International Journal of Lean Six Sigma

da Silva, Iris Bento ; Seraphim, Everton Cesar ; Agostinho, Oswaldo Luiz ; Lima Junior, Orlando Fontes ; Batalha, Gilmar Ferreira

2015 International Journal of Lean Six Sigma

doi: 10.1108/IJLSS-09-2013-0053

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present management techniques in the healthcare sector through lean office. Design/methodology/approach – A case study approach is adopted, with data collected in the Brazilian military organization. Findings – The findings identify several ways to apply lean concepts outside manufacturing. From this, a future lean office health state design will be proposed. Research limitations/implications – The lean office health proposal has to be tested in other organizations to confirm this case study. While this may limit the generalization of the findings, there is value in demonstrating the benefits modern lean office techniques can bring to the developing world healthcare. Practical implications – The paper shows that lean office health techniques can provide benefits to healthcare in developing countries' hospitals and others. Originality/value – The value of the paper arises from providing a detailed analysis of a healthcare lean office in the developing world. There have been only a small number of other studies published in the literature about lean office health.

Pujo, Patrick ; El Khabous, Ilham ; Ounnar, Fouzia

2015 International Journal of Lean Six Sigma

doi: 10.1108/IJLSS-07-2013-0038

Purpose – The aim of this research is to discuss the benefits of U-shaped layout for production cell operating in variable takt time. Different experiments were conducted using benchmarks to highlight the performance gap between a linear cell and a U-Cell. Design/methodology/approach – The implementation of the production cell, either in a U-shaped or in a straight line layout, is optimized through linear programming based on the number of operators. The two corresponding programs, in Mosel language, use the same approach to not introduce bias in the comparison of results. The study used the authors’ own datasets and other well-known academic benchmarks. Findings – A comparison was conducted between the obtained takt times, with equivalent operating conditions, in both U-Cell and linear cell. A significant increase of the production rate was observed. This increase has often exceeded 10 per cent, reaching 32 per cent. All the experiments show that, with the same number of operators, a cell in a U-shaped layout is always at least as efficient, in terms of attainable production rates, than an equivalent linear cell. Ninety-six per cent of the studied cases give an improvement of production rate. Moreover, the dispersion of the U-Cell results is weaker, which suggests that the U-shaped layout gives better performances in more robust manner. Research limitations/implications – Results were obtained through a study of various academic benchmarks. The results must be validated on industrial situations. Practical implications – This paper will be very useful for researchers and practitioners to understand lean implementations and their derived benefits. This paper will allow them to evaluate and analyze the expected benefits of the implementation of the production cell in the U-shaped layout (operating in variable takt time). Originality/value – U-Cells constitute an appropriate solution for a layout of any kind of production cells with a variable structure (variability of the number of operators, of the organization of the cell, of the takt time (…)). When facing a significant variation in the demand, the response consists of adjusting the number of operators assigned to the cell. This study jointly addresses the problem of the U-shaped layout and the operation in variable takt time.

Worley, June M. ; Doolen, Toni L.

2015 International Journal of Lean Six Sigma

doi: 10.1108/IJLSS-12-2013-0058

Purpose – The aim of this study was to understand the relationship between organizational structure and lean implementation success and to explore the impact of a lean implementation on the development of employee problem-solving skills. Organizations that implement lean manufacturing strategies experience widely differing results, with unexpected outcomes for some organizations. Design/methodology/approach – This study was conducted using qualitative research methodologies. Specifically, a case study was performed at an electronics manufacturer in the northwestern USA over a three-month time period. The researchers collected data from a variety of sources at the manufacturing site. Findings – Two significant findings emerged. First, the lack of dedicated personnel for the lean implementation inhibited the widespread adoption of lean practices. Second, evidence supported the role of the lean implementation in positively affecting employee problem-solving skills. Research limitations/implications – This paper is relevant to most manufacturing organizations; however, lean implementations are likely as unique as the organizations themselves. Given that the study used a single-site case study, utilizing qualitative methods, additional research is needed to confirm the findings for a larger range of manufacturing organizations. The results do indicate, however, that an organization with fewer resources to dedicate to the lean effort may find the transformation process slow and may experience fewer performance benefits. Likewise, further empirical study would help strengthen the findings regarding the relationship between the lean implementation and noticeable improvement in employee problem-solving skills. Originality/value – The literature stream for lean manufacturing provides examples of how lean implementations have not only noticeably affected tangible metrics related to profits and expenses but have also helped positively influence factors such as employee safety, morale and empowerment. For some organizations, considering the effect of these intangible factors before committing to a new manufacturing approach may prove useful. This study focused on exploring, in a much deeper way, through qualitative methods, how organizational structure can impact a lean implementation and how it ultimately acts as a catalyst for the increased development of employee problem-solving skills.

Peteros, Randall G. ; Maleyeff, John

2015 International Journal of Lean Six Sigma

doi: 10.1108/IJLSS-03-2014-0007

Purpose – This paper aims to use Lean Six Sigma (LSS) and consumption mapping concepts to develop a disciplined methodology for a self-directed investor so that adverse decision-making behaviors are avoided. Classical financial theories assume that individuals maximize expected utility by arriving at financial decisions in a rational manner. But, over time, investor performance has lagged behind corresponding market performance. Despite these results and research on their causes, investors continue to repeat systematic mistakes leading to suboptimal financial outcomes. Design/methodology/approach – Consumption maps are developed based on behavioral finance research that shows why investors make predictable and costly errors in their decision making. The authors show that the contemporary methodologies within LSS, used successfully in the manufacturing and service sectors, can be used to enforce rationality in investing. Findings – The approach proposed herein provides a new framework that researchers should be able to test in practice. By applying a structured, disciplined approach based on the Design-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control (DMAIC) methodology of LSS, it is posited that the gap between financial theory and actual results can be bridged. Originality/value – Rather than hoping to avoid irrational behavior through self-awareness of behavioral biases, the DMAIC approach will standardize self-directed investor decision-making so that discipline is enforced.

Gupta, Shaman ; Jain, Sanjiv Kumar

2015 International Journal of Lean Six Sigma

doi: 10.1108/IJLSS-08-2013-0047

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to use the 5S tool to assist a small-scale manufacturing organization to become more productive and more efficient. Design/methodology/approach – A simple approach has been adopted to create the teams for implementing 5S. Cause-and-effect diagram has been studied for shop floor analysis. Later, four data collection methods have been used to ensure right implementation of the 5S. Findings – In the frames of this case study, it has been analyzed that implementation of “5S” resulted in overall improvement of the organization. With the implementation of “5S”, major benefits in the form of tool searching time have been achieved. Tool searching time from shop floor has been reduced from 30 minutes to 5 minutes. “5S” audit has been conducted in the organization. “5S” audit score has been increased from 7 (Week 1) to 55 (Week 20). Practical implications – 5S is a powerful tool and can be implemented in various industries whether micro, small, medium or large. Implementation of 5S has large horizontal development and can be implemented in all the workstations of an organization. Originality/value – The publications and case study presented in this paper will be useful to researchers, professionals and others concerned with this subject to understand the significance of 5S.