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This study aims to investigate the implementation of lean human resource management (HRM) practices in manufacturing small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and explore how various factors interact to influence their successful adoption. By exploring the interplay among these factors, the research seeks to identify key drivers affecting the adoption of lean HRM in manufacturing SMEs. Ultimately, the research intends to provide insights that can guide organisations, practitioners and policymakers in effectively implementing lean HRM practices to enhance operational efficiency, workforce engagement and competitiveness within the manufacturing SME sector.

The study combined total interpretive structural modelling (TISM) and Matrice d'Impacts Croisés Multiplication Appliquée à un Classement (MICMAC) analysis. TISM helped in understanding the hierarchical relationship among different factors influencing lean HRM implementation, whereas MICMAC analysis provided insights into the level of influence and dependence of each factor on others.

The research revealed that “top management support” emerged as the most independent factor, indicating that strong support from top management is crucial for initiating and sustaining lean HRM practices in manufacturing SMEs. On the other hand, “employee involvement and empowerment” was identified as the most dependent factor, suggesting that fostering a culture of employee engagement and empowerment greatly relies on the successful implementation of lean HRM practices.

While the study provided valuable insights, it has certain limitations. The research was conducted within the specific context of manufacturing SMEs, which might limit the generalizability of the findings to other industries. Expert opinions introduce subjectivity in data collection. Additionally, the study may not cover all critical factors, allowing room for further exploration in future research.

The findings have practical implications for manufacturing SMEs aiming to implement lean HRM practices. Recognising the pivotal role of top management support, organisations should invest in cultivating a strong leadership commitment to lean HRM initiatives. Furthermore, enhancing employee involvement and empowerment can lead to better adoption of lean HRM practices, resulting in improved operational efficiency and overall competitiveness.

This research contributes to the field by offering a comprehensive exploration of the interplay among factors influencing lean HRM implementation. The use of TISM and MICMAC analysis provides a unique perspective on the relationship dynamics between these factors, allowing for a nuanced understanding of their roles in the adoption of lean HRM practices in manufacturing SMEs. The identification of “top management support” as the most independent and “employee involvement and empowerment” as the most dependent factors adds original insights to the existing literature.

This study investigates the relationship between lean manufacturing practices, management accounting and performance measurement (MAC & PM) practices, organizational strategy, structure, and culture, and facility performance. We extended past research by examining the relationships between lean manufacturing, MAC & PM practices and performance in a broader organizational context. Our study was performed using survey data provided by managers and executives at 368 facilities that had contacted the Shingo Institute for information or that had entered a Shingo Prize competition. Consistent with past research we found a significant positive association between lean manufacturing practices and lean MAC & PM practices. We found that greater employee empowerment, use of process performance measures, and use of lean accounting practices were driven primarily by lean strategy and secondarily by the extent of lean manufacturing practices. We also found that changes in organization structure to support lean are driven primarily by lean strategy and secondarily by lean manufacturing practices. Change toward lean culture, on the other hand, is driven by the extent of lean manufacturing practices. Further, we found that emphasizing process performance measures does not reduce emphasis on results performance measures and emphasizing results performance measures leads to improved financial performance. Process and results measures are being used in tandem and value stream costing has not replaced traditional accounting. The results of our study provide important insights for managers of companies engaged in lean transformation and for academics who teach or research lean accounting.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors that promote the successful adoption of lean practices in manufacturing firms operating in developing economies in South America.

Based on the results obtained from using structural equation modeling to analyze the collected data, the authors argue that manufacturing organizations need to identify the factors that assist in successfully adopting lean practices in manufacturing firms operating in developing economies in South America. A dataset of 1,809 responses, gathered from manufacturing firms as part of the World Management Survey, was used to find support for the proposed hypotheses.

Several hypotheses were tested finding that lean practice success factors such as organizational targets proved to have a significant and positive relationship with the mediating factor, performance management. Likewise, performance management was also found to have a significant and positive relationship with lean practices adoption. Human capital management (HCM) has a significant but negative predictive relationship with lean practices.

The empirical results of this study provide valuable managerial insights. The results are therefore limited to the economies analyzed and to the variables surveyed as part of the World Manufacturing Survey research.

The results of this research provide a starting point for researchers to continue studying the key lean practice factors and relationships in the achievement of improved performance management, thereby helping managers in developing strategies to improve the lean capabilities of their practices. This, in turn, will increase the organization's competitive advantage sustainably.

This paper identifies and tests the impact of key factors on successful lean practices adoption in South American organizations in the manufacturing sector.

The main purpose of this study is to understand how collective operational practices are adapted or stimulated by a firm's competitive strategy.

This study employed a data set drawn from 124 plant managers and directors of Indian manufacturing firms. Multiple regression was used to examine the impact of operational practices of lean, total quality management (TQM) and supply chain management (SCM) within competitive clusters of cost leadership, differentiation and focus strategy.

Results of the study show that the pattern of impact of operational practices on firm's performance varies according to type of the competitive strategy employed. All the three competitive strategy clusters have reported that TQM is the most important trigger for Indian manufacturing firms with relative effect of TQM practices on firm's performance being higher than that of lean and SCM practices.

Cross-sectional data from Indian manufacturing firms were used, and it would be interesting to test the analytical framework of the study for more sectors and countries. Future studies can take a longitudinal research approach to strengthen the findings of the study.

The findings explain how operational practices are aligned with competitive strategies for practitioners so that they can assign limited resources to build diverse operational capabilities based on their strategic choices.

Although very few classical studies are reported in various contexts involving competitive strategy, operational practices and firm's performance, no existing study focuses on how these three domains are linked together in the context of Indian manufacturing sector.

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.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of lean production practices and lean duration (the duration for which lean production is in operation) on manufacturing performance.

The survey was used as the main method of data collection. In addition to survey data collected from 1,189 respondents from export-based textile and apparel firms operating in Sri Lanka, longitudinal data were collected over a period of seven months from a firm in the study sample to corroborate the survey findings.

The findings revealed that lean production practices significantly enhance manufacturing performance. Further findings revealed the importance of the duration of lean production in operation in achieving higher levels of manufacturing performance. This provides empirical support for the contention that the adoption of lean production can only be achieved through time.

Findings have implications for practices of export-based textile and apparel producing countries from Asia, Latin and Central America, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, and North Africa, which are competing intensively with each other for their market share in the global export-based textile and apparel production.

Manufacturing firms are adopting production methods and management practices to become leaner and fitter to create a new labour intensive production model that generate distinctive internal capabilities for survival and growth in international markets. Academics and practitioners in the field of manufacturing technologies will be interested in better understanding how lean production practices would enhance manufacturing performance from a non-western developing country context.

Due to the increasing trend of global competitiveness, lean manufacturing has received much attention in the international literature. Although previous studies have indicated the positive effects of lean manufacturing on the performance of the manufacturing firms, the impact of lean practices on two aspects of “job”, namely, characteristics and satisfaction, as of yet remains unclear. As a result, this study aims to evaluate job characteristics to understand the effects of lean manufacturing on job satisfaction.

Data from a survey of 206 employees in lean manufacturing companies were gathered and analysed using the partial least squares technique.

The results indicate that customer relationship, human resources and product design practices had positive indirect effects on job satisfaction through job characteristics, whereas, process and equipment practices had a negative indirect effect.

The findings of the study will be useful for the companies that implement lean manufacturing practices. Companies could either adjust their lean initiatives or make a trade-off amongst job characteristics.

This study contributes to the advancement of knowledge on the effects of lean manufacturing practices on job satisfaction through job characteristics.

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the adoption of Lean manufacturing (LM) contributes towards the sustainability performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in India.

The study is based on a multi-case study approach conducted among five independent Indian manufacturing SMEs. The information from direct observation, structured questionnaire interviews with key persons and archival data are used to analyse and cross-check the relationship. An assessment tool, developed using the variables collected from the previous works, is used to measure the relationship.

The study provides a solid basis for the contribution and positive influence of LM towards the sustainability performance in SMEs. The manufacturing SMEs that have adopted Lean principles and practices are benefited more towards their economic, environmental and social sustainability performances, irrespective of their operational characteristics such as firm size and final product.

This is a limited study conducted in a particular state in India by selecting only five independent case companies with divergent operational characteristics such as size of the firms, product and manufacturing process.

The study contributes by authorising the contribution of LM towards sustainability performance of SMEs. The findings will inspire academic community and industrial practitioners to expend for the adoption of Lean principles looking forward the sustainable development of the SMEs.

This article aims to explore synergies between Lean, Green and Six Sigma practices in order to propose an integrated LGSS framework for continuous and incremental improvement in the Indian manufacturing industries. The three-dimensional LGSS framework seeks to provide various combinations and support operational, financial, environmental and social needs.

In the research method, first, the current problems faced by Indian manufacturing industries are considered and proposition of a conceptual framework that qualitatively integrates synergistic aspects of Lean, Green and Six Sigma practices, and second, the framework is checked by a survey taken from 203 Indian firms by using SPSS-AMOS.

The hypothesized result suggests that the positive impact of integrated practices on firm performance in terms of operational, financial, social and environmental outcomes. It also provides a systemic and holistic approach to problem-solving through constant and incremental enhancement in the manufacturing sector.

In this research, only Indian manufacturing industries have been studied but can be extending into different geographical areas and sectors. Future research is also possible for different behavior and characteristics of companies that can lead to recommending strategies on how companies can improve performance. Most importantly, future research can try to understand which specific practice can contribute to competitive advantage and business success.

Manufacturing firms that want to improve environmental sustainability should implement integrated LGSS practices into their supply chain. The set of combined practices improves operational, social, economical and environmental benefits.

The research presents an integrated approach of LSS for the manufacturing industry which leads their business processes to achieve economic sustainability through continuous growth and improved operational efficiency. Manufacturing industries result in outcomes like reduced cost, lead time, improved quality, sustainable market position, profitability, customer satisfaction, etc.

This research is different from previous studies because it integrates Lean, Green and Six Sigma practices into a unique framework that fulfills a specific need of the Indian manufacturing sector that guides operational, social, environmental and financial issues in Indian industries.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating role of strategic supplier partnership and moderating role of information sharing (IS), in the relationship between lean manufacturing and firms’ financial performance (FP).

Utilizing the contingency approach, this study develops a research model to validate the proposition that a proper integration of supply chain (SC) practices enhances the financial performance of the firm. The study uses data from one hundred and fifty-seven manufacturing firms. The results are generated on structural equation modeling (SEM) using AMOS software.

The study finds that strategic supplier partnership partially mediates the relationship between lean manufacturing and FP, whereas, empirically, it could not demonstrate that IS significantly moderates the relationship between lean manufacturing and FP.

The paper theoretically develops logic for and empirically shows that strategic supplier partnership is an appropriate practice for mediating the impact of lean manufacturing on FP.

This strategic supply chain integration contributes to theory and demonstrates that SC practices’ correct synchronization and orchestration may realize superior FP. In addition, this research provides a sustainable strategic SC model that creates value and provides a competitive advantage for firms in the long term.