implementing corrective actions improved the exam process, reducing the number of exams and associated expenses.

It is important to acknowledge certain limitations, such as the specific context of the case study and the exclusion of certain exam categories.

The practical implications of this research are substantial, providing organizations with valuable managerial insights into improving efficiency, reducing costs and ensuring regulatory compliance while managing occupational exams.

This study fills a research gap by applying LSS 4.0 to occupational exam management, offering a practical framework for organizations. It contributes to the existing knowledge base by addressing a relatively novel context and providing a detailed roadmap for process optimization.

This study aims to propose a complementary method to the A3 information collection, data analysis and capturing and sharing knowledge to facilitate problem solving in a general framework. The incorporation of this method minimizes the difficulties identified in the literature focused on continuous improvement of processes. The method comprises combining triangulation techniques utilizing focus groups for a survey of qualitative data and the approach called Look – Ask – Model – Discuss – Act (LAMDA), which was originally designed for cycles of knowledge creation applied in product development processes.

The methodology proposed in this work follows the A3 report approach including focus groups’ techniques in the planning step and problem analysis and the use of the LAMDA learning cycle, aiming to fill the gaps in A3 method. Therefore, the methodology includes five macro steps, which are divided into smaller steps. Note that the inclusion of the LAMDA learning cycle in the A3 report is called A3LAMDA. In addition, macro steps from 1 to 4 belong to “knowledge creation” step and macro step 5 deals with the “Capture of knowledge” step. Along the proposed methodology application, greater focus will be given to techniques incorporated in the A3 report, as they represent the main contribution of this method.

The proposed approach to the A3 report was more concise and comprehensive, allowing different views and perspectives to be considered to understand the problem and find solutions through the focus groups method. In addition, the development of a structured questionnaire for the interviews encouraged the participants to present their opinions regarding the problem hypotheses. The use of the LAMDA learning cycle was essential to capture and share the knowledge acquired during the problem-solving process. It allowed not only the reflection on the aspects that have either worked or not but also the understanding of how to do the next work differently.

This study aims to propose a complementary method to the A3 information collection, data analysis and capturing and sharing knowledge to facilitate problem solving in the general framework. The incorporation of this method minimizes the difficulties identified in the literature that focused on continuous improvement of processes.

The purpose of this paper is to identify patterns of project risk management (PRM) practices’ adoption, and provides empirical evidence concerning the importance (and key attributes) of organizational PRM maturity to the use of risk-related practices and project performance.

The research involved two phases: interviews with five project managers, and a worldwide survey of project managers that resulted in the analysis of 865 valid questionnaire responses. Cluster analysis was used to classify PRM practices’ use, factor analysis to detect the structure of the relationship between the variables measuring PRM practices’ use and a multiple regression analysis (with canonical correlation) to further reveal the different degrees to which PRM practices and organizational maturity are associated.

The identified patterns of risk practices’ adoption indicate that different contexts of organization PRM maturity and project complexity influence practices selection. The PRM practices related with targets (e.g. time-phased budget plan) are the most used, and those related to tools and techniques (e.g. S-curve) are the least used. Additionally, the obtained results confirm that organizational PRM maturity influences risk practices’ usage, moderated by project complexity, and organizational PRM maturity influences project performance.

Empirical methods were used to investigate the relationship between organizational PRM maturity and a large set of PRM practices with project complexity as a moderator. Gaps in the use of PRM practices (i.e. areas where more PRM knowledge and training are needed) were identified. Finally, this work identifies the attributes of organizational maturity with implications in practices’ usage and project performance.

“Push learning” in construction management happens when learners have little or no power in defining the problem, action or knowledge that is required to improve their own working environment or process. In the “pull learning” situation, people working in construction are in charge of learning for themselves by exploring their actions as they work. This paper presents a case study that investigated the use of these learning strategies in the creation of a “learning mood” within a medium sized contractor towards modern production principles. The results showed clear indications that the creation of an effective “learning mood” in construction is more likely to happen in a supportive environment characterised by “pull learning”. However, “push learning” proved very useful in provoking the initial reflection that triggered “pull learning”. Therefore, a balanced approach between “push” and “pull” learning seems the best way to introduce changes in construction organisations searching for improvement and innovations.

This paper proposes an integrated value stream mapping (VSM) for a complex assembly line to improve the leanness of a complex automotive component manufacturing organization.

This study depicts the application of VSM at the case organization, where top management is concerned about the challenges of higher cycle time and lower productivity. Gemba walks were conducted to establish the concept of “walk the flow, create the flow” along the assembly line. The multi-hierarchical cross-functional team developed the current value stream map to know the “as-is” state. Then, the team analysed the current VSM and proposed the future VSM for the “to-be” state.

The integrated VSM shows different processes and work cells, various wastes, non-value-added activities, cycle time, uptime and the material and information flows for both products of the assembly line on the same map. The integrated VSM reduced cycle time, non-value-added activities, work in process inventory and improved line efficiency and production per labour hour for both the products, simultaneously.

The limitation of the study is that the study focussed only on the application of VSM for one complex assembly only. Future research may be conducted using the developed integrated VSM approach in other complex production environments.

Managers can identify and reduce system waste by incorporating the concept of integrated VSM in a complex production or assembly environment where two or more products are being manufactured/assembled with low similarity.

The application of VSM for assembly lines is highly challenging because of merging flows, a large number of child parts in the lines and assembly of more than one product on the same line.

Kaizen is an umbrella concept for a management philosophy based on a set of principles and values with different tools and techniques that form part of Company-Wide Quality Control. The purpose of this study to explore the empirical evidence of Kaizen philosophy practice and its effect on Ethiopian manufacturing industries, chemical companies in particular.

After the literature review, an exploratory empirical research, supported on a company observation, was adopted. The eight companies visit giveaway collecting annual technical reports and Kaizen award presentations. The review structure encompassed four major approaches. The first approach is conducting extensive literature review and adopting methodologies. The second approach is examining secondary data and developing SWOT analysis. The third is exploring Kaizen practices, developing framework, identifying drivers and barriers using charts, diagrams and graphs. The final approach is proposing way forward and implications based on the findings from the investigative study to emphasize the link between Kaizen practice and its effect on manufacturing industries’ performance.

The findings indicate practice of Kaizen brought in achieving monetary, nonmonetary and qualitative results. However, results vary from company to company. The average attained improvements of productivity, production volume, machine productivity and sales volume are 2.77%, 28.69%, 10.14% and 31.53% respectively. Moreover, a total of 71,932,472.19 ETB is saved by following structured framework and practice of social and technical factors. However, companies could not sustain Kaizen activities and unable to maintain the attained substantial improvements due to less effort made on some of the Kaizen practices identified as barriers on the cause and effect diagram of this exploratory study.

A sample size of eight companies is not adequate to generalize key findings of this study. This will be put right by carrying out further surveys in the future using questionnaire and semistructured interviews.

The findings of this study underlined that practice of Kaizen philosophy on chemical companies supported by structured implementation framework, full practice of drivers, eradicating barriers, sustaining practices and maintaining improvements enable in enhancing chemical companies performance through achieving quantitative (monetary and nonmonetary) and qualitative results.

Although there are a number of studies published on Kaizen, currently it is found that there is lack of literature on practice and effect of Kaizen philosophy. Based on this exploratory study and assessment, the framework and circumstance of Kaizen philosophy practices are providing valuable insights for chemical companies, other manufacturing industries and organizations, which will be on board on this voyage including Ethiopian Kaizen Institute, practitioners and academicians.