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The purpose of this paper is to improve the understanding of the social contexts of sustainable Lean culture in healthcare by examining self-efficacy (SE) as a fundamental construct related to the value of perceived readiness, prior education of Lean and the importance of leadership’s system-level support.

A descriptive correlational study was conducted to identify the relationships between SE and Lean readiness factors, SE and prior Lean training, SE and clinical vs administrative roles and SE and perceived system-level support in a large health system.

There was a statistically significant difference in self-reported readiness to use Lean tools between individuals who had received Lean training during their academic education and those who had not; however, their level of education did not impact SE. Lastly, and perhaps most important, the learner who embodies SE also has system-level support.

Future directions of this research, in addition to assessing team readiness as other studies suggest, would be to evaluate individual team member readiness by gauging SE and addressing deficits prior to the deployment of process improvement (PI) projects to promote success and sustainability.

This contributes to the ongoing scholarship of Lean management systems, providing clinical and non-clinical leaders with a contextual understanding of their supportive role in the SE of teams.

This study demonstrates the value of understanding SE of individual team members and how it can contribute to overall improved team outcomes, directly impacting the sustainability of Lean change culture and its promotion of improved patient safety, cost efficiencies and access to care.

Many firms have adopted different methodologies such as lean management to increase customer satisfaction. This is because they need to respond to customer demands for improved products and responsive service. This study aims to evaluate the influence of soft lean practices (SLP) on business performance in the service sector.

Out of 702 questionnaires distributed to various service companies in Zimbabwe, 260 valid responses were received. Structural equation modeling was used to assess the relationship among the factors of the proposed model.

The implementation of SLP leads to improvement in the business performance of the service companies. However, the impact of SLP on business performance is mainly indirect, mediated by customer satisfaction.

The research focused on the implementation of SLP in the service industry of a developing country; hence, the results obtained may require further investigations before generalization to other countries with different sociocultural contexts is made.

Most previous studies focused mainly on the implementation of the technical lean practices in the manufacturing industry without properly acknowledging the importance of SLP. This research investigates the importance of SLP in the service sector and further explores the mediatory role of customer satisfaction on business performance. The findings also validate the service-profit-chain theory.

The purpose of this study is to understand how the level of readiness for artificial intelligence (AI) affects the overall performance of companies, determine the role of organizational flexibility in adapting to new technologies and business models and assess the importance of lean sustainability and value creation for technology-focused companies.

Technology companies working in technoparks in Istanbul were determined, and a questionnaire was applied to senior employees such as experts, engineers and managers working in these companies. The results were processed with a sample of 456 units. SmartPLS program was used for analysis.

As a result of the analyzes, it is supported by hypotheses that AI readiness and organizational flexibility have positive effects on lean sustainability and value creation.

When evaluated in terms of the limitations of the research, it would not be correct to evaluate the results of the analysis in general, since the data were collected from technology-focused companies in technoparks in Istanbul.

Examining the variables that make up the research model in technology-oriented companies helps to understand the critical factors for the future success of companies. At the same time, this research is important for companies to make more informed decisions in their strategic planning, technological transformation processes and value creation strategies.

This research topic offers a unique approach in terms of bringing together topics such as AI readiness, organizational flexibility, sustainability and value creation. These issues play an important role in the strategic planning of technology-focused companies, and when considered together, they are important in terms of examining the critical factors that affect the future success of companies.

With the growing need for employees to be innovative, public-sector organizations are investing in employee training. This study aims to examine the effects of a combined Lean Six Sigma and innovation training, using action learning, on public-sector employees’ creative role identity and innovative work behavior.

The authors studied a public service agency in Singapore in which a five-day Lean Innovation Training was implemented, using a combination of Lean Six Sigma and Creative Problem-Solving tools, with a simulation on day one and subsequent team-based project coaching, spread over six months. The authors administered pre- and postintervention surveys among all the employees, and initiated group interviews and observations before, during and after the intervention.

Creative role identity and innovative work behavior had significantly improved six months after the intervention, enabled through senior management’s transformational leadership. The training induced managers to role-model innovative work behaviors while cocreating, with their employees, a renewal of their agency’s core processes. The three completed improvement projects contributed to an innovative work culture and reduced service turnaround time.

Starting with a role-playing simulation on the first day, during which leaders and followers swapped roles, the action-learning type training taught all the organizational members to use various Lean Six Sigma and Creative Problem-Solving tools. This nimble Lean Innovation Training, and subsequent team-based project coaching, exemplifies how advancing the staff’s creative role identity can have a positive impact.

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.

The study aims to identify Green Lean Six Sigma (GLSS) barriers in the context of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and prioritize them for executing the GLSS approach.

A systematic literature review (SLR) was used to identify a total of 14 barriers, which were then verified for greater relevance by the professional judgments of industrial personnel. Moreover, many removal measures strategies are also recommended in this study. Furthermore, this work also utilizes Gray Relational Analysis (GRA) to prioritize the identified GLSS barriers.

The study reveals that training and education, continuous assessment of SDG, organizational culture, resources and skills to facilitate implementation, and assessment of satisfaction and welfare of the employee are the most significant barriers to implementing this approach.

The present study provides an impetus for practitioners and managers to embrace the GLSS strategy through a wide-ranging understanding and exploring these barriers. In this case, the outcomes of this research, and in particular the GRA technique presented by this work, can be used by managers and professionals to rank the GLSS barriers and take appropriate action to eliminate them.

The ranking of GLSS barriers gives top officials of HEIs a very clear view to effectively and efficiently implementing GLSS initiatives. The outcomes also show training and education, sustainable development goals and organizational culture as critical barriers. The findings of this study provide an impetus for managers, policymakers and consultants to embrace the GLSS strategy through a wide-ranging understanding and exploring these barriers.

The GLSS barriers in HEIs may significantly affect the society. HEIs can lessen their environmental effect by using GLSS practices, which can support sustainability initiatives and foster social responsibility. Taking steps to reduce environmental effect can benefit society as a whole. GLSS techniques in HEIs can also result in increased operational effectiveness and cost savings, which can free up resources to be employed in other areas, like boosting student services and improving educational programs. However, failing to implement GLSS procedures in HEIs could have societal repercussions as well. As a result, it is critical for HEIs to identify and remove GLSS barriers in order to advance sustainability, social responsibility and operational effectiveness.

GLSS is a comprehensive methodology that facilitates the optimum utilization of resources, reduces waste and provides the pathway for sustainable development so, the novelty of this study stands in the inclusion of its barriers and HEIs to prioritize them for effective implementation.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the integrated application of business process modeling and notation (BPMN) and value stream mapping (VSM) to improve knowledge work performance and productivity in police services. In order to explore the application of the hybrid BPMN-VSM approach in police services, this study uses the department of digital crime investigation (DCI) in one Norwegian police district as a case study.

Service process identification was the next step after selecting an appropriate organizational unit for the case study. BPMN-VSM-based current state mapping, including time and waste analyses, was used to determine cycle and lead time and identify value-adding and nonvalue-adding activities. Subsequently, improvement opportunities were identified, and the current state process was re-designed and constructed through future state mapping.

The study results indicate a 44.4% and 83.0% reduction in process cycle and lead time, respectively. This promising result suggests that the hybrid BPMN-VSM approach can support the visualization of bottlenecks and possible causes of increased lead times, followed by the systematic identification and proposals of avenues for future improvement and innovation to remedy the discovered inefficiencies in a complex knowledge-work environment.

This study focused on one department in a Norwegian police district. However, the experience gained can support researchers and practitioners in understanding lean implementation through an integrated BPMN and VSM model, offering a unique insight into the ability to investigate complex systems.

Complex knowledge work processes generally characterize police services due to a high number of activities, resources and stakeholder involvement. Implementing lean thinking in this context is significantly challenging, and the literature on this topic is limited. This study addresses the applicability of the hybrid BPMN-VSM approach in police services with an original public sector case study in Norway.

This paper aims to highlight how the six sigma methods helped the medical equipment manufacturing company in finding and analysing the root causes that lead to the reduction in production rate, rejection rates, quality and other major causes that lead to the reduction in productivity of the blood bags manufacturing unit.

Given the critical nature of blood bag manufacturing Six Sigma was chosen as the primary methodology for this research since Six Sigma’s data-driven approach provides a structured framework to identify, analyse and rectify inefficiencies in the production processes. This study proposes the Six Sigma DMAIC (D-Define, M-Measure, A-Analyse, I-Improve, C-Control) encompassing rigorous problem definition, precise measurement, thorough analysis, improvement and vigilant control mechanisms for effectively attaining predetermined objectives.

The paper demonstrates how the Six Sigma principles were executed in a blood bag manufacturing unit. After a detailed and thorough data analysis, it was found that a total of 40 critical-to-quality factors under the five drivers such as Machine, Components, Inspection and Testing, People and Workspace were influential factors affecting the manufacturing of blood bags. From the study, it is identified that the drivers such as inspection and testing, components and machines contribute significantly to increasing productivity.

The paper offers valuable strategic insights into implementing Six Sigma methodologies within the specific context of a blood bag manufacturing unit. The Six Sigma tools and techniques used by the project team to solve issues within the blood bag manufacturing unit can be used for similar healthcare organizations to successfully deploy Six Sigma. The insights from this research might not be directly applicable to other manufacturing facilities or industries but can be used as a guiding reference for researchers and managers.

The current state of scholarly literature indicates a significant absence in the examination of Six Sigma methodologies designed specifically to improve production output in healthcare equipment manufacturing. This paper highlights the application of Six Sigma principles to enhance efficiency in the specific context of blood bag manufacturing.

Leveraging the job demands-resources (JD-R) theory, this study proposes and validates a mediation model depicting the impact of health-promoting leadership (HPL) on innovation performance (IP), with the relationship partially mediated by two health-related factors: psychological well-being (PWB) and positive conflict (PC).

Employing a structured questionnaire developed from validated scales sourced from the existing literature, the study collected data from a sample of 310 employees across various organizations within the service sector of the United Arab Emirates. The dimensionality, reliability, and validity of scales were assessed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The study’s seven hypotheses were tested through structural equation modeling in AMOS and mediation analysis using the Hayes process model in SPSS.

Support was found for all seven hypotheses, demonstrating that HPL exerts both a direct and an indirect effect on IP, with PWB and PC serving as partial mediators.

Distinct from the traditional leadership literature, which often views an employee’s psychological health as a personal matter, this study highlights the organizational role in promoting psychological well-being. It also provides significant theoretical contributions to the underexplored area of conflict management within the context of innovation.

By promoting employees' PWB, HPL can optimize human capital within organizations. Additionally, leaders can leverage the potential of PC to foster an environment conducive to innovation, resulting in enhanced organizational performance.

The findings enrich the leadership and IP literature by identifying inter-relationships between the three health related antecedents of IP.

The study aims to develop a hierarchical model for innovative work behaviour (IWB) that can capture the complex associations among the factors contributing to IWB within the information technology (IT) sector. To accomplish this, the authors rely on an abductive approach using a graph theoretic model, often called interpretive structural modelling (ISM).

After conducting an in-depth literature review and using the Delphi method, the authors identified 12 factors (11 enablers and IWB as an outcome). The authors collected data through the Delphi approach by sending the questionnaire to 11 experts from academia and the IT sector who have extensive experience and knowledge relevant to the study. The authors then used the ISM method to analyse the relationships among these factors and understand their driving forces.

Based on the ISM model and the Matrice d'Impacts Croisés Multiplication Appliquée à un Classement analysis, the authors have identified that inclusive leadership, proactive personality and knowledge creation ability are the variables with strong driving power but weak dependence. Conversely, IWB has strong dependence but weak driving power. These findings suggest that to foster IWB, the organisation should prioritise inclusive leadership, proactive personality and knowledge-creation ability to succeed in challenging times. The study’s findings contribute to the social exchange theory, which explains IWB in a dynamic setting. Additionally, the study helps address the significant concerns that most IT companies face during times of crisis.

The study provides valuable guidance for managers and policymakers who are grappling with the challenges of improving IWB in the IT sector. This study is particularly relevant as the industry is currently navigating an economic recession and facing intense competition from other tech companies launching new products and services.

This research holds great significance for top executives, line managers and policymakers in the IT industry. It sheds light on the relevance and importance of various factors facilitating millennials' IWB.