Transferability of the Japanese Lean Management Approach from Production into the Office

Approaches, Perspectives and Opportunities for Optimization of Administrative Processes

Bachelor Thesis , 2015 , 102 Pages , Grade: 1,3

Business economics - Business Management, Corporate Governance

After the propitious end of the year 2013, economy started a slow recovery with signs of a cyclical upturn at the beginning of 2014. The construction sector, consumer industries and company service providers were in good shape, while capital goods producers have almost returned to their former strength. Other important international trading companies started to intensify their growth little by little.

Globalization continued its progress, since the economic crisis weakened multinational corporations from Europe, the USA and Japan only barely. At the same time, companies in the West were increasingly challenged by global competition. Fast-acting contractors found new clients and strategic trading partners, while the latter, however, were facing strong and aggressive competition.

International competition continues to remain one of the key issues that companies have to deal with today. Productivity and efficiency have to be improved steadily and innovation, research and development initiatives are to be constantly promoted. In order to address this issue successfully, numerous companies make investment into the education and training of their personnel a priority. Employees are called upon to recognize the potential for improvement at their workplace and to propose creative solutions. The concept of Lean Management, formerly mostly applied at Japanese companies, is presently a reference term for lean processes and continuous competitiveness building.

In scholarly literature, Lean Administration or Lean Office is described as the application of Lean Management approaches and methods to the field of business processes, without regard to whether they take place on the shop floor or on higher administrative levels. In the present thesis, the applicability of this management approach will be not only analyzed, but also submitted to critically scrutiny. Is the term “Lean“ only expressive of a misplaced downsizing fervor, as critics claim, or are the successes of Lean Management transferable into the sphere of administration as well? Is it, thus, possible to achieve a “lean” administration? Can processes, often described as “nontransparent“ and “non-measurable,“ indeed, be optimized through the application of this new management approach?

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Preface
• Lock Flag
• Table of Contents
• List of abbreviations
• List of figures
• 1. Introduction
  • 1.1 Problem statement
  • 1.2 Objective
  • 1.3 Structure of the Thesis
• 2. Development of the Lean Philosophy
  • 2.1 Top-Down or Bottom-Up Management Approach
  • 2.2 History and Core Idea
  • 2.3 Usage of the term “Lean”
  • 2.4 Definition of the term “Lean Management”
  • 2.5 From TPS to Lean Administration
• 3. Process Optimization with Lean Administration
  • 3.1 In Search of Wastefulness - the 3 MU’s
    • 3.1.1 MUDA - The 7 Types of Waste
      • 3.1.1.1 Wasteful over-production
      • 3.1.1.2 Wasteful waiting times and idle periods
      • 3.1.1.3 Wasteful unnecessary transportation
      • 3.1.1.4 Wasteful unnecessary inventory and buffer stocks
      • 3.1.1.5 Wasteful inappropriate processing (over-processing)
      • 3.1.1.6 Wasteful unnecessary motion and searching
      • 3.1.1.7 Wasteful defective products and wasteful non-quality
    • 3.1.2 MURA - Wasteful imbalance or deviation
    • 3.1.3 MURI - Wasteful overload or overburden
  • 3.2 Lean Principles
    • 3.2.1 Define value from customer’s perspective
    • 3.2.2 Identify the value stream
    • 3.2.3 Implementation of the Flow Principle
    • 3.2.4 Striving for perfection (Kaizen)
    • 3.2.5 Implementing the Pull Principle (Kanban)
  • 3.3 Methods
    • 3.3.1 Value Stream Mapping
    • 3.3.2 The Kanban Board
    • 3.3.3 CIP - The Continuous Improvement Process
      • 3.3.3.1 PDCA Cycle
      • 3.3.3.2 6W Questioning Technique
      • 3.3.3.3 5S Method
      • 3.3.3.4 Ishikawa Diagrams
    • 3.3.4 Performance Indication Systems
      • 3.3.4.1 CVE - Customer Value Effectiveness
      • 3.3.4.2 Complaints ratio
      • 3.3.4.3 Working and processing time
      • 3.3.4.4 Ability to meet deadlines
      • 3.3.4.5 Productivity of staff
      • 3.3.4.6 Lost orders
      • 3.3.4.7 Improvement suggestions per employee and year
    • 3.3.5 Employee involvement
  • 4. Critics and barriers for implementation
    • 4.1 Lack of contingency
    • 4.2 Human aspects
    • 4.3 Scope and lack of strategic perspective
    • 4.4 Coping with Variability
    • 4.5 Further barriers in Administration
  • 5. Practical example of Lean Administration implementation
    • 5.1 Methodical approach to data collection via interview
    • 5.2 Evaluation method of the interviews
    • 5.3 Key results of the experts interviews
  • 6. Résumé
    • 6.1 Summary of key messages
    • 6.2 Target of the Thesis
    • 6.3 Outlook
  • Bibliography
  • Internet Sources
  • Appendix
    • I. Interview Guidelines
    • II. Transcripts of the Interviews
    • III. Coding Guideline

  Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

  This thesis aims to analyze the transferability of the Japanese Lean Management approach from production to administrative processes. It investigates the opportunities and challenges of implementing Lean principles in office environments, exploring the perspectives and methods involved in optimizing administrative processes.

  • Transferability of Lean principles from production to administrative settings
  • Opportunities for optimizing administrative processes through Lean management
  • Challenges and barriers to implementing Lean in office environments
  • Key methods and tools for implementing Lean administration
  • Practical case study exploring Lean implementation in an administrative context

  Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

  • Chapter 1: Introduction - Establishes the problem statement, objective, and structure of the thesis, highlighting the importance of Lean principles in administrative environments.
  • Chapter 2: Development of the Lean Philosophy - Provides a comprehensive overview of the history, core ideas, and definitions related to Lean management, tracing its origins and evolution from the Toyota Production System (TPS) to its application in administrative contexts.
  • Chapter 3: Process Optimization with Lean Administration - Delves into the practical application of Lean principles in administration, focusing on identifying and eliminating waste through the 3 MU's (Muda, Mura, Muri). It also presents key Lean methods and tools such as value stream mapping, Kanban, and continuous improvement processes (CIP).
  • Chapter 4: Critics and barriers for implementation - Discusses critical perspectives and potential challenges associated with implementing Lean in administrative settings, addressing issues such as lack of contingency, human aspects, and strategic considerations.
  • Chapter 5: Practical example of Lean Administration implementation - Presents a case study exploring the application of Lean principles in a real-world administrative setting through interviews with experts, focusing on data collection methods and key findings.

  Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

  Key terms and concepts explored in this thesis include Lean management, Lean administration, process optimization, waste reduction, value stream mapping, Kanban, continuous improvement, 3 MU's, human aspects, and practical implementation.

• College: University of applied sciences Dortmund
• Course: International Management
• Grade: 1,3
• Author: Madeline Gremme (Author)
• Publication Year: 2015
• Pages: 102
• Catalog Number: V299411
• ISBN (eBook): 9783656960096
• ISBN (Book): 9783656960102
• Language: English
• Tags: Lean, Lean Management, Lean Office, Prozessoptimierung, Top-Down Management Approach, Bottom up Management Approach