Developing Lean Transnati onally and Cross Culturally

摘要

While Lean can be considered as a collection of practical methods oriented towards achieving the shortest possible cycle time combined with the lowest total cost, it is more than a technique, but a way of life for many organisations. At the core of Lean lies the relentless drive towards increasing the portion of value-added work, by eliminating waste and reducing incidental work. Significantly, Lean will become more important in countries such as China, where its low cost labour advantage becomes gradually diminished by increasing competition from countries such as Vietnam, Bangladesh etc.Yet, it can be argued that Lean manufacturing is in direct opposition with traditional manufacturing approaches, such as, adopting economic order quantities, high capacity utilisation, and high inventory. As a consequence, the transition from a traditional environment to one of Lean production, largely centres on managing an organisation's culture coupled with individuals' natural resistance to change. Understanding the elements of resistance and subsequently overcoming them are vital to managing Lean across international boundaries.