Identification and Analysis of Productivity Enhancing Dimensions in Lean Service: A Grounded Theory Research

Subject Areas : Business Management

Mohadeseh Nikookar ¹ , Roksana Fekri ² , Marzieh Babaeianpour ³ , Peyman Akhavan ⁴

1 - Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Industrial Engineering, Payam Noor University, Tehran, Iran,
2 - Associate Professor, Department of Industrial Engineering, Payam Noor University, Tehran, Iran
3 - Assistant Professor. Department of Industrial Engineering, Payam Noor University, Tehran, Iran
4 - Professor. Department f Industrial Engineering, Malek Ashtar University, Tehran, Iran,

Received: 2020-06-18 Accepted : 2020-10-26 Published : 2021-12-22

Keywords: Lean thinking, Lean service, Lean service dimensions, Service organization,

Abstract :

Most of lean methods are attributed to manufacturing industry where a tangible product is produced. Thus, lean concepts and methods should be reassessed prior to their application to service processes. Application of lean thinking principles through minimizing wastes in service organizations can provide the bedrock for enhancing organizational productivity. Thus, the current inquiry set out to identify the productivity-enhancing lean service dimensions through Grounded Theory. To this end, the existing literature on lean service was extensively reviewed in the initial phase of the study and 32 faculty members in the field and experts in in Iranian service were interviewed.  Having encoded the research data obtained based on Strauss and Corbin Grounded Theory, 30 concepts and 7 categories were extracted which identified the dimensions of lean service with supporting factors for the first time. The findings indicated workforce, customer, management, information system, continuous improvement, technology, and operation management as lean service dimensions. Applying this model to service organizations is assumed to assist the managers to manage their services more adequately by diminishing the waste and costs, and thereby, promoting productivity.

References:

Ali-Ahmadi, A.R., & Akhavan, P. (2006). On the success of science and technology policies in developed countries, International Journal of Engineering Science, 17(1), 19-28, [In Persian].

Allway, M., & Corbett, S. (2002). Shifting to lean service: stealing a page from manufacturers’ playbooks. Journal of Organizational Excellence, 21(2), 45-54.

Andres-Lopez, E., Gonzalez-Requena, I., & Sanz-Lobera, A. (2015). Lean Service: Reassessment of Lean Manufacturing for Service Activities. Procedia Engineering, 132, 23-30.

Bowen, D.E., & Youngdahl, W.E. (1998). Lean service: in defense of a production-line approach. International Journal of Service Industry Management, 9(3), 207-225.

Cavdur, F., Yagmahan, B., Oguzcan, E., Arslan, N., & Sahan, N. (2019). lean service system design: a simulation-based vsm case study. Business Process Management Journal, 25(7), 1802-1821.

Collins, K., & Muthusamy, S. (2007). Applying the Toyota production system to a healthcare organization: A case study on a rural community healthcare provider. The Quality Management Journal, 14(4), 41–52.

Flick, U.  (1998). An Introduction to Qualitative Research. London: Sage, 1-696.

Glaser, BG., & Strauss AL. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: strategies for qualitative research. Chicago: Aldine Pub. Co, 1-271.

Gupta, S., Sharma, M. (2018). Analysis of the Implementation of a Lean Service in a Shared Service Center: A Study of Stability and Capacity. International Journal of Lean Six Sigma, 9(4), 482-505.

Hadid, W., & Mansouri, S.A. (2014). The lean-performance relationship in services: a theoretical model. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 34(6), 750-785.

HemmatGhadim, Z., (2013). Investigating the Relationship between Knowledge Management Dimensions and Lean Production. First International Management Conference, Challenges and Solutions, Shiraz, Iran, 1-9 [In Persian].

Jandaghi, Gh., & Aliahmadi, A. (2015). Implementation of value stream mapping model in service organizations. Management Tomorrow, 42, 111-128, [In Persian].

Kazemian, M., Salehi, M., & Zameni, F. (2014). Lean thinking: today’s necessity for organizations in the third millennium tomorrow’s obligation. International of Journal of Current Life Sciences, 4(10), 8040-8045.

KHashei, V., Heidari, H., &pourabbasi, A. (2017). Evaluation of strategic risks in strategy execution of reform and innovation packages in medical education, a practical model. TebvaTazkiyeh, 26(1), 33-44, [In Persian].

Kollberg, B., Dahlgaard, J.J., & Brehmer, P.O. (2007). Measuring lean initiatives in health care services: issues and findings. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 56(7), 7-24.

Leslie, M., Hagood, C., Royer, A., Reece, C.P., & Maloney, S. (2006). Using Lean Methods to Improve OR Turnover Times. AORN Journal, 84(5), 849-855.

Malmbrandt, M., & Ahlstrom, P. (2013). An instrument for assessing lean service adoption. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 33(9), 1131-1165.

Pan, W.T., Leu, Y., Zhu, W., & Lin W.Y. (2016). A data mining approach to the analysis of a catering lean service project. Intelligent Automation & Soft Computing Published online: 28 Jun 2016, 1-8.

Patri, R., & Suresh, M. (2018). Factors influencing lean implementation in healthcare organizations: An ISM approach. International Journal of Healthcare Management, 11(1), 25-37.

Piercy, N., Rich, N. (2009a). Lean transformation in the pure service environment: the case of the call service centre. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 29(1), 54-76.

Piercy, N., & Rich, N. (2009b). High quality and low cost: the lean service centre. European Journal of Marketing, 43(11), 1477-1497.

Report of Tehran chamber of commerce, industries, mines and agriculture. (2018). 1-14. available on: tccim.ir/Images/Docs/TCCIMirBizReport _750.pdf [In Persian].

Song, W., Tan, K.H., & Baranek, A. (2009). Effective toolbox for lean service implementation. International Journal of Services and Standards,5(1),1-16.

Strauss, A., & Corbin, J., (2015). Basic of Qualitative Research. London: Sage.

Suarez-Barraza, M.F., Smith, T., & Dahlgaard-Park, S.M. (2012). Lean service a literature analysis and classification. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, 23(3-4), 359-380.

Sum, F.F., Paula, I.C., Tortorella, G., Pontes, A.T., Faco, R.T. (2020). Analysis of the implementation of a lean service in a shared service center: a study of stability and capacity. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 67(2), 334-346.

TashakorianJahromi, A., Rowshan, S., & Elmafshar, M. (2017). Identifying and Analyzing Lean Criteria in Health Services Industry: A Case Study. Journal of health administration, 20(68), 99-113, [In Persian].

Tay, H.L., J. Singh, P., Bhakoo, V., & Al-Balushi, Sh. (2017). Contextual factors: assessing their influence on flow or resource efficiency orientations in healthcare lean projects. Operations Management Research, 10(3-4), 118-136.

Vignesh V.,& Suresh M. (2016). Factors influencing lean practices in Super market services using interpretive structural modeling. 2016 IEEE International Conference on Computational Intelligence and Computing Research (ICCIC), Tamil Nadu, India, 1-5.

Wei, J.C. (2009). Theories and Principles of Designing Lean Service Process. proceedings of the 6th international conference on Service Systems and Service Management, Xiamen, China, 821-826.