Relationship between lean techniques and performance of a business

: an analysis

Abstract

In today's rapidly changing and competitive business environment, the adoption of Lean principles become a relevant topic, offering organizations a strategic framework to enhance efficiency, reduce waste, and foster continuous improvement, thereby enabling them to stay agile, innovative, and resilient in the face of dynamic challenges. This dissertation examines the CSFs of implementing Lean Thinking. In the literature, there seems to be a consensus regarding the three critical success factors (CSF) that most influence the implementation of this philosophy, namely “Leadership and Management”, “Education and Training” and “Employee Empowerment”. A questionnaire, consisting of binary questions, was applied to individuals from different organizations and hierarchical levels to capture their perceptions of the activities that are most important within these three factors to ensure a positive impact on the business performance. The results suggest that among the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) identified, only “Leadership and Management” exhibited a strong correlation with performance variables. Although "Training and Education" and "Employee Empowerment" initially did not show strong associations, further analysis revealed that participants who utilized a wider range of tools tended to have better engagement and achieve better performance outcomes. These findings underscore the importance of “Leadership and Management” as primary CSFs, highlighting the interdependency of all factors.

Date of Award	12 Jul 2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Aydin Teymourifar (Supervisor)