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The purpose of this paper is to examine the digitalization of operational processes and activities in lean manufacturing firms and explore the associated learning implications through the lens of cumulative capability theory.

Adopting a multiple-case design, we examine four cases of digitalization initiatives within lean manufacturing firms. We collected data through semi-structured interviews and direct observations during site visits.

The study uncovers the development of learning capabilities as a result of integrating lean and digitalization. We find that digitalization in lean manufacturing firms contributes to the development of both routinized and evolutionary learning capabilities in a cumulative fashion.

The study adds nuance to the limited theoretical understanding of the integration of lean and digitalization by showing how it cumulatively develops the learning capabilities of lean manufacturing firms. As such, the study supports the robustness of cumulative capability theory. We further contribute to research by offering empirical support for the cumulative nature of learning.

This paper aims to investigate how manufacturers can foster insights and improvements from real-time data among shop-floor workers by developing organisational “learning-to-learn” capabilities based on both the lean- and action learning principle of learning through problem-solving. Second, the purpose is to extrapolate findings on how action learning can enable the complementarity between lean and industry 4.0.

An insider action research approach is adopted to investigate how manufacturers can enable their shop-floor workers to foster insights and improvements from real-time data at VELUX.

The findings report that enabling shop-floor workers to use real-time data consist of developing three consecutive organisational building blocks of learning-to-learn, learning-to-learn using real-time data and learning-to-learn generating real-time data − and helping others to learn (to learn).

First, the study contributes to theory and practice by demonstrating that a learning-to-learn capability is a core construct for manufacturers seeking to enable shop-floor workers to use real-time data-capturing systems to drive improvement. Second, the study outlines how lean and industry 4.0 complementarity can be enabled by action learning. Moreover, the study allows us to deduce six necessary conditions for enabling shop-floor workers to foster insights and improvements from real-time data.