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This paper aims to understand the patterns of lean production implementation, and the relationship between three context factors (i.e. firm size, positions within the supply chain and time length of the lean initiative) and the adoption of lean production practices in firms of the automotive supply chain in Brazil.

The authors collected data from 65 companies of the automotive supply chain in Brazil. For data analysis, first a cluster analysis was performed to identify common characteristics in the companies’ context factors when considering patterns of lean implementation. Then, multivariate analysis of variance was used to investigate the differences between the context factors and the degree of use of lean practices.

High lean adopters had better performance than low lean adopters in terms of lead time, inventory and turnover. Firms at the first and second tier of the automotive supply chain were “leaner” than firms at the third tier. Large-sized firms were more likely to have a higher degree of use of lean practices than medium and smaller ones. Some, but not all, lean practices followed these patterns. Results also showed that some lean practices were most commonly adopted at the beginning of the lean journey, whereas others took more time to mature.

This paper demonstrated how lean practices were implemented at different positions within the supply chain, and the patterns of implementation often followed. It also considers lean in the context of developing countries such as Brazil.

Resilience in lean production systems (LPSs) relies on both formal and informal practices. Considering that these latter are relatively less explored, this paper describes the nature and role of informal resilience practices in the performance of LPSs.

A survey was devised to assess the use of 12 informal practices related to resilience. The survey was answered by 206 respondents from high and low lean adopters in Brazil, focusing on their internal operations. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to assess the impact of those practices on operational performance. Six respondents were approached on follow-up interviews, offering examples of informal resilience in LPSs.

Both high and low lean adopters used informal resilience practices to a similar extent, and they were not detrimental to high lean adopters. These practices had no moderating effect on the relationship between the level of leanness and the operational performance of high lean adopters.

This study did not capture how the contribution of informal resilience practices changed over time within the same company.

As the informal resilience practices are not necessarily consonant with lean principles, their use and rationale should be made explicit to workers and managers in LPSs. Moreover, lean assessments might be more credible if paying heed to the informal ways of implementing lean practices.

This is the first study that investigates the role of informal resilience practices in LPSs.

This paper presents an exploratory investigation of myths on lean production (LP), by identifying, dispelling and assessing their pervasiveness.

A list of myths was proposed mostly based on seminal LP texts and our rich experience from researching, teaching and consulting in lean journeys. Complexity thinking was adopted as a lens for dispelling the myths, as it challenged generalizations implied in myths. An investigation of the pervasiveness of the myths was also conducted, based on a survey with 120 academics and practitioners.

Ten myths were identified and dispelled. Survey's results indicated that belief in lean myths was more common among less experienced practitioners (<10 years), while experience was not a relevant factor for academics.

The lean myths partly reflect the experience of the authors. Furthermore, a larger sample size is necessary for a full analysis of pervasiveness.

The lean myths might be underlying barriers to LP implementation (e.g. lack of knowledge of managers and workers), and they might be proactively accounted for in lean training and education programs.

This is the first work to explicitly frame a set of lean myths.

The COVID-19 pandemic offered a unique glimpse into the resilience of construction projects, shedding light on several learning opportunities. The purpose of this paper is to develop propositions for the improvement of resilient performance in construction in the post-pandemic era.

The propositions were developed based on an empirical study in Brazil. Data collection involved the analysis of regulations, interviews with health experts, managers, and workers, in addition to non-participant observations of the use of 37 control practices in 39 construction sites comparing the work-as-imagined and the work-as-done. The practices were classified in a hierarchy of controls.

Seven propositions for the improvement of resilient performance were developed, addressing collaboration between construction companies, slack resources, new health and safety practices, production planning and control, digital technologies, visual management, and organizational culture. These propositions emphasize organizational support for resilience. This is in contrast to the nature of most observed practices (57%) that relied on administrative controls and personal protective equipment, which are measures dependent on behaviors that resemble resilience at the individual level.

Although much has been studied on COVID-19 implications for construction projects, previous empirical studies have not adopted the organizational resilience perspective as the main theoretical background.

The purpose of this conceptual paper is to develop a model of the hypothesized relationships between investments and outcomes of resilient health care (RHC).

Based on the extant literature, the aforementioned model is described along with proxy measures of its composing variables and a matrix for assessing the cost-effectiveness of RHC instantiations. Additional possible relationships are set out in two propositions for theory testing.

The model conveys that RHC gives rise to both desired and undesired outcomes. Investments moderate the relationships between RHC and its outcomes. Both investments and outcomes can be broadly categorized as either human or technical. Moreover, the propositions refer to what type and how much investment is necessary to perform in a resilient manner, what are the intended or desired outcomes of RHC, for how long and who is affected by these outcomes.

The cost-effectiveness perspective of RHC is new and the proposed model opens opportunities for empirical and theoretical research.

Although leadership in lean systems is influenced by context, the mechanisms linking contextual factors (CFs) to leadership have not been explored. This study aims to present a framework for analyzing how context influences lean leadership competencies (LLCs).

The framework’s design was based on insights from literature and refined through an empirical study of a large manufacturing plant formally committed to lean. The evolution of CFs over time was monitored in this study, allowing for analyzing how these triggered the need for using LLCs.

The framework proved to be useful for as follows: the assessment of LLCs in different hierarchical levels; the analysis of how CFs and LLCs interact in specific “leadership events”; and the identification of improvement opportunities for supporting leadership. Four design propositions emerged from the empirical study, offering complimentary guidance for using the framework.

The framework was tested in one company, and therefore generalizations about its effectiveness need further applications.

The framework may be used fully or partly by practitioners. For instance, the assessment of LLCs can be used as a standalone tool according to the specific needs of practitioners. Also, by producing rich descriptions of LLCs and CFs, the framework may inform lean leadership development programs.

The framework allows for a systematic analysis of how a broad range of CFs influence LLCs, thus operationalizing an idea that so far has been discussed mostly on a theoretical level.

Surgical services are settings where resilient performance (RP) is necessary to cope with a wide range of variabilities. Although RP can benefit from a supportive built environment (BE), prior studies have focused on the operating room, giving scant attention to support areas. This study takes a broader perspective, aiming at developing BE design knowledge supportive of RP at the surgical service as a whole.

Seven BE design prescriptions developed in a previous work in the context of internal logistics of hospitals, and thus addressing interactions between workspaces, were used as a point of departure. The prescriptions were used as a data analysis framework in a case study of the surgical service of a medium-sized private hospital. The scope of the study included surgical and support areas, in addition to workflows involving patients and family members, staff, equipment, sterile instruments and materials, supplies, and waste. Data collection included document analysis, observations, interviews, and meetings with hospital staff.

Results identified 60 examples of using the prescriptions, 77% of which were related to areas other than the operating rooms. The developed design knowledge is framed as a set of prescriptions, examples, and their association to workflows and areas, indicating where it should be applied.

The design knowledge is new in surgical services and offers guidance to both BE and logistics designers.

This paper aims at examining how different types of shop floor performance feedback affect employee motivation and engagement. Based on this dataset, the authors analyzed the relationship between five types of performance feedback (safety, quality, productivity, improvement and individual performance) and three types of human-related outputs (motivation, role clarity and engagement) in light of socio-technical systems theory.

The authors designed a survey instrument and collected data from 492 employees of a large beverage distribution company. The authors used robust construct validity tests and multiple regression analysis to test the hypotheses.

The findings indicated significant positive effects of feedback on overall production, improvements and individual performance on all human-related outputs. In turn, safety and quality performance feedback had no statistically significant impact in motivation or engagement. These findings highlight the mixed nature of the impact of performance feedback on human-related outputs that have been neglected in the literature.

The joint analysis of the social and technical portion of performance feedback is unusual despite its clear relevance, which characterizes an original contribution of the authors’ work. Although previous literature supports the effect of performance feedback on motivation and engagement, previous studies have not tested how different types of feedback affect those social constructs.

The purpose of this paper is to define the individual leadership competencies that are necessary to implement and sustain lean systems, based on a multi-method approach.

Data collection involved a literature review of lean competencies, interviews with four experts from the university and the industry, and an empirical survey answered by 91 respondents, who represented companies from several sectors. These techniques provided a mix of qualitative and quantitative data, which set a basis for identifying a list of competencies and discussing its validity.

In total, 16 lean leadership competencies were identified and validated, in terms of content validity, face validity, and predictive validity. Regarding this latter validity type, the survey results indicated that the competencies are positively associated with key operational performance indicators, organizational maturity level of lean, and leaders’ experience with lean systems.

The identified list of competencies may be a basis for the development of formal lean leadership development programs. The list may also support the design of tools for assessing the competencies of leaders in lean companies.

A list of 16 lean leadership competencies was developed based on a verifiable research method that used a mix of data collection techniques. This methodological approach is a distinctive characteristic in comparison with earlier studies, which did not include an empirical validation of the competencies.