Critical success factors (CSF´s) in implementing Lean in Public Services

Critical success factors (CSF´s) in implementing Lean in Public Services

Implementing Lean in public services is very difficult to achieve. Due to this reason the critical success factors (CSFs) have first of all to be determined. CSFs are describing goals that are defined through the appropriate organisation, in this case the public services, in order to improve and measure the success of the business as well as the management and the employees. In addition, they should be measurable, controllable, and hierarchical in nature to generate benefits for the organisation (Crandall & Crandall, 2008). Every organisation has defined their own CSFs for lean implementation in the public services nowadays depending on their requirements.

The following part of the report refers to the publicised research “Evaluation of the Lean Approach to Business Management and Its Use in the Public Sector” of the Scottish Executive in 2006. Actually the critical success factors in the public sector are generally defined through the following points.

Due to this knowledge the general meaning and relevance of these CSFs are defined through the description below.

1. Organisational culture and ownership

A detailed and well-structured organisation culture must be established or improved in order to realize lean implementation. Factors for measurement of success has to be controlled regularly by the management and the persons who are responsible for lean. Radnor, Walley, Stephens, Bucci (2006: 69) argue that ‘threats’ need to be quickly turned into opportunities. In case of problems which are detected during the measuring the management has the chance to solve and improve them.

2. Developing organisational readiness

This key point is descripted through the openness and acceptance of first of all the management for something new. Because of the drivers the management is forced to realise the implementation and have to state which deployment step has to be finished until a fixed date.

3. Management commitment and capability

The management is forced to work visible and hard as the employees. This is an important point to keep the motivation of the staff members and set a good example for them. It’s a management topic to set up ideas to improve the motivation and engagement of their wage earners.

4. Do not under resource

This key aspect describes the usage of resources. The lean implementation requires a minimum of resources for example capacity and goods in order to success in time and right quality.

5. External support

This CSF mentions the demand of external knowledge and staff which is required for the implementation of lean. This depends on the internal resources of lean expertise.

6. Communications and engagement

An open, clear and honest communication is a very important basis for the launch of lean. Not only the employees among each other but also the communication between the wage earners and the management must be given. Every person in the organisation is challenged to engage as much as possible.

7. Strategic approach

Through the understanding of the recession and the resulting budget cuts the public sector was forced to implement Lean in order to keep the public services running. Every sector in the public services had to review their approach and investigate their strategy from the start to the end of the value.

8. Teamwork

Teamwork is a key point for an important launch of lean. This requires a good working atmosphere in the organisation.

9. Timing

The timing is an important factor for the lean implementation. Other key points like the resource and the readiness must be fulfilled in order to find the right time. A conflict with other projects in the organisation should be avoided.

Finally, it is possible to say that CSFs can be differently determined by every organization due to their strategy and policies but everywhere are analogies especially in the public sector. In some researches just are classical CSFs described. Sisson and Elshennawy (2014: 264) argue that these constructs are: deployment, engagement, training, processes, drivers and culture.”

References

Crandall, R. and Crandall, W. (2008). New Methods of Competing in the Global Marketplace: Critical Success Factors from Service and Manufacturing. Boca Raton: CRC Press

Sisson J., Elshennawy A., 2015, Achieving success with Lean, International Journal of Lean Six Sigma, Vol. 6 Iss 3 pp. 263 – 280

Radnor Z., Walley P., Stephens A., Bucci G., 2006, Evaluation of the Lean Approach to Business Management and Its Use in the Public Sector, Warwick Business School

Al-Balushi S., Sohal A.S., Singh P.J., Al Hajri A., Al Fasri Y.M., Al Abri R., 2014, Journal of Health Organization and Management,Vol. 28 No. 2, pp. 135-153, DOI 10.1108/JHOM-04-2013-0083

[...]