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The burnout, stress, and work-life balance challenges faced by teachers have received renewed interest due to the myriad disruptions and changes to K-12 schooling brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Even prior to the pandemic, relatively little was known about teachers' time use outside of the classroom, the blurring of work and home boundaries, and how teachers compare to similar professionals in these regards. We use daily time-diary data from the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) for 3,168 teachers and 1,886 professionals in similarly prosocial occupations from 2003 to 2019 to examine occupational differences in time use. Compared to observationally similar non-teachers, teachers spend significantly more time volunteering at their workplace and completing work outside the workplace during the school year. On average, teachers spend 19 more minutes working outside of the workplace on weekdays than observably similar non-teachers and 38 more minutes on weekends. The weekend disparity is particularly large among secondary school teachers. This suggests that before the widespread switch to online and hybrid learning necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers were already navigating blurrier work-life boundaries than their counterparts in similar professions. This has important implications for teacher turnover and for the effectiveness and wellness of teachers who remain in the profession.

The purpose of this paper is to review Lean Six Sigma (LSS) literature and report different definitions, demographics, methodologies and industries.

This paper highlights various definitions by different researchers and practitioners. A total of 235 research papers has been reviewed for the LSS theme, research methodology adopted, type of industry, author profile, country of research and year of publication.

From the review, four significant LSS classifications were identified that deal with the spread of LSS in different industries followed by observation for classification.

LSS is a strategy for success, but it did not examine its presence in various Industries. From this paper, readers can understand the quantum of its spread before implementing LSS. For academicians, it will be a comprehensive list of papers for research.

This paper reviews 235 research papers for their year, author profile, research methodology and type of industry. Various characteristics of LSS definitions and their theme are also reviewed.

The purpose of this paper is to apply value stream mapping (VSM) for enabling leanness in an Indian camshaft manufacturing organisation.

Literature on lean manufacturing and VSM has been performed. A suitable organisation has been identified for conducting the case study. The current state map has been developed after making necessary observations and calculations. Then various improvement proposals have been identified and the future state map has been developed.

The industrial impact as a result of implementing the proposals has been determined. The improvement in leanness parameters has been found.

The implementation study has been conducted in only one organisation. But the organisation has implemented world‐class strategies such as ISO quality management system. Hence, the experiences gained by the conduct of this implementation study are feasible and deployable in similar organisations.

In order to acquire lean characteristics, modern organisations are focussed on the test implementation of various lean tools. The results of the implementation study indicated significant improvement in lean characteristics.

The implementation study reported in this paper is an original contribution of the authors, which has been conducted in a typical Indian industrial scenario. By the virtue of its research background and practical compatibility, the implementation study is considered to be highly valuable.

Value stream mapping (VSM) is very common in the manufacturing industry to enhance transparency and support improvements within the production process. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the current status of the method from the user’s point of view and addresses its future sustainability in the context of the ongoing digitalization.

An empirical survey with 170 participants from different branches was conducted. The web-based questionnaire covers the topics Lean Management, respectively, VSM, Industry 4.0, the integration of both approaches as well as a possible need for action to modify the VSM. Results are analyzed in a quantitative way.

Benefits and shortcomings of VSM are already confirmed by previous publications. The serious challenge is the lack of flexibility of the method. In general users appreciate a combination of Lean methods and solutions of Industry 4.0. Moreover 92 percent of the participating experts request further development of the VSM using digitalization to compensate weaknesses.

The findings are based only on Lean expert’s opinion. Over 95 percent of the participants are from Europe however most of them are from Germany. Although the results are adequate an international expansion of the survey would be advisable in order to distinguish local differences and similarities. In future work researchers need to further develop VSM to overcome the identified gaps.

Results of the study indicate the viewpoint of experts within different branches. This enables users to undertake a self-assessment regarding their own VSM-estimation.

This paper provides a current evaluation of the VSM from an exploratory perspective. The impact of global trends and new opportunities facilitated by digitalization are considered. Shortcomings and fields of actions become clear. Based on that necessity further research activities can be designed.

Value stream mapping (VSM) is a lean manufacturing (LM) tool used for analyzing material and information flow on a specific product family. The purpose of this article is to address the importance of VSM in LM environment in an Indian auto components industry.

The case study approach has been used to show the applicability and importance of VSM in an Indian auto components company, in which the current state of manufacturing is mapped with the help of VSM symbols. According to the current state mapping, the study conducted analysis and identifies the area of improvement needed in terms of work in process, lead time and cycle time. The study further implemented kaizen on the current state map and developed future state map while including these kaizens.

The study clearly shows that the VSM brings out the positive impact on process ratio, TAKT time, process inventory level, line speed, total lead and process time and reduced man power. It is helping the company in satisfying their customers with respect to quality, cost and delivery.

The main limitation of the study is the confined focus on a single industry. The case should be extended to other industries in order to support the findings and for the purpose of the wider generalization.

The results obtained from the study will help other industries and sectors to implement VSM in LM environment.

The article deals with a real case study, which shows application of VSM for implementing lean principles.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the current state of lean adoption in Indian manufacturing plants and its impact on operational performance.

A survey questionnaire was developed and adapted based on work done in US industries. The survey questionnaire was sent to 400 firms in four geographic regions in India. In total, 79 usable responses were received for the study.

Since lean manufacturing is a multi‐dimensional construct, the results demonstrate that approximately 80 percent of the respondents have implemented many dimensions of lean – focus on customer needs, pull system, setup time reduction, total productive maintenance, supplier performance, statistical process control, and cross‐departmental problem solving. The operational metrics have improved on all accounts: high productivity, reduced lead time, improved first‐pass correct output, reduced inventory and space requirement. Interestingly, respondents have indicated that first‐pass correct output, reduced manufacturing lead time, and increased productivity are the three main drivers of lean implementation.

Since the sample size is not very large, the results need to be considered with caution.

Lean manufacturing is a very popular concept in the developed world and in some countries in the developing world as well. Yet, little is known about its current status in India, except for a few case studies. The study investigates the degree of lean production implementation in Indian manufacturing plants and its impact on operational metrics. The study also indicates the relationship between lean dimensions/practices and operational outcomes.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate, through a comparative analysis, the applicability of lean manufacturing practices, such as value stream mapping (VSM), for productivity improvement in recycling centres (RCs) aided by multi-criteria decision analysis.

The study is carried out in five RCs that sort the municipal solid waste of Porto Alegre, one of the main cities in Brazil. Since all of the centres present their labour composed by poor communities’ members, cultural and social characteristics may represent an incremental challenge for lean implementation. Further, these centres are organised in cooperatives, in which decisions are taken through a participatory way and all their members are entitled to vote, undermining and retarding the decision-making process.

The integration of a multi-criteria decision-making tool to the lean practices enables the prioritisation of improvements, complementing the final stage of VSM. In particular, this contribution becomes especially important in cooperatives managed by community, where decisions are often complex and time-consuming. Finally, despite the increasing pressure for better performance of RCs, the existent mindset is still far from the private sector, where lean practices were conceived. Further, the findings suggest that, despite processes similarities, it is not feasible to declare the existence of a one-best practice to such scenario.

In theoretical terms, the authors demonstrate through a multi-case study the adequacy of analytic hierarchy process as a decision analysis tool complementary to the VSM, enabling a broader perspective about this subject. Concerning the practical contribution, the comprehension of the adaptation needs for lean practices implementation within the production context of solid waste RCs provides a framework with guidelines for this sector, when incorporating lean activities. Lean practitioners and eventual municipal authorities involved in improving productivity of community-managed RCs might benefit from this framework, since they will be able to emphasise the development of recommended and already tested lean practices that tend to improve their operational performance.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate lean tools correlation, interactions and implementation in manufacturing industry at multinational corporation and its impact on operational performance.

This paper used a survey questionnaire based on previous work done in the US industry. The questionnaire was distributed to 340 firms in 11 countries in the MENA region. These firms are multinational companies operating in this region post-2001, i.e. Greenfield manufacturing facilities. Total usable responses were 139 from 340 contacted by emails and phone, whereas 15 were face-to-face. The survey included 139 companies of which 66 companies were from North America, 40 from Europe and the rest were from South-East Asia (mainly Japan and South Korea).

Multinational manufacturing companies in MENA region are at an advanced level of lean implementation. Results present a detailed analysis of the top 16 lean practices and their impact on 15 operational performance metrics. In addition, the results also reveal a correlation and grouping/bundling of the 16 lean tools and their direct influence on the top 8 operational metrics.

Because the sample size only includes multinational companies operating in MENA region, the countries’ social, economic and political issues will directly influence them. For example, some of the countries have no or very weak unions, whereas other countries give the power to the organizations to force restrictions and guidelines that cannot be followed by other organizations. Therefore, the results need to be considered with caution.

Research about lean implementation in MENA region is rare, although few companies implemented lean since day one of their establishment. This research paper provides operations managers and practitioners with a guide that links lean tools implementation to operational performance metrics objectives with more depth and breadth in comparison with previous empirical studies on the topic.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which lean management practices are adopted by small- and medium-sized manufacturing organizations in India and their impact on firm’s operational performance (OP). Also, the paper makes an attempt to identify the barriers and challenges faced by Indian SMEs that are striving to succeed with improvement efforts based on lean manufacturing.

In this paper, acceptability and implementation of lean manufacturing in Indian Manufacturing SMEs were analyzed using three constructs, namely, process improvement (PI), flow management (FM) and waste minimization (WM). The responding firms were categorized into “lean-Beginners,” “In-transition lean” and “lean” group based on their phases of lean implementation. Using a survey questionnaire, data were collected from 121 manufacturing SMEs in India. Lean tools and barriers, identified from the literature review, were also included in the survey. The reliability and validity of the practice and performance measures were evaluated. Correlation analysis was employed to investigate the effects of three constructs on OP.

The results indicate that all the three lean constructs are significantly related to OP. In the context of Indian manufacturing SMEs, “PI” and “WM” practices have shown a higher level of significance on OP, compared to “FM” practices. “5S -workplace organization” was found to be the most practiced lean tool. “Attitude of workmen” was highlighted as the main obstacle in successfully implementing lean. The findings suggest overall positive effects as a result of applying lean tools and philosophy in Indian SMEs.

The research results may lack qualitative justification because of the chosen research approach. Therefore, the researchers are encouraged to explore the inter-relationship among various lean tools/practices and performance criteria by conducting a qualitative study in the form of a case study or action research.

This paper is a beneficial source of information that highlights the contribution of lean implementation in enhancing manufacturing productivity. The major tools and techniques used by Indian SMEs have been highlighted and discussed; it could be a genuine source of motivation to lean practitioner and entrepreneurs of SMEs to go in for lean implementation. The findings are also expected to benefit the lean practitioners and entrepreneurs of SMEs to focus on vital issues to facilitate successful lean implementation in an organization.

The paper demonstrates that practical implication of lean implementation can bring real breakthroughs in productivity to small- and medium-scale manufacturing firms.